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NFL Training Camp Day: Denver Broncos Day 9 news and notes

News and notes from day 9 of Denver Broncos Training Camp.

By Scotty Payne
Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Day 9 of Denver Broncos Training Camp just wrapped up earlier today. The Broncos were in full pads today so the competition was fierce. We have an update on the defense, Aqib Talib looking good, Manning getting rest tomorrow, and more!

Sunday will be a veteran rest day:

Head Coach Gary Kubiak told reporters after today's practice that tomorrow's practice would be a "veteran rest day" for 5 or 6 players.

My best guess is we will see Manning, Daniels, Vasquez, Talib, Harris, and Ward all getting tomorrow's practice off.

"Yeah, I'm going to rest a few of them tomorrow. Peyton's going to the Hall of Fame deal. He will be back, though. He'll be here. I'm going to rest those six or seven guys that I've been giving about every fourth day off. It'll be pretty much a young practice tomorrow morning. We're going to have our pads on. We need to get some work done."

This means guys like Brock Osweiler, Virgil Green, Shelley Smith, Lorenzo Doss, Bradley Roby, Kayvon Webster, and David Bruton could all get reps with the 1st team reps tomorrow.

Obviously all eyes will once again be on Brock Osweiler. How does handle the first team reps? How is his chemistry with guys like Demaryius Thomas and Cody Latimer, and will he look better than the last time he took first-team reps.

Defense stepping up:

The Broncos defense had their best showing of Training Camp today. They caused turnovers, rushed the passer, and just made for a sloppy overall performance by the offense.

The Broncos are going to rely heavily on their defense this season, so it's good to hear that they are looking stout.

"Defensively, we practiced extremely well today." said Kubiak "That was probably our most dominant performance defensively as far as just our attitude and staying in the moment all day long. Offensively, we made a lot of mistakes. We had balls on the ground and just didn't make a lot of plays."

Days like this are going to be expected. The Broncos defense is talented at every level, and you have a young inexperienced offensive line. Mistakes and sloppy play are going to happen. This gives the coaches and players some film to watch and something to work on in the coming days.

Talib looking great:

Cornerback Aqib Talib has been having a great past few days of camp. He intercepted Manning yesterday and did it again today. In a game scenario, it would have gone for a touchdown, but an offsides penalty called it back.

Kubiak had some nice things to say about his cornerback after today's practice.

"To me, the difference in this league between a good corner and a great corner is guys that have ball skills. A lot of guys can cover, but when the ball is there, can you make the play on the ball? Can you make the pick? Can you take it the other way? As an offensive guy, attacking corners that you know don't have ball skills, you're not afraid. That's what separates him. If he gets his hands on the ball, like I told the guys the other day, 'Let's go to work,’ that will be a touchdown, not just turnover. He does a great job."

He was working as the number one corner today with Chris Harris Jr sitting out practice with leg soreness. The Broncos have one very good ball-hawking secondary.

Injury report:

  • Chris Harris Jr. sat out practice today with some leg soreness. No need to be alarmed, it's considered minor. Kubiak said he could have practiced. Just some wear and tear pain coming from a weeks worth of practices. Safety David Burton also sat out with leg soreness. Again, nothing to be worried about
  • Running back C.J. Anderson left practice a little early today with a shoulder injury. Thankfully he just got dinged up and was kept out for precautionary reasons. He gave reporters a "thumbs up" in the locker room.
  • Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders sat out today's practice as well. He's dealing with a minor hamstring injury. They're not rushing him back, but I expect him back sometime next week. Like with Harris, Kubiak said Sanders could have gone as well today.
  • Michael Schofield wasn't in pads for today's practice. He's been dealing with back spasms.
  • Linebacker Lerentee McCray (groin), safety Ross Madison (groin), cornerback Tevrin Brandon (shoulder), nose tackle Marvin Austin Jr. (groin), Cornerback Curtis Marsh, Linebacker Steven Johnson(knee) and defensive end Derek Wolfe(concussion) all did not practice.
Tweets from Practice:

Quotable:

Kubiak on the performance of Ty Sambrailo thus far.

"I think he's doing a hell of a job for as young as he is. He has to come a long way. He has to get much better. He's not really going to have a chance to be a rookie for long, you know what I mean? That's tough expectations, but he's handled himself like a pro. He's very bright, it's not too big for him and he's a worker, so he's got all those things going for him. He just needs to continue to work against good people."

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