Chubb made four Pro Bowls in seven seasons with Cleveland, but was limited by injuries the past two years. He suffered a left knee injury in Week 2 at Pittsburgh in 2023 and remained sidelined until Week 7 in 2024. He then played in eight games before breaking his foot and finished with 332 yards rushing and four touchdowns.

Broncos Mailbag: Should Denver sign JK Dobbins, Nick Chubb or another veteran running back?

Chubb could join a backfield that features Joe Mixon. The two-time Pro Bowler had 1,016 yards in his first year with Houston after seven seasons in Cincinnati. The Texas won the AFC South at 10-7 before losing at Kansas City in the divisional round of the playoffs.

The 29-year-old Chubb has run for 6,843 yards since the Browns selected him in the second round in the 2018 NFL draft. He is third on the team’s career list behind Hall of Famers Jim Brown (12,312) and Leroy Kelly (7,274).

Chubb rushed for 1,525 yards and 12 TDs in 2022. He has averaged 5.1 yards per carry during his seven seasons.

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The Los Angeles Chargers, playing without running back J.K. Dobbins for the fourth straight week due to a knee injury, went three-and-out to start the Thursday night game.

Denver coach Sean Payton responded with an opening script straight out of a Run The Ball Guy fever dream: Seven rushes for 43 yards. Four different players carried the ball out of the backfield. A play sheet that literally said “Run It!!!” A bruising opening touchdown drive.

The Broncos had 11 carries for 73 yards on their first two drives and bullied their way to a 21-10 lead in the second quarter. Mike McGlinchey pumped his fists and roared as Denver grabbed early control in exactly the manner an offensive lineman would want.

Then all that run game razzle-dazzle fizzled. Denver mustered just 37 yards on 10 carries over the final 42:17 of game time despite leading until early in the fourth quarter. L.A. stormed back and won.

For all the slick design deployed and mojo built in that opening blast, the sequence only temporarily masked what by that time was long clear in Denver: The Broncos had a bunch of guys at running back, but not the guy.

In the six months since, the Broncos let Javonte Williams walk and drafted RJ Harvey, but that job title remains open.

This week, Denver brought Dobbins in for a free-agent visit to see if he might be a good veteran option to add to the mix. He left without a contract and no signing imminent, a source told The Denver Post, though nothing is ruled out for the future.

The rationale for signing Dobbins is perfectly defensible. He wouldn’t be particularly expensive, and what harm is more training camp competition?

After all, a resurgent Dobbins in 2024 ran 195 times for 905 yards and caught 32 passes for 153.

The total production from the Broncos’ four returning backs — Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estime, Tyler Badie and Blake Watson — last season: 204 carries for 902 yards, plus 33 catches for 114.

What’s interesting about the specter of signing a veteran, however, is Payton and general manager George Paton have been down this road each of the past two offseasons and both times ended up better off letting young players play, learn and grow.

A year ago, they signed Josh Reynolds in the second wave of free agency — before they drafted Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele. Reynolds was the Broncos’ second-leading receiver when he broke his finger against Las Vegas in Week 5. His stint on injured reserve was complicated because he sustained minor injuries in a shooting, but by the time he was eligible to return, the Broncos had decided they wanted Vele and Franklin on the field. They kept Reynolds practicing on injured reserve for the maximum three weeks just to guard against an injury elsewhere at the position, then released him.

The more similar example, though, came two years ago. Outside linebacker Baron Browning was going to miss time with a knee injury and the Broncos didn’t know quite what they had in Nik Bonitto (entering his second season) and Jonathon Cooper (entering his third). So they signed veteran Frank Clark to a one-year deal in June to fortify their depth.

From the start of training camp, the fit felt forced. Had it not been for $5.5 million guaranteed, Clark might have been jettisoned at the roster cutdown. Instead, the Broncos found ways to offload both he and Randy Gregory by October and turn the keys over to Bonitto, Cooper and Browning.

That turned out awfully well, not just over the rest of the 2023 season but as a launching pad into 2024 when Bonitto racked up 13.5 sacks and defensive player of the year consideration and Cooper earned a four-year, $60 million extension.

No two situations are the same, of course. Dobbins might be a much better fit than Clark. It’s also possible none of the backs on Denver’s roster turn into Cooper or Bonitto-level staples.

But Payton made a comment Thursday that perked up the ears when asked if he agreed with the sentiment that he had a more mature football team this year than last.

“Yes, and part of that is a byproduct of playing young players a year ago,” he said.

Dobbins was in Denver as he said it, preparing for a Thursday workout at the Broncos’ facility after having dinner with team officials Wednesday night.

Will Payton and company decide to bet on the same approach this time around?

Payton is clearly excited about Harvey. He said Estime is going to get a lot of work. He mentioned Thursday that Badie is “really good” in pass protection — Could that give him a leg up on McLaughlin on third down? — and he watched McLaughlin give Denver an element last year that nobody else on the roster possessed.

Does that tilt the decision-making toward following what’s worked the past two years at edge and receiver — letting young players play and betting that the answer is already in the building?

The subplot will be a fascinating one to watch for a team that needs a fast regular-season start and has real external expectations for the first time in quite a while.

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Gus Rey needed approximately 35 spray-paint cans of a particular shade of Bronco baby-blue, many more gallon-sized cans of paint than could squeeze into his car, and a scissor lift that swung him 25 feet in the sky.

He also needed a consistent handle on his sanity to successfully pull off his mural of Pat Surtain II.

“I knew it would kick my (butt),” Rey reflected last Saturday while gazing up at the wall in downtown Denver. “And it did.”

