The University of Cincinnati finally finished on Saturday and that means Broncos defensive tackle Derek Wolfe can finally get started.
Wolfe, the Broncos’ highest draft pick this year, hasn’t been with the team since the end of rookie minicamp because of the NFL rule that bars rookies from practicing until their colleges have closed up shop for the semester. They had graduation in Cincinnati over the weekend, so Wolfe is now in Denver for the start of Broncos minicamp. Wolfe feels ready to go physically, but he does have concerns about his knowledge of the defense.
“The physical part I’m not worried about,” Wolfe said. “I don’t like to go out there and not know what I’m doing. I can’t wait to get back out there.”
Wolfe will likely have to wait a little longer to meet one of his teammates. Mike Klis of the Denver Post reports that kicker Matt Prater isn’t expected to join the team for the minicamp. It’s not mandatory for Prater, who was given the franchise tag by the team in February, and he’s staying away in hopes of moving negotiations for a long-term deal forward. There was hope last week that the deal would be done in time for the start of minicamp, but that hasn’t come to fruition.
Prater will bring his knack for late-game heroics back to Denver eventually. He also doesn’t have any playbooks to learn which makes it a bit easier to get through a three-day minicamp without his presence. It also makes it less likely that he’ll spend his idle hours tweeting anything the team would prefer to keep confidential.