ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos wrapped up their first week of training camp Monday. Starting quarterback Bo Nix has looked healthy and confident as he heads into a pivotal third season. That qualifies as the most important development for a team that needs Nix at his best to chase a Super Bowl in 2026, but there have been plenty of other subplots to monitor.Here are a few other things we’ve learned:The QB2 battle is realCoach Sean Payton was asked in March at the annual NFL league meeting in Arizona if there would be a competition for the No. 2 quarterback job between Jarrett Stidham, the team’s backup the past three seasons, and Sam Ehlinger, last year’s No. 3.“We see competition,” Payton said then. “And it wasn’t different last year. There’s nothing that is etched in stone. There just isn’t, and that’s a good thing.”Nix excited for addition of WaddleNick KosmiderFast forward to the first day of training camp, when Stidham ran the second unit and Ehlinger piloted the threes, and Payton was asked again whether a competition had begun.“There’s a competition at all these spots,” he replied. “The guard position, quarterback position, tight end position. They’re competing for playing time and reps. That’s why we don’t have a depth chart or anything like that.”Still, there had been little to suggest, beyond Payton’s words about competition throughout the roster, that the Broncos were considering a different backup for Nix. In every practice open to the media dating back to the spring, Stidham had been ahead of Ehlinger. That changed Saturday. Ehlinger ran the No. 2 offense while Stidham, whose lone appearance last season came as Nix’s replacement in the AFC Championship Game, ran the third group. Payton cautioned afterward that he “wouldn’t make anything” out of the change of order, but it was an indication that Denver is giving the 27-year-old Ehlinger a chance to compete for a promotion.The Broncos signed Ehlinger, a 2021 sixth-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts, to a one-year deal in free agency last season. He spent all season as the team’s No. 3 quarterback, bouncing between the practice squad and the active roster. He had several opportunities to join other teams last season while on Denver’s practice squad and again this offseason, but he chose to remain with the Broncos last season and then sign another one-year deal with the team in March — even though there was no guaranteed offer of a backup role in Denver’s recruitment pitch.“I think we just sold our program and the offense,” Payton said. ” … We could never promise anything. … I would say this: We saw immediate growth. I think you’d have to ask him, but I think he felt like, ‘I want to continue with this offense and continue where I’m going.’ I think he felt good about it to make that decision.”Preseason games figure to be a pivotal battleground in the competition, starting with the Broncos’ preseason opener Aug. 14 at Atlanta. Ehlinger was efficient Saturday during his run with the second team. Stidham, meanwhile, had arguably the top throw of the first week of camp when he launched a 50-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Mims, catching the fourth-year wide receiver in stride at the front of the end zone. Stidham was again quarterbacking the second unit when the Broncos resumed practice Monday after a day off.Key contract-year players start strongRiley Moss matched Courtland Sutton stride for stride Monday as Nix launched a deep ball to his favorite target. Sutton appeared to have position as he turned his body to shield the cornerback while leaping for the ball. Moss, though, somehow managed to invade Sutton’s space with minimal contact and then ripped the ball away for an interception. It was arguably the top defensive play of the first week of camp. It was a free play for the offense that came after the defense jumped offside, but during camp, Broncos coaches insist that players finish plays despite penalties or would-be sacks somewhere along the way.“It was a great play,” safety Talanoa Hufanga said of Moss’ interception. “It’s one of those where it’s 50-50 (when) the ball goes up, and when your guy comes down with it, you’re always excited.”Moss, a third-round pick in the 2023 draft, is among a handful of key Broncos players entering contract years. The list also includes Mims, nickel Ja’Quan McMillian and safety Brandon Jones, all of whom have had strong starts.Mims has been a consistent deep target for Denver’s quarterbacks, the aforementioned deep touchdown from Stidham being just one of several big plays he has produced. McMillian broke up a pass intended for Jaylen Waddle on Monday, marking one of the few times Denver’s defense has gotten the better of the team’s new offensive weapon.Marvin Mims is among the Broncos looking to prove his value in a contract year. (Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images)Before his interception Monday against Sutton, Moss broke up back-to-back Nix passes during a third-down drill in Saturday’s practice. Jones, meanwhile, is fully healthy after a pectoral injury caused him to miss the final three games of the 2025 regular season and both of Denver’s playoff games. He said he feels like he picked up where he left off next to Hufanga at the back end of Denver’s defense.The Broncos signed three starters to extensions during training camp last year (defensive end Zach Allen, Sutton, edge rusher Nik Bonitto) and extended three other players during the season (defensive tackle Malcolm Roach, center Luke Wattenberg, kicker Wil Lutz). That was the continuation of a trend that has seen the Broncos sign 11 of their players to multiyear extensions since before the 2024 season.There will be different considerations for Denver’s extension-eligible players this time around. The Broncos have to start factoring in a possible massive extension for Nix, who will be eligible to re-sign after this season. But what’s been clear through one week of camp is that the players angling for extensions have made strong early impressions.Bryant taking a step forwardPayton has never believed in creating a pecking order for his wide receivers.“We don’t have a classic third (receiver),” he said last week. “We don’t have a (No.) 1A, a 2, a 3. We’re just different than that.”Still, it’s probably safe to assume that Sutton and Waddle, if healthy, will be the team’s two leading receivers this season. Sutton is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons, and Waddle has averaged that total over his five NFL seasons. So, if there is no true WR3 in Denver’s offense — frequent personnel switches can put receivers in different positions depending on the defensive look — the question then becomes who will be the most reliable producer outside of the top two?Pat Bryant, entering his second NFL season, has looked like a potential answer to the question through one week of camp. Catches like his leaping grab along the sideline Monday, which took place on a well-placed back-shoulder throw from Nix have become commonplace for last year’s third-round pick out of Illinois. He became a more consistent third-down target for Nix as last season progressed, the quarterback trusting Bryant to make tough catches in traffic. In Year 2, Bryant is playing at an increased tempo that comes with a greater understanding of the offense.“He’s got some of the better hands in traffic with his feet on the ground,” Payton said. “He’s really good with the run after the catch. He’s real smart and he’s someone who can move from X (position) to the slot. It will be easy creating his role.”Bryant played 48 percent of Denver’s offensive snaps last season and missed two games with a concussion. He appears to be in line for a bigger slice of the pie in 2026.Injury updatesWattenberg left Monday’s practice early with a medical trainer and didn’t return after what appeared to be a left arm injury. Payton said afterward that he expected the center to be fine.Outside linebacker Drew Sanders returned to practice Monday after missing Denver’s prior workouts for an undisclosed reason. Fellow outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman, meanwhile, worked out on a side field Monday after being a full participant last week.Tight end Caleb Lohner still has not practiced with the Broncos since camp began after undergoing an offseason knee procedure.