Rey, a laid-back local artist secretly commissioned by the Broncos a few months ago, painted a mural of Nikola Jokic in RiNo to honor his third MVP last year. It was, at that time, the largest public piece he’d ever designed. His Surtain mural, honoring the cornerback’s Defensive Player of the Year trophy, was roughly 10 times larger.

It took a week, at first, of talking to 25 businesses around downtown and pleading for wall space. Then came a lengthy process in the months to come of Rey scribbling massive doodles in a highly visible parking lot just a few blocks from Coors Field. He felt the eyes of passersby prematurely deciding that whatever he was painting was going to suck.

It all culminated in a day when a slightly nervous Rey welcomed Surtain to the finished site — the Broncos cornerback carrying little idea that someone was illustrating three gigantic versions of his likeness in downtown Denver.

It was “surreal,” Surtain smiled a few days later.

“He was really gracious, and he was super nice,” Rey said of Surtain.

“And I think he just felt, like, really grateful that — he’s making an impact on Denver, you know?”

Adorned in orange block lettering, on the right side of Surtain’s mural, is a simple message: Why Not Be Great? Words from Surtain’s own lips in a February video on the Broncos’ social media. Words that Rey used to leave a broader impact, as that baby-blue paint slowly chips from the Denver wind in the years to come.

Entering his fifth season, Surtain’s already skyrocketed to DPOY heights reached by only six other cornerbacks in NFL history. And he still feels, as he told reporters Monday, that he can “always get better.” It’s a scary proposition and nearly impossible. No defensive back has ever won multiple Defensive Player of the Year trophies.

But the 25-year-old Surtain is younger than any DB who’s won the award, set on this path since he was 5 years old while learning the craft from his father, Patrick Surtain Sr. His current Broncos deal stretches through 2029. And a larger-than-life Denver legacy — both in trophy cases and local classrooms — has already splashed across a massive stretch of brick in the heart of the city.

Surtain has stamped himself to this, with the final words of that February video, crafted by the Broncos for the NFL’s DPOY announcement.

I’m just getting started.

“His ceiling is as high as anybody that’s ever played the game,” legendary Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey told The Denver Post in early April.

“If he gets any better than he is now, he’ll be mentioned among the greats,” Bailey continued. “There’s no doubt about it. You win Defensive Player of the Year this young, and you’ve got more years ahead of you — I still don’t feel like he’s peaked yet.”

For seven years, Atlanta-based trainer Oliver Davis II has tutored some of the best cornerbacks in the NFL: the Colts’ Kenny Moore, the Panthers’ Jaycee Horn, the Dolphins’ Jalen Ramsey. Surtain, Davis estimated, was about the only top talent in recent defensive back classes whom he hadn’t worked with. That is, until late April, when Surtain showed up for an Arizona workout with rising Philadelphia Eagles star Cooper DeJean.

Toward the end of the session, Davis lined up as a receiver opposite Surtain to drill press coverage. On every rep, Davis noticed, Surtain’s technique was exactly the same. Jam Davis at the breastplate as he broke into a route. Move his hand, split-second, from Davis’ chest down to his hip. Robotic.

Eventually, the 22-year-old DeJean spoke up.

“Why are you doing that?” the Eagles cornerback asked Surtain, as Davis recalled.

Surtain explained. The eyes and hands are connected, he told DeJean. So his eyes should be on a receiver’s hips. Let your hands linger too long on the chest, and risk drawing a flag from officials.

“We were all saying the same thing,” Davis recalled. “Like, ‘Bro, I don’t ever think I’ve seen nothing like this before.'”

Davis filmed the workout for his YouTube channel. In the weeks since, he said, both young kids and NFL veterans have begun picking up Surtain’s hand positioning.

That repetition and attention to detail are what extend Surtain’s ceiling, according to Davis. There are other cornerbacks with his 6-foot-2 height, 4.4 speed or ball skills. There are few with his discipline. Anal about doing things right, as Davis put it.

“It’s not just his gift that he got from God, but he’s actually working on it,” Broncos rookie CB Jahdae Barron said of Surtain after he was drafted in April’s first round.

“He’s actually dedicated to what he’s putting in,” Barron continued. “He knows if he puts in a lot, the reward is bigger. It just showed this past season for him, and I know he’s going to continue to stack.”

The city of Denver has embraced Surtain and championed this journey since he was taken ninth overall in 2021’s NFL draft. His larger goal, too, is to give that love back. He spoke to reporters Monday night in the lobby of the Vehicle Vault in Parker, where his Patrick Surtain II Foundation hosted an annual gala to benefit Denver-area high schools. As Surtain envisions building “bigger and bigger events” with his foundation, as he said, Monday’s auction raised over $100,000 for grants to support STEAM teachers in Denver and awarded four separate grants of $2,000 to teachers for classroom supplies.

“I just want to be a great Samaritan towards my community,” Surtain said when asked what legacy he hopes to leave in Denver. “Being able to give back in a positive way is something that I envision, because football doesn’t last forever, you know?

“I mean, you can make a short-term impact in your football career. But what’s forever lasting is — what you do in the community, what you put out there, what you do for people around you and giving back.”

Rey’s mural, in downtown Denver, was theorized and crafted as a specific ode to Surtain’s 2024 season. There are three silhouettes of the Broncos’ cornerback on that brick wall. The first is a side profile of his full-field sprint last October when he picked off a pass from the Raiders’ Gardner Minshew and ran it back 100 yards for a touchdown. Rey has wound that play back over and over again over the past few months, eventually sketching out a set of faded white Xs and Os in the background of the mural — the exact alignment of Surtain’s break on the ball from the line of scrimmage.

