7 Broncos who impressed or disappointed during 2nd week of training camp

The Denver Broncos have already reached the point of training camp where they will be preparing for their first preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons.

The competition is about to heat up even more.

Over the course of the past two weeks, the Broncos have ramped things up from non-padded practices to a number of intense padded practices, and a handful of players have stood out, for better or worse. We picked seven notable players who either stepped up or disappointed this past week, already the second week of Broncos training camp practices.

Broncos players who stepped up or disappointed the most in Week 2 of training camp

Impressed: Pat Bryant, WR

Second-year wide receiver Pat Bryant has been the "star" of training camp for the Denver Broncos.

Over the course of training camp, it's been one big Pat Bryant play after another. He's made plays for Bo Nix at all levels of the field, and is doing it against the top defense as well as the second and third units.

As a rookie, Bryant was limited early on in the season, and after he was unleashed, he dealt with some injuries. Now in his second season, he's been the talk of training camp. At the team's final padded practice before their week of preparation for the Falcons, Bryant caught "at least" six passes.

Offensive coordinator Davis Webb said after Saturday's practice that Bryant has made a "big jump" this offseason and we're seeing it and hearing about it daily. That's not an exaggeration, either. Bryant is showing the coaching staff that he's ready for an expanded role this season, and is proving to Bo Nix that he can be one of the most trusted weapons in the offense.

Without Courtland Sutton and Jaylen Waddle on the practice field most of the week, it was Bryant stealing the show and making the bulk of the plays.

Impressed: Jonah Coleman, RB

It's no surprise whatsoever that Jonah Coleman's name has started to pop up more and more now that the pads have come on for the Broncos. The rookie out of Washington has been extremely impressive, especially running between the tackles.

Sean Payton has continued to maintain that he will mostly feature two backs, and the pecking order clearly goes JK Dobbins first, then RJ Harvey, then everyone else. But Coleman is making a case for as many snaps as the Broncos can possibly afford him.

And if he continues to prove trustworthy between the tackles and in the red zone, they won't be able to keep him off the field.

One of the Broncos' biggest struggles last season was having any level of consistent success on the ground, especially after Dobbins went down. Having the fresh legs of Coleman, whose game is extremely well-rounded, will be big for the offense.

With Marvin Mims Jr. out, he's also getting some looks retuning kickoffs...

Disappointed: Courtland Sutton & Jaylen Waddle, WR

Although there have been some missed connections with Courtland Sutton at practice, the good news here is that neither Courtland Sutton nor Jaylen Waddle are making the "disappointed" section of this list because of flat-out poor play on the field.

Let's look at each individual situation, starting with Sutton's. For three straight days during the Broncos' first week of padded practice, Sutton was not participating. He confirmed after one of the practices that he was "indubitably" healthy, and that he was just being a "good soldier", doing what the team was telling him to do:

Sutton's press conference was an eyebrow-raiser, to say the very least. He was obviously his usual, jovial self, but he was also speaking rather candidly, and what he said was bordering on concerning. But he was also back out there for the weekend practices (Friday & Saturday), so maybe there's really nothing to see here. Having him miss as much practice as he did was a little disappointing, but it's a relief that he's healthy.

Jaylen Waddle's situation was a huge disappointment. In his first training camp with the Broncos, he pulled up during a drill with a muscle strain. He was spotted at practice walking around with a bit of a limp, as well as a huge sleeve on his left leg. After a couple of days, Waddle ditched the sleeve and was moving around a lot better.

Head coach Sean Payton noted that Waddle would only miss about 4-5 days, so we'll see what his involvement is during the week of practices leading up to the game against the Falcons. It would be a shocker if he played in that game.

All of the Broncos' eggs went into the Jaylen Waddle basket this offseason. They did nothing in NFL Free Agency and didn't pick until the 3rd round of the NFL Draft. Their offseason was Waddle. To have him leave practice with an injury and miss any substantial time is a huge disappointment, although on the bright side, it seems to be a short-term issue.

Impressed: Riley Moss, CB

It's possible that nobody on the entire roster has had a better all-around training camp than Riley Moss.

Moss noted that a big reason for his progress was some offseason work in Florida with defensive backs coach Chad Wilson, a coach who has worked with Pat Surtain II and Ja'Quan McMillian in the past. Moss noted that the defensive back-specific work this offseason, as opposed to the physical/speed training he typically does at Iowa, was beneficial.

He's made big play after big play at training camp, and has kept the hot streak going when the pads have come on.

The Broncos need a big year out of Moss, and Moss needs a big year to cash in financially. He's entering a contract year in 2026, and the Broncos didn't really do much to push him in terms of his starting job. After rumors that Jahdae Barron would be competing for Moss's job, The fourth-year player has completely shut down any idea that he might lose his job at all.

He might even be on his way to forcing the Broncos' hand and getting a contract before the season starts.

Impressed: Eyioma Uwazurike, DL

The biggest loss for the Denver Broncos' defense in 2026 was starting defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers. With Franklin-Myers off to the Titans, the question everyone has been wondering is, who's taking JFM's place?

The Broncos have given us somewhat of an answer to that with a rotation of players that includes Malcolm Roach, rookie Tyler Onyedim, second-year player Sai'vion Jones, and 2022 4th-round pick Eyioma Uwazurike.

Uwazurike might be having one of the best training camps of any player on the team, and it's no coincidence that his name started popping up a ton as soon as the pads came on.

Uwazurike is a stark difference from John Franklin-Myers in terms of his overall size. At 6-foot-6, 320 pounds, he's got two inches and nearly 40 pounds on Franklin-Myers. That doesn't necessarily mean anything, but the Broncos have been pretty light on the defensive line under Vance Joseph.

Uwazurike played over 400 snaps last season, getting his feet wet. He's been ready for a bigger role for quite some time, but he's proving it at training camp by knifing through the line of scrimmage for big plays against both the run and the pass.

Impressed: Sam Ehlinger, QB

The Broncos might be trying to downplay it a bit, but there's no question that there is a battle for QB2 unfolding at training camp.

Sam Ehlinger has really done a great job dating back to last season, and was apparently "dealing" during the Broncos' Saturday training camp practice.

It's going to be a fun to see how the battle between Ehlinger and Jarrett Stidham unfolds during the preseason. The Broncos could save a pretty significant chunk of change ($6.5 million on the cap) if they trade Stidham before the start of the season, and they would save $4.5 million by cutting him.

It would still be a little surprising if they broke up the quarterback room at all, but if Ehlinger is playing at a level that is truly competitive with what Stidham is bringing to the table, those savings are hard to ignore.

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