Coach Payton divides players into groups during preseason

As the Denver Broncos gear up for their preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts, head coach Sean Payton has a specific focus in mind. Instead of keeping track of the number of quarters played, he will be closely monitoring the number of plays each player is involved in.

On Sunday, the team will be divided into three phases and Payton already has a plan in place. However, he's not revealing which players will be on the field for each phase, joking that it would take all night to go through the list. He did mention that quarterback Jarrett Stidham will be starting in the first phase and could potentially play 15 to 20 snaps.

Payton also anticipates that the defense may be ahead of the offense in terms of phases, depending on how the game unfolds. He expects at least three wide receivers to play in the first phase, but there's a possibility that the defense could be in Phase 2 while the offense is still in Phase 1 due to the "pitch count."

Special teams will be managed differently, with a designated kickoff unit for both halves of the game. It's possible that players who are no longer playing on offense or defense could still be involved in special teams.

With the ultimate goal of determining the 53-man roster, Payton is treating this preseason game like it's Week 4 of the regular season. However, he also wants his players to have a winning mindset and give their all in every aspect of the game.

Speaking of the Broncos, Payton is taking a patient approach with defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike. The newly reinstated player won't be playing in the preseason just yet, but he will travel with the team and participate in pre-game workouts. Next week, the team will assess how many snaps Uwazurike can handle in their game against the Green Bay Packers.

Uwazurike recently returned to practice after serving a year-long suspension for violating the NFL's gambling policy. Payton doesn't want to rush him back too soon and risk injury, especially since he hasn't played in a game since January 2023.

As for Payton's own record in preseason games, he led the Broncos to a 1-2 record in 2023 and is determined to come out on top this year. In fact, he has "Win" underlined twice with an exclamation point in his notes for the game.

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