Greater, though, it’s an ode to Surtain’s ascension in Denver, a story with years of chapters that remain.

“I would be like, ‘Okay, yeah, you’ve accomplished X, Y, Z,'” Davis said. “‘But you’re only 25, bro.

“Do something that’s never been done before.'”

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On the first day of Legend’s football summer camp, Ryken Banks thought he knew the drill. Except for the bit where his new coach decided he was Hellbent on being an active part of it.

“He walks in the weight room, and he looks over at us, and he was like, ‘I’m next,'” Banks, the Titans’ running back, said of Jake Heaps’ first June in Legend blue. “So, he hops in.”

Before long, Banks, who averaged 6.4 yards per carry over his first three varsity seasons, was doing something he’d never done during a Titans lifting session before: Spotting his head coach on the bench press.

“Playing since I was a freshman, I’ve kind of had the same thing for three years,” the 6-foot-1 senior reflected. “Getting this new thing, seeing the type of players we have and (Heaps) really playing to the best of our abilities, it’s just kind of a new, refreshing thing that’s exciting.”

Dave Logan’s Cherry Creek dynasty rolls on like the Gunnison River. Valor Christian is tweaking again. Legend? Your reigning Class 5A football runners-up might be the most fascinating Front Range gridiron tale south of Boulder this fall.

Bolles on board

This past February, longtime coach Monte Thelen was replaced by Heaps, better known around these parts as Russell Wilson’s personal QB guru.

It’s one of those hiring Hail Marys that can get an athletic director in hot water if things go off the rails. Yet the Titans haven’t stopped swinging big since. Quarterback DJ Bordeaux, a three-star passer who’s committed to Boston College, got a hardship waiver to enroll at Legend, making the Titans his fourth program in four years. One of Heaps’ first hires was to bring in Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles on board to serve as director of player development.

“So, our wives are best friends. We’re best friends,” the affable Heaps, who quarterbacked BYU (2010-11), Kansas (2012-13) and Miami (2014), told me last week. “Our kids are playing the same flag football games together. And so we got really close. But going back to the mantra of we’re going to do it better than everybody’s ever done it before. I mean, I’ve got this unbelievable resource. How am I not going to get him involved in our program?

“When I took the job, (Bolles) was like, ‘OK, what can I do?’ He wanted to jump in and be on the coaching staff. And I’m like, ‘Oh, buddy, hey, you’ve got other things to do here, man.’ When you’re done playing, heck yeah, we’ll do this thing together. But I’ve got to keep you in a certain role. I don’t need George Payton and Sean Payton breathing down my neck, you know what I mean?”

There will be more Broncos, past and present, in and around Hilltop Road in the months to come, if Heaps can keep pulling strings.

“We’re working on it,” the coach said. “… We got some good relationships still there (at Dove Valley). And so, yeah, we’re,  I’m working all those things and not trying to put it all out there all at once, but yeah — we’re taking advantage of that connection. For sure.”

Sean Payton?

He laughed.

“That’s a Garett question,” Heaps countered. “He’s always welcome. We would love to have him, for sure. But we’re excited. I think Garett having that connection is just a fun opportunity for these kids to get exposed to that.”

Russ, too?

“I don’t know if I could get him to come back for the bye week,” Heaps replied. “But Russ will certainly have an influence and an opportunity to meet our kids, and for them to meet him, absolutely. How can I not pull all the resources that I possibly can?”

Was Russ OK with this?

“That was a really cool conversation, because I couldn’t take this job without his blessing,” Heaps continued. “That’s my first priority. And the school knew that.

“And immediately he was like, ‘You’ve got to do this. You are born to do this. This is going to be such a great opportunity for you to grow your craft.’ (Him) recognizing that as a best friend, which is what he truly is, was really cool and really special.”

‘I don’t want to try to be Dave Logan’

Legend built something special under Thelen, too, which only adds to the intrigue. Heaps, meanwhile, had never coached in this state, or at this level, before the Titans sought him out. Why this gig? Why now?

“I crave impact,” Heaps said. “And the reason why I crave it is because I know how important it was to me in my career, in my journey. And how important (my) high school coach was to me and shaping me and who I am and what I became.”

The office still needs some shaping. Actually, it’s not so much an office as a skeletal approximation of the old “Gruden’s QB Camp” set. A whiteboard hangs from one wall, opposite a wall that’s entirely a whiteboard. A small couch is tucked into a back corner.

“And eventually we’ll get like a little desk over here with a couple monitors and all that,” Heaps said. “Get it ready for the film-watching and all that good stuff.”

With Wilson with the Giants and ex-Ohio State QB Will Howard, another protégé, in Pittsburgh, Heaps figures to be racking up the airline miles soon, breaking down Grandview and Columbine tape while jet-setting to NFL stops. Which sounds not unlike a certain voice of the Broncos, now that you mention it.

“(Logan) is a legend here, and he’s done such a great job,” Heaps said. “It’s so unique to take over all the programs that he has had and then to churn out consistent, constant winners … he’s been a winner his entire life. And so you admire people like that.

“And Dave is Dave. I can’t be Dave, but I can be Jake Heaps … I don’t want to try to be Dave Logan. I don’t want to try to be anybody else. Dave’s uniquely Dave. I want to be me. And that’s how I’m going to do this thing: Full throttle.”

Among his players, though, that 13-10 loss to Logan’s Bruins in the 5A title game still burns. The Titans even have a group rolling that’s called “ABC.”

As in, Always Beat Creek.

“I’m absolutely grateful for what we had last year. Don’t get me wrong,” Legend wideout Ryan Iglesias said. “But this year the hype is up, and we’re ready to hit the hype. We have everything we need.

