The Denver Broncos are dealing with some injuries during the last couple of days of training camp practice.

Yesterday, outside linebacker Nik Bonitto left practice with an injury. Sean Payton stated that he would be “fine.” However, Bonitto did not participate in practice, with second-year man Que Robinson filling in for him. Bonitto was, however, on the practice field sidelines watching his teammates.

During team drills on Wednesday, trade acquisition and star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle took himself off the field following a one-on-one drill. He eventually walked into the Broncos’ locker room under his own power, escorted by head athletic trainer Vince Garcia. Waddle did not return to practice, which was supposed to be one of the Denver Broncos’ toughest training camp practices to date.

Payton spoke to reporters after practice and insisted that Waddle will be fine.

“We’ll evaluate him,” Payton said. “I think he’s fine. He had some muscle tightness.”

At this juncture, we know that “fine” means he could miss one day of practice or more.

Courtland Sutton absent for the second consecutive practice

The Denver Broncos were also without wide receiver Courtland Sutton for the second consecutive practice, and center Luke Wattenberg did not practice as well. It’s unclear what Sutton is dealing with at this time, but it could be veteran rest.

Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant were two of the top targets for Bo Nix, with Waddle and Sutton not practicing. But it was mostly a quiet day from wide receivers. One wide receiver who did stand out with a lot of catches, according to Denver Post reporter Luca Evans, is Lil’Jordan Humphrey. He seems to have taken a step forward this year.

Sean Payton said #Broncos WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey has measured faster in top-end speed on team’s Catapults than he did when he was in Denver in ‘24.

“He’s extremely smart. That’s probably one of his superpowers. Like, he can play all three positions, and he’s a big target.” pic.twitter.com/ehWhohI0ju

— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) August 5, 2026

The hope remains that Sutton’s absence is something designed to help manage the wear and tear on the 30-year-old wide receiver. However, there’s no denying that Payton is a bit cagey when it comes to discussing injuries.

The Broncos need WR Jaylen Waddle to be healthy

Broncos need Jaylen Waddle healthy and ready to go at the start of the season. Waddle was the Broncos’ big offseason acquisition with a blockbuster trade, sending a first-round draft pick to the Miami Dolphins. The wide receiver position has been one that has been a tough spot for the Broncos to figure out, and Denver sought to put an end to that with Waddle.

He’s been a strong target for Bo Nix so far during this offseason. However, he needs to be on the field, practicing, getting integrated with the offense. He needs to be building chemistry with Bo Nix. If this muscle tightness leads to absences from training camp practice, that’s going to put him back in terms of learning the offense, building that chemistry with his teammates, and potentially contributing as much as the Broncos hope he will.