ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- A week into training camp and injuries have already thinned out the ranks in the Denver Broncos' revamped offensive line.
The Broncos went through Wednesday’s practice with backups at both guard spots, as starting guards Ty Sambrailo (right elbow) and Max Garcia (ankle) were held out. Toss in the fact backup guard Sam Brenner (concussion) was also out and the Broncos were deep into the depth chart up front.
Rookie Connor McGovern and Michael Schofield worked at the two guard spots with the starting offense for much of the practice, with James Ferentz also getting some work with the starters. Broncos coach Gary Kubiak has said Sambrailo will miss “a few days," at minimum, while Kubiak expected Garcia to be back as soon as Thursday morning’s practice.
“(Garcia) rolled an ankle in a walk-through," Kubiak said.
Asked if the sudden spate of injuries at one position group would cause the Broncos to bring in another guard, Kubiak said: “I don’t know about that right now. I would think Max would be back (Thursday). I know he’s got a slightly sprained ankle."
It is something to keep an eye on given last season, which was marked by inconsistent play in the offensive line for much of the year. The Broncos' starting offensive line didn't play together in the preseason, and the regular-season opener was the first time the group had taken a snap together in a game. The Broncos were hoping to work the same group of starters throughout training camp this time around.
Also, Kubiak was not impressed with how the Broncos players returned from Tuesday's day off. Kubiak was terse with several players during practice, including the team’s three quarterbacks and rookie Paxton Lynch.
At one point, with about 45 minutes left in practice, Kubiak called the team into the middle of the field and told the players to pick up the pace and reminded them of the standard he wants.
“We had a day off yesterday and we didn’t respond very good," Kubiak said. “Good teams, you get a break day, you come back and you’re bouncing around. We kind of came back lethargic, not practicing very well, not practicing very well at quarterback. (I) just let them know, let ‘em know and keep going. We battled back at the end, we’ve got to continue to find our leaders on this team, find the guys that’ll step up when things are hard right now. ... When you want to be good in this business, you got to be able to run all day."
Cornerback Kayvon Webster (thigh) was also held out of the practice and wide receiver Marlon Brown has missed several days with back troubles.
