clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Horse Tracks: Vance Joseph looking forward to joint practices with Chicago Bears

The Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears will have two joint practice sessions on Wednesday and Thursday before the two teams square off Saturday.

NFL: Denver Broncos Rookie Minicamp Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Broncos Country.

The Chicago Bears are looking forward to the opportunity of having joint practices with the Denver Broncos the next two days in preparation for Saturday’s game — and it’s safe to say the feeling is mutual.

Through the course of OTA’s and training camp, each team has gotten familiar with what is going on with their squad internally. But sometimes a change of pace is most welcomed and both franchises are anxious at the prospect of having the opportunity to practice against one another. Head Coach Vance Joseph is excited to have his team compete against the Bears today and Thursday. Moreover he knows it will be beneficial for the players involved, as well as the evaluation process of them.

“Obviously, schematically, it’s a different scheme. You watch our defense now versus our offense, our defense has seen these plays for almost three weeks now. It’s easy for them,” stated Joseph. “To see a different scheme, to play against a different body type, that’s going to be huge for our team as far as schematics and for evaluation of our team. It’s going to be huge,” he added.

While the joint practices will give each team a great opportunity to game plan for Saturday as well as evaluate their players, there is one thing Joseph and Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy are hoping to avoid in the sessions: fights — which have been a common occurrence across the league during training camp and preseason.

“We’ve talked several times about the structure of practice, obviously, and the temperament of practice. We want to have great work in the next two days. Obviously you watch the news, a bunch of fighting is occurring in most practices, remarked Joseph. “We don’t want that. Let’s get good work on both sides of the ball, be good professionals and not fight. It’s as simple as that—not fight.”

It’ll be great to see how the Broncos fare against the Bears in the joint practice sessions and be able to see if any past training camp trends continue through the next few days. Will Chad Kelly perform strongly against the Bears’ second unit? Will rookie wide receiver Courtland Sutton continue to impress and give Chicago’s defensive backs fits? How will the Broncos’ young pass rushers fair against the opposing offensive line? These are just some things to look out for the next few days — and feel free to share what you are looking forward to most out of these joint practices in the comments section.

As always, thank you for reading and here is today’s offering of Horse Tracks.

Horse Tracks

Broncos are counting on Jeff Heuerman to produce
The Broncos’ initial preseason depth chart dropped last week and the collective outside reaction over the tight end hierarchy was summed up in a single word: “Why?”

Paxton Lynch is mad after Broncos bury him
Paxton Lynch wants to know what he did. Well, not a whole lot.

Shaquil Barrett looking to become a household name
Learn more about the fifth-year veteran pass rusher.

2018 Denver Broncos' rookie training camp haircuts
Denver veterans played barber after Day 12 of training camp.

Baker Mayfield redshirting? Hue Jackson, John Dorsey stand pat - NFL.com
Will the Cleveland Browns really keep No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield on the bench in favor of Tyrod Taylor? Hue Jackson tells Tom Pelissero that the rookie won't receive any first-team reps in the preseason.

Todd Bowles rips Terrelle Pryor for injury comments - NFL.com
Terrelle Pryor is making headlines for all the wrong reasons this week. After Pryor told reporters he broke his ankle in May, Jets coach Todd Bowles expressed his displeasure with his wideout.

Ben Roethlisberger in concussion protocol after hit - NFL.com
The Pittsburgh Steelers endured a scary moment Tuesday. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger went down during practice and is in the concussion protocol, the team announced.

Injuries: Dolphins WR Parker suffers broken finger - NFL.com
An offseason of struggles got worse for DeVante Parker. The Miami Dolphins receiver suffered a broken middle finger. The wideout is week-to-week and hopes to be ready for the season opener.

Lane Johnson of Philadelphia Eagles ready to face New England Patriots
Lane Johnson hasn't shied away from sharing his thoughts on the New England Patriots, and the Philadelphia Eagles right tackle expects to hear it from the fans Thursday when last season's Super Bowl teams meet in a preseason game.

Inside how the Los Angeles Rams won the offseason
From a bar in Hawaii to L.A.'s most fashionable sushi restaurant, the Rams took over the offseason.

Oakland Raiders' Donald Penn activated off PUP, moved to right tackle
Three-time Pro Bowl left tackle Donald Penn was activated from the physically unable to perform list by the Raiders and moved to a new position -- right tackle.