“I’d say we’re the bar. I don’t think anyone else is the bar. I think it’s us … we’re a better team than we were before. It’s going to be the best year we’ve ever had yet. Mark my words. We’re the bar.”

Heaps has Pete Carroll on speed dial. He could hook on with any number of NFL and college staffs from coast to coast. Instead, he’s grinding away in a room with no desk yet. Lifting with his kids at the crack of dawn.

“It’s just really funny,” Iglesias noted. “Not only is it super cool to see your coach lift like that, but I think it’s better because we get to connect with our coach personally. It’s so much fun because obviously I get to lift with my boys, and then I get to lift with another head coach that I really love.”

And like it or not, he’s next.

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No, really.

Vele arrived for spring workouts with clear intent, determined to open eyes and change minds. During media viewing periods, few players have looked better, though Marvin Mims Jr. is turning heads in practice as well.

Vele is not unknown.

There were cameras at his locker as a rookie, but they were usually trained on Garett Bolles seated a few cubicles away. Vele did more than occupy space. He caught 41 passes, 26 of which resulted in a first down. He collected 475 yards and three touchdowns, a meaningful contribution for a seventh-round pick.

Like Bo Nix, the man most often throwing to him, Vele looks different. He is more confident. His athleticism continues to shine.

When you think, you stink, the saying goes in sports. And Vele’s mind has clearly slowed down at the start of Year 2.

The prediction of a big season for the former Utah star doesn’t make sense given the roster. But witnessing Vele’s sticky fingers and sharp routes raises the question: What if contract talks with Courtland Sutton do not result in an extension? Vele definitely looks like a long-term answer as his replacement.

You know the circumstances, right? The Broncos entered into a staring contest with Sutton last offseason, creating acrimony as he skipped voluntary workouts before the sides reached an awkward compromise — a restructured contract with $1.7 million in incentives. Sutton, a revered team captain, cashed in $1.5 million with the best performance of his career, reaching individual thresholds while helping the Broncos make the playoffs.

So, here we are again. Sutton is entering the final season of a four-year, $60.1 million extension. He is due $13.5 million this year with no guaranteed money remaining on his contract. And he made a strong case to get paid with 81 receptions for 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns last fall.

As recently as April, Sutton told The Post that he believed talks were “moving in the right direction.” Still, there has been no deal. And no leaked updates.

Did Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins ruin this for everyone?

Higgins agreed to a four-year, $115 million contract with $40.9 million guaranteed this offseason. He is a No. 2 receiver who is viewed as a No. 1. Sutton is a No. 1 who is viewed as a No. 2.

Tomayto, tomahto.

Sutton wants another big bite at the apple. As he should — and likely deserves.

He can ask for north of $25 million per season, despite being three years older (29 to 26) than Higgins. That simple request, if issued as a firm demand, could complicate matters.

All-Pros Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen are considered higher priorities for extensions.

And let’s be honest, it’s hard to see the Broncos rewarding three players before the season starts. It is not impossible. But it feels unlikely. This math and the drafting of Sai’vion Jones are why no one expects standout defensive end John Franklin-Myers to get a new deal.

The Broncos can’t pay everybody. And in Sutton’s case, Sean Payton’s history of turning players like Vele into standouts works against him.

Marques Colston, anyone? Colston, too, was a seventh-rounder and finished his career with 711 catches and 72 touchdowns.

Vele is not Colston. But he is also not your typical second-year player. Vele went on a Mormon mission after high school when he received exactly zero college offers. He arrived in Utah with uncommon maturity and determination. He earned a scholarship as Utah coach Kyle Whittingham raved, “There is nothing not to like about him.”

History appears to be repeating itself in the NFL. At 27, Vele approaches his craft with a seriousness and focus that grows on coaches. He has the traits to evolve into a bigger role — 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds with the ability to make the difficult look routine. He was built for the quick slant and the slow developing crossing routes, while third-round pick Pat Bryant profiles for Lil’ Jordan Humphrey’s blocking role.

By the end of last season, after overcoming a rib injury in the season opener that cost him three games, Vele was a second option behind Sutton. He scored twice over the final three weeks. It makes projection fascinating. He played 52% of the offensive snaps and was targeted 55 times. If that number jumps to 70% and 75 targets, he should post 700 yards and five touchdowns.

You know who that is? Tim Patrick. The same player who was cast for a bigger role in 2023 before he tore his Achilles in training camp.

Yes, it is June. The season for hypotheticals and What-Ifs. But know this: If the Broncos play hardball with Sutton, Vele’s ascension will likely be one of the reasons.

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When he signed with the Broncos as a free agent in 2023, of course, the money mattered. But the coach, not the Brink’s truck backing into his bank account, made the difference.

“I played for Kyle (Shanahan), one of the best. And I know how hard it is when that guy isn’t right. I have heard that a lot from my buddies who signed with us (in San Francisco), and guys when I first got here,” McGlinchey told The Denver Post.

“As an NFL football player, your life can be really miserable if you have an idiot for a head coach. I made sure that I wasn’t going to turn my career over to just anyone. I wanted to compete at the highest level. And Sean (Payton) was the deciding factor.”

As he shielded his 6-foot-8, 315-pound frame from the bright sun Thursday, McGlinchey explained how he trusted Payton’s vision, his belief, his conviction. But it also took blind faith that Payton was as good at identifying a franchise quarterback as he was at coaching one.

The selection of Bo Nix changed everything.

Last April, Nix startled veteran running back Samaje Perine with how well he knew the playbook. McGlinchey felt like the kid was straight out of central casting.

