The Sports Xchange

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Peyton Manning walked onto the field in a visor and a jersey. He didn’t look bored, but he did look out of place.

His day off Monday was all part of the Denver Broncos’ training-camp plan: two or three days on the field; one day off. A collection of the Broncos’ best joined him on the sideline Monday, including Pro Bowlers DeMarcus Ware, Von Miller, T.J. Ward, Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. Right guard Louis Vasquez, tight end Owen Daniels and injured defensive end Malik Jackson, who suffered a calf strain Friday and is being eased back, joined him on the sideline.

“Peyton needs his break,” Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said.

But that didn’t mean he wanted it. Yes, it gives backup Brock Osweiler some necessary repetitions that allow the Broncos to try and make a better determination on his future as he hits his contract year. But that’s an ancillary benefit.

First and foremost, this is about keeping Manning fresh at age 39.

“I think that he realizes where he is, so I think he’s getting a lot better at understanding what his body can and can’t do,” general manager John Elway said. “Our mind thinks that our body can always do it. No matter if you’re 55 like I am or 39, you still think you can do certain things. And you just can’t do that. I think he understands that situation and he’ll be good with it.”

Manning tried to stay involved with practice after returning following a quick sojourn to the weight room. He stood next to Kubiak. He helped with calls.

“We were standing beside each other one period, just kind of talking through things,” Kubiak said. “I just think it’s good. I think it’s good for him to watch what’s going on, to give his body a break. I just think it will be good for him in the long haul.

“I know it’s hard on him, and we all know that, but I think he understands why we’re trying to do.”

–Louis Vasquez joined Manning on the sideline, and with good reason: He is the only proven commodity left on the Broncos’ offensive line after left tackle Ryan Clady was lost to a torn anterior cruciate ligament during OTAs.

Kubiak vowed to shuffle the alignments of the offensive line, and the various combinations have been especially apparent during walk-through sessions. But during practice, the tweaks have been limited to moving Ryan Harris up to the first team on the second day of practice in place of Chris Clark, and giving rookie Max Garcia occasional repetitions at left guard in place of the equally unproven Ben Garland.

“There is a method to the madness,” Kubiak said.

And part of that is trying to figure out who the swing backup will be. Rookie Ty Sambrailo appears to be set at left tackle. Although he has endured some struggles at times, he seems to be stabilizing with each day, and is getting the better of fellow rookie Shane Ray in one-on-one pass-rush drills.

But Harris’ NFL experience is almost entirely at right tackle. Clark, an early-season starter at right tackle last year, started 17 games (including postseason) at left tackle in 2013, so he could potentially be a swing backup if he does not start.

The wild card is Michael Schofield, the Broncos’ third-round pick last year who spent his entire rookie season inactive. Schofield’s college background at Michigan is as a right tackle. Kubiak has tried to get him work on the left side during camp, but his default spot will likely remain the right side.

“Michael is doing a really good job on the right side, and we want to continue to get him reps over there and look at him,” Kubiak said. “The other guys, we feel like are pretty interchangeable. Michael’s got to be, too, but we’re trying to settle him down a little bit and look at him a little bit more. Other than that, they’re going to continue rotating.”

And the questions will linger. Garcia has impressed with his technique and tenacity. Matt Paradis, a sixth-round pick last year, could push Gino Gradkowski at center.

It’s wide open, and who the Broncos select and how they play could determine the health of Manning and the viability of any title pursuit.

–The Broncos’ competition for punt and kickoff returners was further muddled when Kyle Williams ruptured his Achilles tendon and was lost for the season during a special-teams drill early in Saturday’s practice.

Williams had battled injuries in recent years with the Chiefs and 49ers, but was considered a strong candidate for the position. Now it’s a wide-open affair that includes incumbent kickoff returner Omar Bolden and wide receivers Jordan Norwood and Solomon Patton.

Bolden gave the Broncos a jolt on kickoff returns late last season, but he has little experience on punts. During a camp drill Saturday, he dropped one punt and bobbled another. Norwood had a chance to be the punt returner last year, but tore his anterior cruciate ligament in camp.

Patton handled kickoff and punt returns at times for the Buccaneers last year, and while he is the most likely to be able to handle both roles, to make the roster he must show that he can have some kind of role on offense.

“He’s a good returner. The question is going to be can he run in enough spots at wide receiver to play?” Kubiak said. “It’s really hard to exclusively keep returners. You want guys to do more. If they’re the best in the league, you’d probably find a way to do it. Other than that, they have to be able to do other things. I think we feel good about the return part. We have to find out if he can do some work outside.”

He’s done his best to make an impression, catching deep passes in each of the last two practices.

–Britton Colquitt is one of the league’s highest-paid punters no more.

Colquitt agreed to a $1.4 million reduction in salary, knocking him from the ranks of the league’s highest-paid punters. The four-year contract he signed in 2013 would have paid him $3 million this year, topped by the $750,000 share of his signing bonus that counts toward this year’s cap.

In 2013, he signed a four-year, $13 million extension, but his numbers have dipped drastically in the last two years. Despite punting half of his games at mile-high elevation, Colquitt was 28th in net punting average and 24th in gross average last year.

This offseason, the Broncos brought in Karl Schmitz to compete with Colquitt.

“You never know with those situations, but I just want to do what’s best for me and my family right now, and I think that this is it,” Colquitt said.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “My job is to get myself and the rest of the line ready to play. My mentality is by the end of the fourth quarter, we want to feel your soul wilt in our hands. So I’m trying to instill that in the offensive line because it’s dirty work. You might as well get nasty with it. That’s what I’m trying to instill in the young guys.” — Right guard Louis Vasquez.