Denver Broncos rookie minicamp recap: News, analysis, and takeaways

Denver Broncos rookie minicamp has officially come to an end after the three-day program wrapped up Sunday evening as the team now looks ahead to OTAs that begin next Tuesday, May 23rd.

While the media was limited to just one attendance of the three practices, we were able to witness Denver's new five draft picks in action in the orange and blue for the first time. Aside from the rooks, the Denver Broncos held tryouts with multiple veteran players and undrafted free agents including former XFL QB Ben DiNucci and XFL RB Jacques Patrick who later signed contracts with the team following their "impressive" performances.

Here are the biggest stories, takeaways, and news drops from the Denver Broncos' 2023 rookie minicamp:

Drew Sanders opens eyes early

Heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, the general consensus was that LB Drew Sanders was expected to be selected in the late first round to mid-second round however, fortunately for the Broncos, winded up dropping to the third round and fell directly in their laps with the 67th overall pick.

Prior to the draft, CBS Sports even ranked him as their 29th overall prospect and it seems like from the outside looking in, Sanders has lived up to the hype so far. On the second day of rookie minicamp in a 7v7 period, Sanders jumped a route in pass coverage and intercepted QB Ben DiNucci to which he returned for a touchdown.

According to reports, Sanders looked fantastic all day long, had a few PBUs according to KOA Colorado's Benjamin Allbright, and was displaying "legit" closing speed. So far with a limited sample size in the Mile High, Sanders looks to be every bit of a "steal" that the fans claim him to be.

PJ Mustipher makes early impression

UDFA DL PJ Mustipher, who signed with the Broncos just hours after the NFL Draft, seems to be making quite an early impression on the Broncos' coaching staff. According to 9News' Mike Klis, Mustipher was receiving some "love" from the staff and appeared to be making an impact in drills and 7v7s.

The Broncos opted not to draft a single defensive lineman in the 2023 NFL Draft, despite losing two key pieces in Dre'Mont Jones and DeShawn Williams. Mike Purcell, who is on the final year of his contract, figures to have a contributive role on Denver's defensive line once again this year and could potentially be the veteran mentor for Mustipher in his rookie campaign, considering that both are at their best at the nose tackle position. However, Mustipher will need to continue to impress the staff and build on his performances throughout OTAs and camp to have a shot at making the final 53-man roster come August.

Javonte Williams expected back for camp

Following RB Javonte Williams' torn ACL in the 2022 season, there have been a lot of looming questions and doubts around his exact recovery time frame. However, head coach Sean Payton took matters into his own hands and voluntarily dropped some massive news during his Saturday press conference that could very well change the course of the off-season for the offense.

"Our current starter [RB Javonte Williams] is doing extremely well. I would tell you that we expect him to be ready for the start of training camp and that's good news. His rehab is going well. I don't want to speak for him or [Vice President of Player Health & Performance] Beau [Lowery] or anyone else, but we get the daily reports. We’re pretty tight-lipped relative to information going out, but I've read a lot and I think his rehab is going well."

Sean Payton (via Broncos PR)

Perhaps what Sean Payton read was my report from earlier this month that a source revealed to me Javonte Williams will be ready for week one and presumably that is how he discovered the news (just kidding). In all seriousness, however, the fact that Williams may potentially be even healthier than we had originally anticipated and be able to compete on day one of training camp and absorb contact is a miracle in itself.

Very rarely do we see comebacks like this not only in the NFL but in all of sports therefore, this speaks a lot to Williams' physical nature and strong mentality to overcome such a brutal and gruesome injury that would set most athletes back years. However, if the Broncos want to play this smart, they will absolutely need to have a very cautious approach to the situation and provide him with limitations all throughout camp, especially if they don't want to lose one of their best offensive players on their offense a second year in a row.

While Williams is on an incredible path towards full recovery and will be a while before he's officially back to 100%, it is important to note that Coach Payton does not expect him to be back at full speed and capacity, considering the beatings RBs endure in the NFL.

Randy Gregory making good progress

OLB Randy Gregory, who the Broncos signed to a massive 5-year, $70M contract in the 2022 off-season, has already raised a string of injury concerns in his first year with the team after suffering a knee injury last season that held him out multiple games before eventually undergoing arthroscopic surgery to trim the meniscus on the injured knee.

Gregory already had surgery on his left knee in January of 2022 before signing with the Broncos and then had surgery on his shoulder just a month after signing with the team. To say it has been a disaster injury-wise for Gregory up until this point in his career would be an understatement. However, on a positive note, Sean Payton informed the media with some rather reassuring news:

"Randy [Gregory] is doing well. We are in phase two and he's been here. He's in good health...we are doing a lot of teaching but he's doing well and looks good."

Sean Payton on Randy Gregory

As Gregory looks to finally get over the hump and move past his nagging knee injuries that have bothered him for the last two years, Payton claims Gregory looks "good" rather than "great" but does state that he's "doing well" matching the description he used for Javonte Williams' status. Only time will tell how truly healthy Gregory is and if the defense will find themselves repeating the rotation of OLBs throughout the season due to injuries.