“We were all seeing and saying the same things,” McGlinchey said.

Watching Payton run practice and Nix run the offense at OTAs, it continues to validate McGlinchey’s decision to come to Denver. The culture has changed. The nonsense has vanished. The losers are absent. The compass is pointing straight north after a 10-win season, something felt in the huddle and on every snap with Nix.

“The confidence, the competitiveness, the willingness to get after Sean at times, this is Bo’s team. He knows that. Everybody knows that,” McGlinchey said. “And it’s really cool to see him manage expectations. He doesn’t give a (bleep). He has such a talent of blocking out anything that doesn’t matter to him. I think that’s what separates the great ones: simplifying your life to make sure that everything is going towards one goal. The way he has looked the last two weeks, this kid is on his way to really taking off.”

This is why McGlinchey came to a franchise enduring “pretty dark times.” He wanted to be part of the renovation. But nobody is putting away the hard hats and hammers after ending the eight-year postseason drought last winter. Not after getting smoked by the Bills. Not after lacking balance offensively.

There remains plenty of room for improvement. The Broncos must run the ball better after former starter Javonte Williams led the team in rushing with 513 yards.

“Our running game can take that next step, and we need it to. We understand that in order to be as dominant as we want to be, you have to be able to control the ball on the ground, especially with the defense that we have,” McGlinchey said. “If you can run the ball, you can control the clock, control the sticks. It makes it really hard for the opponent to gain traction.”

In his third season in Denver, McGlinchey has become a cornerstone of an offensive line that is central to the Broncos graduating from relevant to a legitimate threat to Kansas City’s nine-year run of AFC West dominance. All the starters and every backup returned. It is allowing the group to make progress, to spend more time on how to block rather than who to block. There are also a few new wrinkles, including the sprinkling in of outside zone run blocking principles.

“I have never been in a situation like this with this much continuity,” said McGlinchey, who is entering his eighth season. “We have the right guys. And everybody is here to do the right things.”

The truth is, you haven’t always liked McGlinchey as the right tackle, citing penalties. You still might not like him, bothered by his salary. Some of you may never like him. But the Broncos need him.

The Broncos’ surprise success was also McGlinchey’s. He delivered arguably his best season in 2024 despite missing four games with a knee injury, demonstrating consistency in the run and pass game while allowing only three sacks. When he was younger, McGlinchey obsessed over personal honors like the Pro Bowl. His mindset has shifted.

“It’s not about the accolades. They would be nice, but that is out of my control,” McGlinchey said. “I think there is so much more for me to accomplish in this league. It’s about me being my best for my team.”

McGlinchey’s chest puffs out when he talks about the Broncos, about the grunts up front. Both were panned before his arrival. Now, the Broncos no longer look like a giraffe on roller skates. This is a team, three years in the making. A team that is coming.

It is not yet a stampede. But the object in the rearview mirror is much closer than it appears.

“To go from where we were two years ago to where we are now, we all take pride in that, and in making sure our program never steps back to that again. It is so much fun. We are ready to be on the big stage of the NFL,” McGlinchey said. “We are on the right track. Guys are believing. Being able to consistently execute in the biggest moments is the next part of it.”

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It was a simple GIF, after months and years of talk of Sean Payton’s need for a “Joker,” of Heath Ledger leaning his head out of a police car in “The Dark Knight.” Stringy hair. Iconic face paint. The message was clear.

The tweet has been viewed nearly two million times since. It was fan service, maybe. It was also a sort of self-challenge after Engram inked a three-year deal with Denver in March. Payton’s idea of The Joker isn’t simply a cute moniker. It’s an identity, a specific utilization of a matchup nightmare, and a “big part of the pitch” for the veteran tight end to come to Denver.

“It’s definitely something that I’d like to embrace,” Engram said Thursday in his first availability with Broncos reporters since signing with the team. “It’s something I’m gonna go earn, too.”

It’s also something that he’s never quite experienced. Across an eight-year NFL career, Engram’s always wanted to be seen in that vein as an offensive weapon, longtime trainer Drew Lieberman told The Denver Post in March. He wanted to be a wild card. Wanted to wear different hats. At Broncos OTAs, the 6-foot-3 Engram has worked frequently with Denver’s receivers — not tight ends — in positional drills.

It’s a new era as The Joker, then, for the two-time Pro Bowler. But underneath that mantle is a different, longstanding identity, one he’s carried from Georgia to New York to Jacksonville, through early years of shaky hands and later years of nagging injuries.

“I like to call myself ‘The Cleaner,'” Engram said Thursday.

“The guy that’s gonna come in every single day, and do what he’s asked at the highest level possible,” he continued. “Like I said — the guy that’s gonna embrace adversity, embrace challenges, but also bring a great amount of energy and leadership even in those times of adversity, and humbleness in times of success.”

Through a rocky five-year start to his career in New York — first-round draft choice in 2017, Pro Bowler in 2020, and subject of intense vitriol amid struggles with drops — Engram’s attitude and leadership “never wavered,” former Giants tight end coach Derek Dooley told The Post. He played more free for three years in Jacksonville, submitting a 114-catch season in 2023. After an injury-plagued 2024, the Jaguars cut bait early enough to give Engram a long runway to explore free-agent options.

The Broncos, Engram said Thursday, were the first team to call him.

“Just the expectations that are here, the team that’s here, the quarterback that’s here, coach that’s here — I mean, I can literally go on for days,” Engram said when asked what drew him to Denver. “So, blessed to be here.”

