Broncos Detail Plan for Reopening Facilities, Getting Back to Football

The Broncos are beginning the process of reopening with an eye toward the 2020 NFL season.

The Denver Broncos have gone a long while without employees, executives, coaches and players being at their UC Health Training Center facilities. In fact, it was just after the first wave of free agency ended in late March that the NFL sent everyone home. 

As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Broncos played it safe, figuring out ways for employees and football people to work remotely from home. That was almost two months ago. 

With states across America beginning to reopen and the NFL having released its 2020 schedule, momentum is building with an eye toward football. The Broncos have rolled with the coronavirus punches, going to great lengths to successfully execute a remote NFL Draft process while holding rookie mini-camp and Phase 1 of OTAs virtually over the internet. 

Obviously, attending a team meeting on Zoom or Go-to-Meeting isn't the same as being in the room in the flesh, interacting in-person with coaches and teammates, to say nothing of what unfolds out on the practice field, even during the offseason. Eventually, if a football season is indeed going to be played — with or without fans in the stands — teams will need to get back to the business of football. 

Broncos' CEO and President Joe Ellis is beginning that process this coming week. With the NFL allowing teams to begin the process of returning to facilities on Tuesday, Ellis is taking a little extra time to ensure safety protocols before slowly reopening the Broncos' facilities the next week on May 25. 

In a feature on 9NEWS, Mike Klis detailed the Broncos' plan for the next couple weeks as the team focuses on safely reopening its facilities. 

In an e-mail distributed to the team’s 250-plus employees Saturday, the Broncos will spend next week making sure extensive safety measures against COVID-19 are implemented at its stadium and team headquarter facilities. Up to 75 employees can then start to enter the buildings for work the week of May 25, including general manager John Elway and his football operations staff.

The vast majority of employees will continue to work remotely from home until the week of June 1. 

Coaches and players are still not permitted inside the facilities for competitive balance reasons.

"With so many employees tied the coaches and players in various roles this was a factor in our decision to not rush our return back to the office," Ellis said via e-mail.

The Broncos' COVID-19 task force, as it were, will be headed up by Brittany Bowlen (Vice President of Strategic Initiatives). The Bowlen-led task force submitted a comprehensive infection-response plan to the league office on Friday, per Klis.  

"While we are one of the teams eligible to return under our conditions here in Colorado, we are not going to rush this important process," Ellis said via email. "With your safety and well-being in mind, the vast majority of our employees will continue to work from home through at least the end of May."

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That includes Vic Fangio's coaching staff and the players, who will continue to hold virtual team meetings in the short-term. Strength and Conditing Coach Loren Landow and his assistants will be the only ones permitted at the UC Health Training Center, along with rehabbing players, per Klis. 

Landow and company have done yeoman's work trying to continue the rehabilitation process for players coming off injury (Bradley Chubb, Bryce Callahan) while rolling with the punches of the coronavirus and the restrictions and obstacles its put in front of them. 

It appears as if some point in June will be the soonest coaches and players will be permitted to return to the Broncos' facilities. The NFL has mandated specific restrictions and requirements for teams for the purposes of 'competitive balance'. 

In the interim, Ellis, Bowlen, and the task force will prep the facilities with safety in mind, which will include the procurement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) like face masks and such. 

"Although there is currently no set timeline for when this next phase of expanded facility access could begin," Ellis said via e-mail to employees, "we should remain prepared in the event that it occurs in the very near future."

While a return of players and coaches hasn't been put in stone by the NFL, the silver lining is that the Broncos have not moved off their plan of opening training camp on schedule. which should tell you something. That date remains tentatively planned for July 28 or 29. 

For the Broncos, it's safety first and understandably so, while also obeying the mandates coming from on-high at the league office. Speaking of, it's safe for fans to begin to optimistically look forward to football of some form coming in the fall, barring any national setbacks with the coronavirus. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.