With just under a month remaining until training camp starts, Denver Broncos players are on summer break after having wrapped up voluntary workouts earlier this month.
While the offseason program leading up to training camp, outside of one mandatory minicamp, is “voluntary,” some players take advantage of getting the extra reps in to help set the tone for the season’s expectation.
Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett is in his first year and is looking to set the tone for a championship culture. But one way to get that is to get buy-in from the veteran players. One veteran that Hackett has observed displaying outstanding leadership qualities is safety Justin Simmons. The upcoming seventh-year veteran has been helping set the tone for the new era of Broncos football.
“He’s great,” Hackett said on June 14. “He was one of the first people I talked to when I got the job via FaceTime. For him, the starting point is just his character. He demands respect just because of the man that he is and how he comes out here every day and really works hard.
“How he just communicates with everybody, his understanding and his intelligence is fantastic, which allows him to lead. That’s only going to get better and better as we move forward.”
Although Hackett specializes on the offensive side of the ball, he will continue to need Simmons to be the tone-setter on the other side to keep the championship-caliber culture going he is looking to establish.
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