About that quarterback: Nix played a direct role, both active and passive, in Engram’s arrival in Denver. The two got lunch together on his initial visit in March, with the 25-year-old Nix walking him through his “process” and offseason work, as Engram described. And as the tight end flew around the western United States on free-agent visits, heading to Los Angeles to meet with the Chargers after he stopped in Denver, he downloaded some of Nix’s 2024 tape on his laptop.

The two have been around each other “a lot” since Engram arrived in Denver, as Nix said last week. And the veteran tight end will instantly step in as the most senior member of Denver’s receiving corps — a long-developed arc of early-career struggle into mid-career breakout under Engram’s belt.

“The potential is through the roof,” Engram said of Nix. “And I like to see myself as someone that can come in and help his development and take this team to another level.”

Engram’s past and future are coalescing, now, on his very jersey in Denver. He wore No. 1 for years in high school football in Georgia, where he starred at Hillgrove High but floated as an under-recruited pass-catcher.

After signing with the Broncos, Payton sent Engram a list of available numbers. Engram, in turn, relayed them to his family for advice. The consensus was unanimous: No. 1.

It sits proudly on the back of his orange uniform in OTAs, the 30-year-old Engram’s role now both unlocked and defined.

“Where I’m at in my career, and how much I’ve learned, and the talent I’ve worked for and the experiences I have — to be able to bring that here and wear that jersey number again, I don’t take that lightly,” he said Thursday.

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The veteran running back arrived in Denver on Wednesday night and had dinner with club officials, then was set to be in the building Thursday as the team wrapped up OTAs, head coach Sean Payton confirmed.

“We’ll have a chance to visit with him and then we’ll see where it goes,” Payton said.

Dobbins, 26, is a free agent after spending the 2024 season with the Los Angeles Chargers. He got off to a terrific start there, rushing for 266 yards and two touchdowns over the first two weeks of the season. He finished with 905 total rushing yards and nine touchdowns, added 32 catches and is considered a reliable pass-blocker. Dobbins didn’t carry the same level of explosion through the season — he averaged 3.8 yards after the opening two weeks — and missed four games late in the year due to an injury, but he’s considered one of a couple of quality veteran backs still on the market. Among the others is former Cleveland back Nick Chubb.

Payton on Thursday reiterated he likes the Broncos’ current running back room, which features second-round rookie RJ Harvey, second-year men Audric Estime and Blake Watson, Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie.

“Just another good football player that we’ve seen first-hand and I’ve seen for a while. Just the importance of that position group, we really like the group right now that we’re working with. It’s just another opportunity to possibly bring in another good football player to help us win.”

Watson did not practice in Thursday’s OTA practice, which was open to reporters. He did work on the side field.

Hey D.J.: Outside of the Broncos coaching staff and front office, there is perhaps no more foremost expert on Denver’s spring free-agent haul than defensive lineman D.J. Jones.

After all, Jones played with tight end Evan Engram in college at South Carolina and then with safety Talanoa Hufanga and inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw in San Francisco earlier in his career.

“I’m glad they’re here,” Jones said. “Y’all going to see how special they are. Ya’ll going to see why they brought them here.”

On this particular June day, Hufanga made his presence felt, intercepting a pass on a Bo Nix overthrow during a team period late in practice.

“They’re game-changers. Just go back and watch the film,” Jones said. “Don’t even watch the highlights. Just watch them play after play and you’ll see. (Hufanga) had a pick today. They’re special. Both of them.”

Jones, of course, was a key part of Denver’s offseason, too. In fact, the veteran defensive tackle got the most guaranteed money of any of the Broncos’ additions and retentions this spring when he signed a three-year, $39 million deal on the eve of free agency.

“It was everything,” Jones said. “I wanted to be back here and we made it happen. Quick.”

Sav’Vion Jones’ strong early impression: D.J. Jones had lofty praise for third-round rookie defensive lineman Sai’Vion Jones.

The veteran’s worked for a couple of weeks now alongside the 6-foot-5, 285-pound newcomer. Though he cautioned there’s a long way and a lot of learning to go, he said he thinks the future is bright.

“He’ll be special one day,” D.J. Jones said. “He’s young right now. He’s eager to learn. But he’ll be really special one day. He’s got length, he loves to learn and he played in the SEC.”

Vele day: Payton said last week he’s expecting heavy competition at receiver, but perhaps for targets rather than roster spots.

On Thursday, second-year man Devaughn Vele stood out. He caught everything thrown his way, including a tough, contested catch over Ja’Quan McMillian along the sideline.

Fellow 2024 Day 3 draft pick Troy Franklin’s also had positive moments across the two weeks of OTAs and drew praise from Payton for a second straight week.

“You haven’t been able to see all the plays, but there have been a number of explosive plays,” Payton said of Franklin. “He can run and I would say a strength of his is ball-in-hand after the catch. He can run after the catch. He’s doing well.”

Play of the day: It was a different young skill player, however, who made perhaps the standout play of Thursday’s session. That would be Harvey, the rookie running back. He got free on a scramble drill play and hauled in a pass from Nix for a long would-be touchdown.

Neighborhood GOATS: It may be just the offseason program, but that didn’t stop some franchise luminaries from swinging by Broncos practice over the course of the work week.

Earlier this week, cornerback Champ Bailey was on hand to watch practice. On Thursday, Peyton Manning watched with his son, Marshall, chatted with cornerback Pat Surtain II and then caught up with Payton after practice.

“I love when those guys come around,” Payton said. “They have an interest in the program and certainly they (make an impression). Our players know who they are. It’s good seeing them out here.”

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This is a two-part question: Should the Broncos pursue Nick Chubb as he is still a free agent and let him start over RJ Harvey or should they let Harvey develop on his own? And do you think the Broncos will make it to the divisional round or maybe even the AFC Championship this year?

