participation

Not practiced: Physically unable to play: S Delarrin Turner-Yell (knee) and LB Drew Sanders (Achilles). Injured list: OL Quinn Bailey (ankle/leg), OLB Ronnie Perkins. Out: CB Art Green (concussion), CB Levi Wallace (hamstring).

Several players returned to practice or were in the process of getting back in. OLB Nik Bonitto (back) was there, as was S Brandon Jones (hamstring) for the first time since the early days of training camp. LG Ben Powers (ribs) and TE Lucas Krull (toe) dressed for practice but were mostly doing conditioning work after being injured in Sunday’s game at Indianapolis.

QB race today

Head coach Sean Payton said he liked the performance of all three of his quarterbacks on Sunday against the Cots, with particular praise for Zach Wilson.

This week we will see a lot of rookie Bo Nix on the top offensive line. Nix starts Sunday at home in the second preseason game against Green Bay.

“It kind of fits with what we’ve been doing all camp,” Payton said of this week’s plan. “Last week, ‘Stiddy’ got the 1s for the week, so we’re following the same process.”

“All three will have a lot of work to do against GB.”

Stidham and Nix actually rotated with the No. 1 players early last week, but Denver also had more days of true training camp before tailoring a plan for Indianapolis. Stidham had Monday, Wednesday, Friday and presumably Saturday walkthrough practices last week. This week, the Broncos will practice again on Thursday, play Green Bay on Friday and then have a walkthrough on Saturday before Sunday’s game.

Top game

It wasn’t the most explosive day of training camp for the Broncos’ offense, but Wilson did a good job of spotting a right tackle during a team phase. He had a running back available in the flat, but skipped him, expecting receiver Michael Bandy to change his route down the sideline. Wilson hit him with a good ball and gave him a big gain.

Thumbs up

Bailey’s sticky hands. Undrafted rookie inside linebacker Levelle Bailey made two interceptions in one-on-one situations on Wednesday. The first was particularly impressive – a one-handed stab along the sideline. He later used good timing to undercut a throw. The former Fresno State linebacker had a nice training camp and could provide a real boost to the 53-man roster with another strong week.

Thumbs down

Franklin’s shaking hands: Rookie wide receiver Troy Franklin, on the other hand – no pun intended – continued his rough stretch of training camp on Wednesday. The good: He completely wore out freshman Kaleb Hayes in a team phase. The bad: Wilson threw a perfect rainbow for a touchdown and Franklin dropped him. Not every rookie develops at the same pace, and it’s been clear for most of the summer that the former Oregon star is far from finished. Still, the Broncos would like to see some signs of overcoming the preseason rookie malaise between now and the start of the regular season.

Odds and ends

• The top offensive line looked different Wednesday, as Ben Powers was limited to sideline work. Sam Mustipher got a day at center and fellow veteran free agent signing Calvin Throckmorton worked in Powers’ place. Both are competing for roster spots, but are far from sure bets.

• Luke Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth, the centers most widely viewed as starting contenders, earned high praise from Payton after practice Wednesday.