Broncos Set to Hold Joint Practice Sessions With Vikings | Preseason Schedule Announced

No training camp event is quite the litmus test that joint practice sessions are.

The Denver Broncos have long prioritized joint practice sessions during training camp. From the San Francisco 49ers to the Chicago Bears, the Broncos have always strived to hold those joint sessions as the ultimate precursor to the preseason. 

Practicing against one's own team is one thing but going against an outside opponent on the grass every day, all of which culminates in a preseason bout, it's exactly the type of whetstone needed to hone a football team into a sharp, collective blade. Last year's planned joint session with the Bears was canceled due to the pandemic but this year, the Broncos will once again square off against an NFC North opponent during training camp. 

The Broncos will hold their joint sessions this summer with the Minnesota Vikings, the team announced. The pairing makes sense on two levels. 

One, new Broncos' GM George Paton spent more than a decade as a top dog in Minnesota's personnel department and his friendships and connections there still run deep. Two, the Broncos will face the Vikings in their first preseason game of the summer, and first since the 2019 campaign. 

The preseason game will be played in Minnesota, so the specific dates of when the joint practices will be held is to be decided. Broncos at Vikings will kick off on Saturday, August 14 at 2 p.m. MDT. 

I like how the #Broncos' preseason schedule shapes up. Two away games followed by a home stand could provide just the type moving-parts adversity to sharpen this team in time for the season-opener. pic.twitter.com/I02hSJhWuw

— Chad Jensen (@ChadNJensen) June 6, 2021

Because it's a road game, we know that the joint sessions will be held away from UCHealth Training Center, which isn't too much of a departure for Vic Fangio's squad. The last time Denver traveled for a training-camp practice also happened to be one of the last times anything positive was written about former first-round busted quarterback Paxton Lynch in Santa Clara, CA, vs. the Niners. 

As for the Broncos' full preseason schedule, there will be two additional games after the Vikings bout. In the wake of last year's pandemic, the NFL has cut the preseason down from four to three games. 

Here's the full 2021 preseason schedule for the Broncos. 

• Game 1: at Minnesota Vikings | Aug. 14 | 2 p.m. MDT
• Game 2: at Seattle Seahawks | Aug. 21 | 8 p.m. MDT
• Game 3: vs. Los Angeles Rams | Aug. 28 | 7:05 p.m. MDT

Some fans will decry that Denver has two away games and just one at home this preseason but I like how it's set up. Those two away games could serve as a modest refiner's fire preparing the Broncos for the ostensible 'dress rehearsal' game for the preseason finale. 

That third game, at home in front of the Mile High Faithful, is what will likely determine the quarterback competition between Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater, which will continue to unfold between now and then. 

Meanwhile, this three-game slate will see the Broncos cross swords vs. a talented Vikings squad with a quality QB under center, a Seahawks team with Russell Wilson, and Matthew Stafford potentially calling the Rams' signals. That is, if these opponents opt to give their first-string QBs any preseason exposure. 

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