— Nathaniel Landis, Albuquerque, N.M.

Hey Nathaniel, thanks for writing in and getting us going this week. The free agent running back question comes up a lot, and it happens to be particularly timely right at the moment, so I’m glad you asked it.

Just one man’s opinion, but right now I don’t see the need to sign Chubb or, say, JK Dobbins. Dobbins, as it happens, is visiting the Broncos Wednesday night and Thursday. So Sean Payton and George Paton may well disagree.

If they do end up signing Dobbins or Chubb, it might have very little to do with the rookie RJ Harvey and instead with Audric Estime and the rest of the group.

For now, though, it makes sense to me to get the young backs all the work they can handle. It’s just OTAs and minicamp, then early training camp, but still.

Remember, Estime missed part of OTAs and all of the minicamp last year with a knee injury, then spent Weeks 2-5 on injured reserve with an ankle injury. That’s quite a bit of development time missed for a guy who was already one of the youngest players in the NFL.

There’s no guaranteeing how long Chubb and Dobbins will remain available, but they’ve made it this far. If I’m the Broncos, I think I’d aim to have the first couple of weeks of training camp be just about trying to get as good a read as possible on what you have in Harvey, Estime and then Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie and Blake Watson.

Every player in that room has plenty to prove, but the Broncos are really high on Harvey, and Payton last week said pretty flatly that Estime is going to get a lot of opportunities. Let’s not rush to take reps or game snaps away from those guys just because it’s not entirely clear the pecking order is set in stone. There’s plenty of time before the rubber hits the road.

If you get halfway through camp and you don’t think you’ve got enough, then call one of those veteran backs. It doesn’t take long for those guys to get up to speed and be in position to help. Different circumstances in 2022, but the Broncos signed Latavius Murray off New Orleans’ practice squad in early October after Javonte Williams had that devastating knee injury and Murray ended up rushing for a team-high 703 yards.

Chubb and Dobbins, who each have major injury histories of their own, could likely help Denver in their own way this fall.

The question is if the Broncos need it.

And briefly on your second question: Obviously, we’re perusing the Way Too Early aisle here, but the task of pushing into the divisional round or to an AFC title game would be much easier if the Broncos were to win the AFC West and end Kansas City’s near-decade reign. I’ll take the believe-that-when-we-see-it approach to that, though somebody’s going to do it eventually, right? … Right?

Without winning the West, Denver could well be once again making January travel plans for such tropical destinations as Buffalo, Baltimore, Cincinnati or Kansas City. That’s a tough road to navigate, even if the de-icer is working. Let’s enjoy summer first.

Please get out your Ouija board, tarot cards or crystal ball to tell us what the Broncos regular season will be. Whatcha got?

— Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.

Well, Ed, I’m already on the way-too-early record for saying they’ll be a better overall team and finish with the same 10-7 mark as a year ago. And here’s how much stock to put into that: I picked them to go 6-11 last year. Although, to be fair, I got 8-9 spot on in 2023. Pick a dart and throw it, baby.

This is a roster with far fewer holes than the past couple of years. It’s also one that is due for regression on the injury luck front. Doesn’t matter how good you are in that department — and the Broncos clearly believe they are very good — there’s still going to be years where you’re not at the very top of the league in games missed.

It’s a tough but not impossible schedule. I said similar when it was released last month and continue to believe this: We’ll learn quite a bit about this team in that early stretch Weeks 3-5 where they play at the Chargers, home on Monday night against Cincinnati and then at Philadelphia before going to London.

That run, combined with returning from England without a bye week, is no joke.

How good do you think Pat Surtain II can become? He’s the reigning DPOY. Is he a Hall of Famer right now?

— Mark, Arvada

It’s hard to imagine how much better Surtain can even be, right, Mark? If the Broncos star never played another game, however, it seems very unlikely he’d be a Hall of Famer. Just not enough track record.

He certainly looks to be on a Hall of Fame track, however, and that’s a ridiculous thing to be able to say about a guy who just turned 25 this offseason.

Surtain through four professional seasons already has a Defensive Player of the Year to his name and is a two-time first-team All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler.

Not only that, but 2024 was a preposterous statistical season for the Broncos’ 2021 first-round pick. According to Next Gen Stats, Surtain allowed a total of 306 receiving yards as the nearest defender in 516 coverage snaps, a rate of 0.6 yards allowed per coverage snap (second-lowest among 83 players with 300-plus coverage snaps to Derwin James).

Teams hardly bothered throwing against Surtain. His 10.9% target rate was lowest among that group with 300-plus coverage snaps. He allowed just 35 catches overall, didn’t give up more than 45 yards in any single game and consistently put the clamps on the game’s best receivers. Watch the Week 3 game at Tampa again when you start jonesing for football this summer. He completely erased Mike Evans, a future Hall of Famer. He did similar to DK Metcalf, Garrett Wilson and others.

As odd as it may sound, perhaps Surtain’s stamp on the DPOY came in Week 17 against Cincinnati. Surtain lined up across from Ja’Marr Chase on 43 routes and allowed three catches (six targets) for 27 yards.

Chase only got other Broncos defenders on 13 routes and yet quarterback Joe Burrow found him for six catches (nine targets) for 75 yards.

When Surtain covered the best receiver on the planet, an MVP candidate at quarterback only looked his way 14% of the time. When anybody else had Chase, Burrow went his way 69% of the time.

Surtain also had four picks and a forced fumble, and completely turned around an early-season game against Las Vegas with a 100-yard pick-six.

