Denver, CO
Joey Bosa’s self‑critique sets tone for Bills ahead of Denver trip
ORCHARD PARK – Thrilled as he was that the Buffalo Bills defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in last week’s AFC wildcard game, edge rusher Joey Bosa wasn’t exactly in a celebratory mood.
Bosa was signed to a one-year contract in the offseason for one reason, and one reason only: To be an impact performer in the postseason, something the Bills have sorely needed from their defensive linemen.
But Bosa was anything but an impact player last week, and he didn’t need the next day’s film review to know it, or admit it.
Joey Bosa admits struggles after quiet playoff game
He stood at his dressing stall in the cramped visitors’ locker room at EverBank Stadium and flat-out said, “I’m so relieved. It was not my day today. It was not my best day. I need to play much better. I needed to have much more of an impact in the game.”
That’s a pro’s pro right there. No cliches, no spitting out the company line, no resting on the tired “I have to watch the tape” mantra that permeates NFL locker rooms everywhere. Bosa knew he had a bad day, and he was just glad that it didn’t cost the Bills a chance to go to Denver Saturday for the AFC divisional round showdown against the top-seeded Broncos.
According to Pro Football Focus, Bosa played 31 snaps and he made no tackles and was credited with one missed tackle, had four pressures of Trevor Lawrence but never really came close to sacking him, and that meant he had zero stops which are defined by PFF as a tackle that constitutes a failure for the offense.
Bosa even suffered the indignation of getting crushed by wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who weighs 80 pounds less than Bosa, on a running play that allowed Travis Etienne to get to the edge and rip off a 26-yard run in the third quarter that helped set up a Jaguars field goal which cut Buffalo’s lead to 13-10.
“I’m thankful I get to come back tomorrow and keep working,” Bosa said on Sunday. “That’s all I care about. Move on, learn what I can and be better next week.”
Bobby Babich echoes Bosa’s assessment heading into Denver
And that’s exactly what defensive coordinator Bobby Babich expects him to do. Like so many coaches and players, Babich often speaks a lot of words to reporters without actually saying much of anything substantive, but that wasn’t the case Monday when he agreed with Bosa’s self-assessment of his performance.
“It’s a conversation I’ll have with any player that needs to play better,” Babich said before the practice week began. “There’s no reason not to be 100 percent honest. The guys know the expectations. You guys said it, Joey said it already. He knows what we’re expecting and what he needs to do and what his job is.
“Look, you’re not going to bat 1.000. You need to bat as close to 1.000 as you possibly can, but he knows he needs to play better. We advanced and he has another opportunity to play better. That’s what we need, that’s what we’re looking for and he knows that. And he’ll do it. Don’t let it happen again. Play the way we know Joey Bosa can play. It’s pro football. Do your job at a high level. That’s it. End of story.”
Bosa started the season very well and he was Buffalo’s most effective pass rusher and one of the best in the league during the first half of the schedule. But then the usual bugaboo with Bosa – injuries – cropped up as he suffered wrist and hamstring injuries that curtailed his play in the second half.
He finished the regular season second on the team in sacks (5) and QB pressures (47) behind Greg Rousseau (8 and 55), though PFF loved his overall package and he graded out as their seventh-highest edge rusher, well ahead of Rousseau who was 20th.
As always, you must take PFF grades with a grain of salt, but they at least provide some context, and to their credit they saw against the Jaguars what Bosa knew and they had him as their worst-graded Buffalo player among the 17 who played defense in the Jaguars game.
Bills need Joey Bosa to pressure Bo Nix
The Bills need Bosa to be much better against the Broncos and it will be imperative that the defense doesn’t allow Denver quarterback Bo Nix to get comfortable because while he still suffers from inconsistency, he has the ability to be dangerous.
Nix was one of the hardest QBs to sack in the NFL this season, just 22 times on 680 dropbacks which was tied for third-fewest among the 26 QBs who had at least 350 dropbacks. Nix’s pressure-to-sack rate of 10.1% was the lowest in the league.
That number alone indicates that it’s going to be difficult to get Nix on the ground because he’s also a mobile quarterback who can escape the pocket and run, so the key will be to make him feel under duress while also keeping him contained.
Like all quarterbacks, Nix’s numbers drop when he’s pressured, but in his case it’s a notable decline in effectiveness. When he was kept clean in the pocket, which was 67.9% of the time because the Broncos have a very good offensive line, he completed 69.7% of his passes with 18 TDs, five interceptions and a 7.2 yards per attempt average. But when he was pressured, his completion percentage dipped to 48.0% with seven TDs, six picks and 4.6 average per attempt.
“I think you see, evolution-wise, you see how the quarterback, how Nix is more comfortable in their offense and those type of things,” Babich said. “And I think he knows when to use his legs, he knows when to tuck it and go and all that. He’s certainly really dangerous in that manner, but it’s just you see a maturation of the offense in general.”
