Broncos Announce Largest Number Of Open Practices In NFL During Training Camp

The Denver Broncos have an outstanding team that’s expected to contend for an AFC title and a Super Bowl berth again, so their practices are highly anticipated. With that in mind, the Broncos have announced that they’ll hold 14 open practices during training camp, according to Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post, which is believed to be the largest number of open practices in the NFL. 

The 14 practice dates that will be open to the public begin on Friday, July 31, and they run through Aug. 19, Gabriel added. 

One disadvantage of this slate is that Broncos fans won’t get a chance to get an early look at the team’s rookies, as they’ll report to camp on July 22. This is standard practice in the NFL, and the Broncos will also likely hold a couple of what Gabriel called “closed ramp-up practices" on July 30-31. 

The first two open sessions are on a Friday and a Saturday, and they’re being billed as part of the NFL’s “Back Together” weekend as the league’s marketing machine continues to turn out promotional fare for all of this. 

Coach Sean Payton is known for running grueling training camps, and this will be no exception. The team will be front and center for fans for six straight days from Aug. 3-8, which will surprisingly be Denver’s only run of six straight practice days.

Gabriel added that, “Denver will also have practice open to fans Monday through Wednesday each of the following two weeks — Aug. 10-12 and Aug. 17-19 — before its first two preseason games, which are at Atlanta (Aug. 14) and home against Green Bay (Aug. 21), respectively.”

Tickets are required to attend, so this is a revenue-generating event. There will also be some caveats due to the construction work the Broncos have been doing, as they were supposed to move into a new training facility until the work was halted due to the unfortunate passing of a construction worker in an incident that’s now being formally investigated by OSHA. 

One thing that will be missing from Denver’s schedule is joint practices. Payton has elected not to do any of these, probably because he’s promoted new offensive coordinator Davis Webb, who will also be calling plays. The highlight event will be whatever Broncos fans see when quarterback Bo Nix finaly takes the field after suffering a broken ankle in the playoffs in January.