A big-time Bo Nix throw vs. 49ers, observations

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Joint practices always provide plenty of fodder, film and feelings.

The Broncos felt good about their work overall Thursday against San Francisco here. Here’s a rundown of the day’s setup and notes, primarily about what Denver’s offense did against the Niners’ defense.

Attendance

Did not practice: Physically Unable to Perform list — WR A.T. Perry (foot/ankle). Injured reserve — OLB Johnny Walker Jr. Out — ILB Alex Singleton (thumb), ILB Drew Sanders (foot), ILB Dre Greenlaw (quad), S Brandon Jones. Dropped out — DL Matt Henningsen.

Jones was the only new addition to the injury list before practice. He was not in uniform or milling around like Singleton and Greenlaw were. Payton didn’t provide an update on Jones but said he didn’t have a high level of concern.

Henningsen was hurt midway through the practice and didn’t return. Fellow DL John Franklin-Myers came up limping at one point but was able to rejoin practice.

Payton said Greenlaw “probably” will not play in Saturday’s preseason opener but will “be back working full speed on Monday.”

Takeaway of the day

Bo Nix and his receivers are getting good at making things happen when a play breaks down.

Call it the second act or whatever term you like, but Denver’s receivers are getting into a better rhythm at moving with Nix and giving him options as he extends plays by moving up in the pocket or getting out on the edge.

“We’ve been practicing that, really this offseason, this training camp,” Nix said. “It’s hard to really do them, because they’re so, like, abrupt. They just come, they’re out of nowhere.”

One particular play, top receiver Courtland Sutton caught a toe-drag touchdown in the red zone. But it was one of many such plays on the day for Denver’s offense.

“We’ve seen this with other quarterbacks,” Payton said. “Shoot, Aaron Rodgers in the red zone was one of the best. The play doesn’t develop, and in concert, the play moves with him. And so, it’s practiced, and then when you begin to see — it happened probably four times today. There’s certain scramble moves that we discussed — far receiver, near receiver, backside receiver — in regard to getting in phase with the quarterback.”

Top Play

Nix’s best play of the day came on one of those off-platform, second-reaction plays during a team period. He was flushed out to his right by a free blitzer and forced to operate on the run. As he got pressed up against the sideline, he threw a dart up the seam for receiver Devaughn Vele, who had turned toward Nix and worked his way into position where the quarterback could find him.

The play came on third-and-12 in a move-the-ball drill late in practice and jump-started the drive for Denver. That particular march, however, stalled out in 49ers territory when Nix and Michael Bandy couldn’t connect on a third-and-medium throw over the middle.

Thumbs Up

Obviously, most of the attention in joint practices is on guys who will factor heavily into each team’s plans this fall, but it’s critical for young players and bubble candidates, too. It’s notable, then, that the Broncos’ two biggest offensive plays of the day were completions to rookie WR Kyrese Rowan. He caught a deep ball from Sam Ehlinger up the left sideline and then brought the practice day to a close with a touchdown to the deep post.

“We had that conversation just the other day in the meeting, and said, if you’re not careful and you’re just looking at your own depth chart, you’re missing it,” Payton said. “Because there’s 31 other teams that are getting evaluated.”

Thumbs Down

It’s just one play, but Nix will want it back. He airmailed rookie RB RJ Harvey on a wide-open swing pass that would have been a walk-in touchdown in the low red zone. That doesn’t make it a bad day for Nix by any stretch, but those are gotta-have-it plays in the regular season.

Odds and Ends

• The Broncos and 49ers got a ton of work in over a long, warm, 2.5-hour practice. After early individual drills, they got into 7-on-7 and then spent most of the rest of practice in team settings. They spliced in the occasional special-teams period, but Payton and San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan clearly wanted to emphasize 11-on-11 work. They worked red zone. They worked third down. They worked more red zone. They had a couple of move-the-ball sessions. It was efficient, and it covered a lot of ground.

• The only mild dust-up featured Denver rookie receiver Joaquin Davis, who got to jawing with a 49ers defender during a special teams period. It settled down quickly without any shoving and otherwise the teams didn’t fight or even mix it up after the whistle.

“That was Sean’s No. 1 message to us: ‘We’re not flying across the country to get into fights,” McGlinchey said. “We’re going to play football.”

Added Payton: “We have this two-hour moment in time. There’s no conflict. They’re an NFC team, we’re an AFC team, and let’s use it to get better.”

• The Broncos clearly feel good about Harvey and J.K. Dobbins at running back, but the down-ballot race is a good one. Tyler Badie made a bunch of plays Thursday, and Audric Estime showed burst in the run game. Jaleel McLaughin didn’t make many splash plays, but he’s been maybe the steadiest through camp.

It is a critical 10-day stretch for the backs, continuing Saturday night with the game here and then a joint practice and another game next week at home against Arizona.

All along, pass protection has been a question for this group outside of Dobbins. Badie is maybe the best of the bunch after him and that’s part of what makes him an intriguing figure in the race for roster spots.

• It’s going to be difficult to keep receiver Trent Sherfield off the field. He’s not the biggest name or the most exciting young talent in the room, but he fills a role Payton values, and the ball seems to find him.

Sherfield, signed this spring largely because of his value on special teams, is kind of a souped-up version of Lil’Jordan Humphrey. He’s a willing and physical blocker in the run game and can be counted on in at least a limited role as a receiver.

Humphrey played in all 17 games last year, started seven and logged 50% usage. He finished with 31 catches for 293 yards and a touchdown. It might be considered a surprise by some if Sherfield meets or exceeds those marks this fall, but it shouldn’t be.

• The summer of Troy Franklin continued Thursday. He got open regularly and caught the ball with confidence. The arrow continues to point up.

• Denver’s veteran offensive line started fast, but the Niners ramped up their pressure as the day went on and they were able to disrupt Nix at times. C.J. West beat All-Pro Quinn Meinerz for a sack and Nick Bosa was a handful for right tackle Mike McGlinchey. Nothing new there; those two did battle for years when McGlinchey played for San Francisco.

“I did it for four years and it’s very good work,” McGlinchey said. “… It’s very valuable work as you move forward. Nick’s been at the top of the league since he walked in the door, and I expect nothing different from him this year.”

• Denver has some depth questions up front. Alex Palczewski and Matt Peart could be the next men up at both tackle and guard spots when the season begins, and they’ve each handled spot playing time well in the past. Alex Forsyth was the No. 2 center all of last year, and there aren’t many other options besides him. He and several others, though, struggled in 1-on-1s Thursday and allowed some pressure in team settings.