Sean McDermott stresses need for all‑hands pass rush
Sean McDermott would love for the Bills to get productive pass rush from the front four, but he and Babich have been creative with their blitz packages in recent weeks, and they will surely use linebackers and defensive backs to get after Nix.
“Yeah, we’re going to need everyone,” McDermott said. “That’s the short answer and the simple truth. We’re going need everyone. It’s a great team, No. 1 seed in the AFC and they’ve earned that. We’re at their place so it’s that type of game. You’ve got to be able to do your 1/11th at a very high level. If we don’t make the adjustments this week and the improvements we need to make, it’s gonna be really hard, awfully hard on us for us to get a win out there. I mean, they’re just that good. So we’ve got a hill to climb in front of us here.”
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 36 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.
The Denver Broncos hosted eight tryout players at mandatory minicamp this week, including quarterback Sawyer Robertson. It sounds like the team has made decisions on those tryout players, and Robertson won’t be signed (at least not right now).
Instead, the Broncos are signing offensive lineman Reid Holskey (according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler) and cornerback Blake Cotton (according to the Denver Post‘s Parker Gabriel). Holskey (6-6, 306 pounds) spent time on the Houston Texans’ practice squad in 2025 before joining the New York Giants in January. He was cut by New York last month. Cotton (6-2, 195 pounds) is a rookie who spent last fall at Utah, totaling 30 tackles and seven pass breakups in 13 games.
The two moves came one day after Denver wrapped up minicamp. The 91-man offseason roster was already full, so the Broncos will need to make corresponding moves to make room for Holskey and Cotton on the roster.
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Sean Payton has seen enough. The Denver Broncos’ third practice of mandatory minicamp, which was set to happen on Thursday, has been canceled.
“Just schedule-wise, today will be our last day,” Payton said after Wednesday’s practice. “I just finished telling them that. It’s unusual because there’s a lot of packing, a little bit more than normal when you’re moving into another facility. So when we’re back here, we’ll be in the new building.”
The Broncos are moving into their new state-of-the-art facility, but the decision to cancel the final practice of the offseason was motivated primarily by what Payton has seen thus far and how the team is shaping up.
Thus concludes the Broncos’ offseason training program, which featured eight total practices as a team, four of which were open to the media. There was more on-field activity than that, including walkthrough practices unseen by the press, but in essence, we’re talking about eight sessions.
Some players have already begun to separate themselves in their respective competitions. Others have really popped, while some have failed to really stand out in any meaningful way.
By way of a Broncos stock report, let’s get to the biggest winners and losers of mandatory minicamp.
Winner: Bo Nix | QB
Nix finally returned to the practice field on Tuesday, the first day of minicamp. He was limited to individual drills only, but it was still great to see him out there.
On Day 2, though, Nix took another big step forward, participating in a 7-on-7 drill that included a highlight-reel touchdown pass to RJ Harvey. Just getting Nix back on the field was a big win for the Broncos, but seeing him progress over two days and look overall very sharp was more than a little encouraging.
Winner: Jaylen Waddle | WR
Waddle has been a lightning rod since the practices were opened to the media. He just looks different. That speed and explosiveness really add an element to the Broncos’ offense that has been lacking.
It’s been palpable. But arguably just as exciting is what Waddle’s teammates and coaches have been saying about him. Payton has called him a “force multiplier,” which is another way of saying that he makes everyone around him better.
Not that we really had reason to doubt it, but Waddle has been as advertised thus far, and then some.
Loser: Marvin Mims Jr. | WR
Mims is not listed as a loser because of any specific negative plays, like a dropped pass or a mental miscue. It’s just that, with other receivers, including Waddle, shining, generating buzz, and earning plaudits from Payton, Mims didn’t really.
Mims is a similar receiver type as Waddle, but the newcomer made it clear how much separation exists between them in practice. Now, Mims is still important to the Broncos, especially as a returner, and Payton did compliment his clutch gene and contributions in big games, but you have to wonder how he fits into the game plan on offense. That question still hasn’t been answered.
Winner: J.K. Dobbins | RB
Dobbins was his usually talkative self at minicamp, but the fact that he was healthy and out there doing his thing is a major win for the Broncos. It’s good to have him part of the daily process at Broncos HQ again because he’s one of those veterans that takes players under his wing, and elevates them.
Winner: Que Robinson | OLB
With the recent off-the-field drama the Broncos have dealt with, some extra attention was paid to the Broncos’ outside linebackers. Robinson, in particular, separated himself during minicamp.
His get-off is something else, and he was dispruptive during the Broncos’ team periods. Vance Joseph has said he views Robinson as a “future starter.” Pending Cooper’s situation, the future could be now, though Elliss will also have something to say about that.