All of that said, Surtain may not replicate those numbers every year. Cornerback play is volatile analytically and fluky stuff happens.

So even if 2024 goes down as one of Surtain’s best — it’s almost impossible to imagine it won’t be — the Broncos will continue building everything they do defensively around him and he’ll continue facing the best in the league every week.

One side note: Among the many benefits of the NFL making more Next Gen Stats available and the explosion of analytics in football coverage is that it makes it easier to appreciate non-front-seven players like Surtain. This might be a hot take, but I really do believe that if it weren’t for NGS, Surtain wouldn’t have won DPOY last fall. He obviously would have been every bit as deserving, but it’s hard enough to quantify his impact with all of those stats at our disposal and harder still for the casual observer to see his full impact on television without the numbers to help.

Who’s looking good at OTAs right now?

— Raegan, Golden

It’s June, Raegan, everybody looks good! Not to give a glib answer, it’s just hard to fully tell when there are no pads and no tackling. We’ve talked a lot about Harvey, the rookie running back, and there’s a reason he’s getting so much buzz. My beat partner, Luca Evans, had a good one last week in pointing out that Kris Abrams-Draine looked good when we were out there watching.

He’s a young player who gets overlooked in a group with Surtain, Riley Moss, Jahdae Barron and Ja’Quan McMillian, but he’s got a chance to be really good. We’ll see if the Broncos have Barron and McMillian compete for the nickel job or if those guys get reps in other spots, but I’ll bet Abrams-Draine puts up a good fight against Riley Moss if they’re battling for an outside job.

Even if he doesn’t win that fight, he’ll provide enviable depth on the outside.

Sticking in the secondary, seeing Talanoa Hufanga running around made it easy to look forward to the day he actually gets to hit somebody. Payton sounded like he was looking forward to it, too.

I didn’t watch the receivers super closely last week, but plan to this week. Troy Franklin’s never going to be a big, physically imposing guy, but at a glance I thought he put on a few good pounds this offseason. Payton said he thought there’d be terrific competition between the young receivers, not so much for roster spots, but for playing time and predicted an ascension for Franklin in Year 2. That kind of jump isn’t guaranteed, but if he does make it and you combine it with the other additions Denver made on offense, it’d be very interesting.

How hard is it to get tickets to the London game? I’m going to the UK and I’d love to go see our boys play across the pond.

— Will, Denver

Hey Will, that’s a great question. Tickets for the game haven’t gone on sale yet here in the States. It looks like the Broncos have a way to stay up to date on ticketing information and to have a chance to get them at denverbroncos.com/nfl/london. The Jets are the host team and they’ve got a bunch of travel packages up on their website, but nothing on single-game tickets. It does look like there are secondary market tickets available on Ticketmaster’s UK site, so perhaps that’s worth exploring if you’re itchy to lock up a spot. If you’re going to London anyway, you can always wait until late and see if prices come down — though I’ll say, in 2022 when the Broncos were at Wembley to play Jacksonville, that place was packed.

Overall, it probably won’t be too hard to find available tickets. The price point just might be steep.

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Suddenly, a new name may be entering the fray.

Denver is hosting former Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins on a visit Wednesday night and Thursday, a source confirmed to The Denver Post. If eventually signed, the 5-foot-10, 215-pound Dobbins would instantly become a major piece of the Broncos’ backfield. He missed four games midseason with a knee sprain, but finished with 905 yards and nine touchdowns on 195 carries in 2024.

Dobbins got off to a roaring start last fall, rushing for 266 yards and two touchdowns over the Chargers’ first two games of the season. Then he slowed some, averaging 3.8 yards per carry but finding the end zone seven times over the rest of the season.

A second-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2020, Dobbins has an extensive injury history. He missed the entire 2021 season after a gruesome preseason knee injury similar to the one former Broncos running back Javonte Williams suffered. Dobbins was out more than a calendar year before returning early in the 2022 regular season, though he did another stretch on injured reserve later that season. Then Dobbins tore his Achilles in Week 1 of the 2023 season and missed the rest of that year.

All told, the 26-year-old missed 42 of 51 regular-season games from 2021-23, which made his return last season all the more impressive.

Dobbins has floated for months as the best option remaining on the free-agent running back market. In late March at owner’s meetings in Florida, after Denver went quiet on running backs in free agency despite a glaring need, Broncos head coach Sean Payton hinted that staff saw more appealing depth in this year’s draft class.

“I also think we felt like it was a pretty lean year in regards to free agency at that position, just relatively speaking,” Payton said then.

The Broncos have been publicly bullish on Harvey ever since they drafted him in the second round out of UCF, a relative public surprise compared to names the organization was linked to pre-draft. Payton said at May’s rookie minicamp that Harvey had “picked up very quickly on what we’re doing,” and asserted the 24-year-old would play on third down.

Harvey hasn’t officially signed his rookie deal yet with Denver. As of Wednesday, the Broncos have roughly $16 million in cap space for 2025, according to Over The Cap.

Dobbins’ addition would add more clutter to a backfield that’s already swarming with names. 2024 fifth-round pick Audric Estime has seemed poised for a Year 2 leap, and Jaleel McLaughlin returns after racking up 113 carries last year. Second-year backs Tyler Badie and Blake Watson will enter training camp vying for touches, too.

Fotheringham to IR. The Broncos on Wednesday transferred tight end Cole Fotheringham to injured reserve, according to the league’s transaction wire.

Fotheringham, 27, had been waived with an injury designation on Tuesday. On IR, Fotheringham will not count against Denver’s 90-man roster. The Broncos on Tuesday signed tight end Caden Prieskorn to take Fotheringham’s spot on the roster.

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