Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton is heading off to Canton to present Drew Brees, with Vance Joseph taking the reins.
The Denver Broncos will have a new coach for practice today as head coach Sean Payton heads off to Canton to present quarterback Drew Brees in Brees’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony, and it’s a familiar name with plenty of head cocing experience, according to a report from Corey Masisak of the Denver Post.
Having defensive coordinator Vance Joseph at the helm will definitely be different, but receiver Pat Bryant didn’t exactly sound concerned about Payton’s absence.
“I honestly didn’t even realize that he left,” Bryant said. “Around this time (of camp), you just kind of hone in on what we got going on at practice. … It’s just the standard around here, whether he’s here or not.”
Payton isn’t the only one who will be out, with multiple staffers joining him along with kicker Wil Lutz, who was with Payton’s kicker with the New Orleans Saints. But cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian had basically the same reaction as Bryant when he was asked about the brief change.
“I saw (Payton) during the warmup,” said McMillian. “I really honestly didn’t notice it before. I didn’t see him. I was just focused on what I was doing. But just having (Joseph), I went up to him and said head coaching looked good on him. He gave us some words at the end of practice that were inspirational.”
Joseph didn’t succeed during his stint as Broncos head coach, which is a bit of a sore spot for many of the current players and coaches who think he deserves a shot elsewhere. Linebacker Justin Strnad spoke out about this, and Payton himself has also supported his defensive coordinator as a candidate to rejoin the head coaching ranks.
“I think we’ll definitely see ‘VJ’ be a head coach (again) at some point,” said Strnad. “It’s cool to see him out there, kind of getting that experience. I know he had a short stint here in Denver, but I think he’ll get another chance and I’m excited to see what he does.
“He did a great job today. We got a bunch of situations in, a bunch of work. I thought it was a great practice from both sides.”
The Broncos have had an eventful camp so far, but not for the reasons many experts predicted. The initial focus was on the mobility of quarterback Bo Nix as he rehabs from the broken ankle he sustained back in January, but the hot topic of the moment is the injuries surrounding Nix, with receivers Jaylen Waddle and Marvin Mims Jr. joining linebacker Nik Bonitto on the sidelines this week.