Robinson had one heck of an offseason. I’m really looking forward to his second year.
Loser: Jonathon Cooper | OLB
After being arrested twice in the span of a week, the Broncos excused Cooper from mandatory minicamp. It would seem the Broncos want to create some distance from Cooper until his legal troubles are resolved, one way or another.
It’s a shame, in more ways than one. Beyond what legal ramifications might await Cooper, he’s very likely to be suspended by the NFL, and the Broncos releasing him at some point is not outside the bounds of the plausible. It’s a good thing that rush linebacker room is stacked.
Winner: Matt Henningsen | DL
None of these winners has been quite as surprising as Henningsen. He made a huge play on Day 1 of minicamp, tipping a Sam Ehlinger pass and returning it to the house.
Henningsen followed that up with another disruptive Day 2. He’s gone from being an after thought in the Broncos’ defensive line conversation to establishing himself as a bona fide threat for the roster.
Loser: Jahdae Barron | CB
Like Mims, Barron wasn’t bad during the offseason; he just didn’t pop, really, in any way. He broke up one pass on Day 2 of minicamp, but beyond that, there wasn’t much to see.
It will be interesting to see how Barron performs in training camp. We know the Broncos have high expectations for him, and a role on defense, even if as a depth piece, will be created for him, but I was hoping to see more signs of a Year-2 leap by now.
Winner: Jonah Coleman | RB
Another as-advertised player. Coleman has proven he’s ready for the NFL, which was partly what attracted the Broncos to him in the draft.
Coleman stood out in a major way at minicamp and made it clear that the Broncos have more than just a J.K. Dobbins insurance policy on their hands. Coleman is a force to be reckoned with.
Winner: Tyler Onyedim | DL
Like Coleman the Broncos’ first pick in the 2026 draft has looked NFL-ready. The Broncos still haven’t signed Onyedim, but that didn’t stop him from participating in the offseason program, which is a good harbinger.
Rocking the No. 98 jersey, it’s easy to mistake Onyedim for the guy he was drafted to replace: John Franklin-Myers. That’s especially true when the rookie is out there making plays like JFM. Onyedim has earned praise from his teammates, including the All-Pro Zach Allen.
Winner: Evan Engram | TE
Engram looked very good in minicamp this week. He looked like a big, athletic, smooth, explosive receiver, which is what he’s been in the NFL.
Engram wasn’t really all those things in his first year with the Broncos, but I’m hopeful that Year 2 will be different for the two-time Pro Bowler. He’s had a good summer.
Winner: Troy Franklin | WR
Franklin seems like the obvious No. 3 receiver in the pecking order. That doesn’t mean he’ll get the No. 3 snaps on an exclusive basis, though.
As the Broncos’ No. 2 last year, Franklin wasn’t able to fully live up to that, although he took some big steps forward in his second year. As the No. 3, it’s more his natural spot and that should allow him to continue to thrive in the offense, especially with the connection he has with Bo Nix dating back to Oregon.
Winner: Sam Ehlinger | QB
Ehlinger had a great offseason. He looked way more comfortable and far sharper in the offense in what is his second go-around in Payton’s offense.
Ehlinger was sharp this summer, and if he can continue to build on the foundation he’s created, it could create some uncomfortable conversations at Broncos HQ.
Loser: Jarrett Stidham | QB
Stidham has been less noteworthy this summer, but that doesn’t mean he’s been bad. In comparison to Ehlinger, though, Stidham wasn’t as good, which is curious, considering his standing as the team’s primary backup since 2023.
If Ehlinger ends up leapfrogging Stidham, what do the Broncos do? They’re holding a competition for QB2, and they have to be prepared for the possibility of Ehlinger winning it, especially after his strong summer.
If Ehlinger forces this issue, Stidham could become expendable. Stidham is very unlikely to be a cut candidate because of his contract, but as a trade piece? There’s a reason the rumor mill has been active on the Stidham topic this offseason. It’s something to watch.
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The Mecca Sports Bar in Denver will be allowed to continue operations after it reached a settlement agreement with the city. According to the Denver Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, the business will be required to pay a $5,000 fine and have employees complete specialized training.
The bar had been under investigation for prostitution since 2024.
According to the Denver Police Department, there were two arrests for prostitution as a result of the investigation into the bar, in addition to a merchant guard license violation for failure to comply.
According to the city’s licensing department, the business will be under a probationary period, where if there are any other violations of law or rules and regulations, it could face harsher penalties, including license suspension or revocation.
Denver police investigators said they conducted three undercover prostitution stings at the bar. In every operation, officers said they were offered sex for money and told about a scheme where the women would overcharge for alcohol and keep the extra cash.
Mecca Sports Bar is located off West Mississippi Avenue and Federal Boulevard near Huston Lake Park and was formerly known as Club Dubai.
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