Broncos players started training at facility weeks before start of offseason program

Colorado is the place to be.

This time of year, NFL players are not required to be at their team's facility. But many Denver Broncos players have stuck around for training, working out at the facility well before the (voluntary) offseason program begins in May.

“It’s great," general manager George Paton said last month when asked about the many players staying in Denver during the offseason. "A lot of our players are in-house, a lot of our players are working out and they’re staying in Denver. It’s a close-knit group. It’s a tight group.

"You see it on the field. You see it translate. You guys have been around our locker room and our practice, how close that team was last year in the locker room and on the field. It showed late in games. It’s hard to replicate that, but it’s good that they’re starting (to train at the facility)."

Following the draft, clubs are allowed to hold a rookie minicamp from either May 1-4 or May 8-11. The Broncos have not yet announced the date of their rookie camp, but veterans are set to report for the start of the offseason program on May 4, so the first window (May 1-4) seems like a safe bet for the rookie camp.

Denver will hold organized team activities and a mandatory minicamp in June, then players will get a summer break until training camp begins in late July.

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