ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (KDVR) — It’s pretty apparent that the Broncos are deeper and more athletic this year.

Defensive Tackle Shelby Harris takes that a step further: “There’s too much skill on this team, it’s time to put up or shut up. We have depth all over the field, we’re meant for good things.”

The Broncos were one of the youngest teams in the NFL last year, a season with precious little off-season work—clearly, there’s a better understanding and expectant vibe this summer.

“The locker room is good,” said receiver Jerry Jeudy. “We have good energy, guys are working hard to get better—it’s different than last season.”

Of course, quarterback remains the big question. Nothing at practice on Thursday served to move the meter. Drew Lock missed all five of his throws on 11 versus 11 drills throughout practice, but finished with the flurry in the last drill of the day in the Red Zone.

Vic Fangio sees progress.

“He’s a smarter quarterback this year, he has more experience with the system, so he understands it better. He has two stages to develop: to continue to learn the position, then apply those things on the field.”

Out of the playoffs for five straight years and irrelevant for the last four, one would think that there’s a   heightened sense of urgency

“We’ve got dogs at every position,” claimed running back Melvin Gordon.

The key is putting it all together. Let’s face it, everyone thinks they’re going to be good this time of the season…it’s just a question of who will show up.”

Something the Broncos haven’t done much of for far too long.