Broncos Mailbag: Did Sean Payton’s rookie minicamp feel different than Nathaniel Hackett’s?

Denver Post Broncos writer Parker Gabriel posts his Broncos Mailbag periodically during the offseason. Click here to submit a question.

Hey Parker, what are your thoughts on the team’s signing of Ben DiNucci and Jacques Patrick? DiNucci seems like a No. 3 QB, but Patrick intrigues me. Do you think he has a shot at making the 53-man roster and potentially being a short-yardage type of guy? He’s huge!

— Mike, Denver

Hey Mike, thanks for getting us going this week.

DiNucci was hoping for an opportunity like this one and he clearly made enough of an impression that Denver decided to get him — and Patrick, too — a 90-man roster spot.

It’s a long slog to cracking the 53-man roster, especially as a third quarterback. Coach Sean Payton for the most part in his Saints tenure didn’t carry one outside of the Taysom Hill years and then 2021 when New Orleans rolled through several options in Year 1 of the post-Drew Brees era. And, remember, the Broncos gave Jarrett Stidham — a player Payton said they had a “clean evaluation” on — $5 million guaranteed (and up to $10 million total) on a two-year deal. It would take something significant for DiNucci to get a spot over him. So, perhaps the idea is to carry him through the offseason, compete with Jarrett Guarantano and try to get one of them onto the practice squad at the end of training camp.

But there’s a lot of offseason left and a lot can happen, obviously. So for now, it’s a great opportunity for DiNucci to stick around, learn more of the playbook and try to solidify himself as a guy Denver wants to keep finding a spot for.

As for Patrick, yeah, he stands out for sure. He’s got Latavius Murray-esque size. First time I scoped the running backs group during minicamp, I immediately went to the roster to check who No. 29 was. He’s going to have a chance to make the roster, but it’s not a walk in the park.

So much is going to depend on if Javonte Williams really is ready for training camp like Payton said Saturday they’re hopeful he will be. After him, Samaje Perine’s next in line. Tony Jones Jr. was not a big-name free agent, but he’s played for Payton in the past.

One of the guys who I’ve done the classic offseason “squint and you can see a role for” on is Tyler Badie. He scored a touchdown on a swing pass against Kansas City after they grabbed him from Baltimore’s practice squad. He was a sixth-round pick last year and if he’d have originally been drafted by Denver, I wonder if we wouldn’t be sitting around thinking about him as a Year 2 jump kind of guy. Maybe he will be.

Denver also brought Tyreik McAllister back (again) Monday after waiving him recently and has undrafted signee Jaleel McLaughlin, too, who rushed for 8,166 yards at Youngstown State.

Also, remember the Broncos will likely carry fullback Michael Burton, as well. Still a lot of options to sort through in the backfield.

How was the vibe during minicamp? Does it feel different with Sean Payton in charge than it did with Nathaniel Hackett?

— Mark, Arvada

Pretty workman-like, I’d say, Mark. But a rookie minicamp is also going to be a little bit different than the OTAs that are coming up or the mandatory minicamp in June because you’re dealing with almost exclusively guys who haven’t played in the NFL or haven’t played much. Only a handful were with the Broncos last year — young players like corners Ja’Quan McMillian, Faion Hicks and Badie were allowed to attend — and none of them played for Payton. So it’s a lot of teaching and then drill work, seven-on-seven and such designed to see how quickly guys learn and then. Payton said the goal is to make sure a guy who’s in your camp for three days doesn’t end up playing well somewhere else. That’s a different result you’re chasing then when you’ve got your veteran players out there on the field.

I’m curious to see what the dynamic is like once more of the group is around and then what the workload looks like when camp starts in July. A lot will undoubtedly be made about the comparison to Nathaniel Hackett’s light workload in camp last year. Reaction and overreaction will flow freely. It’ll be here before we know it!

Are there any plans to add to the defensive line? Feels like after DJ Jones and Zach Allen we fall off.

— @DeeInevitable1

I don’t know if it’s inevitable, but certainly it’s a possibility. At this point, the starting group is Jones, Allen and likely either Mike Purcell or one of Matt Henningsen or Eyioma Uwazurike. Denver will likely count on those five, but on paper it certainly looks like they could use a DeShawn Williams-type. Starting-caliber, solid, can give you 30 or so snaps per game.

There are several veteran pass-rushers on the market still. Mario Edwards agreed with Seattle on Monday morning, but a former Seahawk and Bronco remains available in Shelby Harris. Other options on the defensive line or at edge rusher include Yannick Ngakoue, Akiem Hicks, Robert Quinn, Leonard Floyd, Michael Brockers, Jadeveon Clowney and Linval Joseph. At this point, you’re talking for the most part about a group of veteran players who may not be at the peak of their careers, but who can still give you production in smaller sets or particular situations. Payton talks all the time about having a specific roles in mind for specific players added to the roster.

That would undoubtedly be the case if Denver adds to its defensive front seven and it will be interesting to see what role, if any, he and coordinator Vance Joseph still believe they need to fill.

Parker, complete this sentence: At the Broncos’ bye week, their record will be (blank)? I have them at 4-4 and losing both games to the Chiefs.

— Randy R., Denver

Hey Randy, thanks for writing in. It’s far too early for game-by-game prognosticating, though that didn’t stop your Post crew from making season predictions after the schedule was released last week. If you go by Mr. Kiszla’s projection, the math is easy: Denver will be 8-0 and well on the way to making the 1972 Dolphins return all that champagne they buy every year.

The real answer is that if I were pinned into answering, I’d guess something similar to you. At this point, obviously, that’s pretty much only based on assuming that Payton makes a difference and that, outside of some upgrades on the offensive line, the roster doesn’t look dramatically better or worse than it did last year.

Do they have a 2022-esque run of injuries? Are they mostly healthy? Will Javonte Williams really get cleared in time to have a full training camp under his belt to knock the rust off? Does Year 2 in Denver for Russell Wilson bring the bounce-back that a growing number of folks are forecasting? If most of those end up in the affirmative, hey, 4-4 might be light. But as Broncos fans have learned, there’s no guarantee of even winning 50%. It’s a tough league.

That Thursday night game in Kansas City in mid-October interests me. You’ve got to figure the Chiefs’ continuity and the mind-meld between Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce shines through even more on a short week of prep. But at the same time, weird stuff — and sloppy play — seemed to be the hallmark of those games last fall. One thing I know for sure: It’ll be great when we get to that time of year.

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