ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Drew Lock didn’t just confront pass-rush pressure during the Broncos training camp practice on a hot Tuesday morning at UCHealth Training Center.
It was that the pressure upon him was immediate. Ready. Set. Oh no, here comes Von to hit me. Hike!
Right tackle Elijah Wilkinson, trying to come back from ankle surgery, had a tough day trying to keep Von Miller away from Lock, the Broncos’ second-year quarterback.
Miller is tied for 25th all-time with 106.0 regular-season sacks and a Super Bowl MVP in his nine NFL seasons. So a philosophical view from Wilkinson’s perspective is he wouldn’t be the only right tackle to have a bad day lining up across from Miller.
But this was a practice when Miller turned it up a notch. And Wilkinson will have to turn it up if he wants to stave off recently signed veteran right tackle Demar Dotson.
"I think (Miller) had a good day today for the most part," said Broncos head coach Vic Fangio. "Obviously, I haven’t watched the tape yet, but I thought he did good. I think Von’s in good shape. He’s a little heavier than he’s been in the past, but not (dramatically). I think he’s worked hard in the offseason to get his body where he wants to get and where he feels it needs to be. I think it’s shown in dividends already on the practice field."
There was one play when no sooner did Lock get the shotgun snap from center Austin Schlottmann than the quarterback went to escape mode while trying avoid both Miller and Bradley Chubb, who had beaten Garett Bolles from the other side. Miller and Chubb ran into each other as Lock deftly stepped up and got away, although it’s difficult to tell with the no-hitting-the-quarterback rules whether there was a sack.
The practice Tuesday was easily Lock’s most serious test of performing under heavy pressure.
"I think he did good from my vantage point on the field," Fangio said. "That’s one thing about Drew, as you saw some of those times — now obviously we’ll never know if we would have gotten him down before he takes off — but his mobility and scrambling ability are important. It’s an added dimension to any offense.
"That’s part of his game that we like. We encourage him to use it when the opportunity presents itself or when he’s forced to. I know he’ll make some plays off of that when he’s scrambling around."
Bouye impressed by Jeudy, Hamler
A.J. Bouye, the Broncos’ top outside cornerback, has been accustomed to winning his matchups against rookie receivers during his going on eight-year NFL career.
But Jerry Juedy and KJ Hamler, the Broncos’ top two drafted receivers, are different.
"Being in the league for a while, I’ve seen a lot of rookie receivers come in and it seems like they don’t have it figured out," Bouye said in a Zoom call with the Denver media Tuesday. "You can look at those two and tell — whether it’s in the offseason, coaching that they’ve had outside — they’re real polished in routes, especially Jeudy. He never gives you the same look every time and I’m loving going against him. He’s going to keep me true to my technique."
Bronco Bits
Schlottmann worked with the first-team offense at center for a second consecutive practice. …
New right guard Graham Glasgow and his wife have moved into their new Denver-area home. Now for the next stop.
"I don’t have a lot of furniture in my house — thanks a lot COVID," he said. "Things have a taken a little bit longer than I would have liked. I don’t have any couches. I have folding chairs in my living room. Other than that, things are going well."
The temperature was 90-91 degrees during the practice Tuesday, the hottest camp day so far. And the Broncos were finished by 11:20 a.m. before the mid-90s set in.
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