#BroncosCamp Observations: Denver's defense stands tall in end-of-game scenario

[Miles]

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As the Broncos near their Sept. 14 opener against the Tennessee Titans, the team prioritized situational football during their Sunday training camp practice.


During different portions of practice, the Broncos worked on stopping the clock with just a few seconds remaining, throwing Hail Marys, running red-zone plays and operating from the shadow of the offense's goal line.


Then, to conclude practice, the Broncos' offense tried to drive the ball down the field for a last-minute go-ahead score.


"Obviously it was a tough situation at the end there," Head Coach Vic Fangio said. "We had 40 seconds left offensively. We were down five [points] with no timeouts. The advantage is to the defense there, but those are situations we've got to be able to come up with an answer and go get that touchdown."


The offense got close, as Drew Lock found Noah Fant down the seam for a big gain to bring the Broncos into the red zone. With two seconds remaining, though, Bryce Callahan picked off Lock in the end zone to end the drive and secure a win for the defense.


The veteran unit was largely successful Sunday against the young offense. During an earlier move-the-ball period, the first-team defense forced a turnover on downs.


CUSHENBERRY GETS HIS CHANCE


After the team's off day on Saturday, rookie Lloyd Cushenberry III worked extensively with the first-team offensive line on Sunday.


The LSU product held up well against the first-team defensive line and didn't allow much pressure. His snaps were on target as he worked with Lock for the most-prolonged stretch of camp.


During one-on-one drills, Cushenberry also held his own against different members of the team's starting unit.


And while Fangio said the Broncos will make a determination about who starts at center based on the practice tape, Cushenberry's experience at center in college can only help.


"I mean it's obviously an advantage for him personally that he's played center most of his college career," Fangio said. "He's played it at a good college. Obviously, they won the championship last year. He's played it at a high level of competition in the SEC. You can say he's more ready than some players are coming from certain programs."


Austin Schlottmann and Pat Morris are also in the competition, and Offensive Coordinator Pat Shumur did not give any indication Sunday when a decision would be made.


"Time will tell in terms of the center, but they're all getting work, they're all snapping the ball to Drew, and so the rotation in there has been good," Shurmur said. "Time will tell on that, and I'm sure you check back with Coach Fangio, and he'll keep you posted on all that."