ENGLEWOOOD – Increased energy helped the Denver Broncos defense reap the benefit of joint practices Thursday at Centura Health Training Center.

That wasn’t the case Wednesday, the first of two shared practices between the Broncos and visiting Los Angeles Rams.

“Yesterday was not good enough, obviously. We came out flat for the first couple of plays of seven-on-seven. It was like in slow motion—like a jog through or walkthrough pace,” Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said after Thursday’s practice. “I was shocked by that, but we addressed it last night. We came out this morning better with our energy, and it showed in our play.”

In his message to his unit before Thursday’s practice, Joseph said he tried to emphasize the importance of better starts. It’s something that’s been an issue beyond practice.

“Last week against San Francisco, the first four or five plays, we were out of sorts,” Joseph said. “Even in Arizona, the first drive was not great. It was okay. (It’s about) building a mindset of being dominant from the start and not waiting to be dominant. Most good defenses and most good offenses—their first 15 plays are their best plays. If you can nail those, it sets for a good day. We cannot be a team that eases into games and gives up field goals on the first drive. That’s not who we want to be. That cannot happen.”

Coach Sean Payton agreed with that assessment, while speaking more generally about the last two days of practice.

“It felt like we had a little bit more juice today out on the field,” Payton said. “We talked about it last night. I was really pleased with the two days we spent with the Rams. Before you start, there are certain things that you hope for, and I thought both clubs did a great job of handling the drills. I thought the teams and the players did a good job.”

The benefits of joint practices are widespread, Payton said. The coach likes the efficiency. During portions of Thursday’s session, two fields were utilized, doubling the amount of available reps. It also exposes the team to other schemes and formations.

“It kind of stimulates your think tank a little bit,” Payton said.

The Rams and Broncos will conclude their preseason schedules Saturday at Empower Field at Mile High.

Starters’ status for Saturday

Payton was noncommittal when asked if there was a plan to play or sit his starters in the preseason finale.

“There may be a few,” the coach said. “It’s a little trickier than saying, ‘All the starters aren’t playing.’ You do have to play four quarters, and you don’t want a certain half of your roster getting 60 snaps and risking injury, either.”

The plan was to meet Thursday night to determine the complete plan for Saturday’s game. When asked specifically about starting quarterback Russell Wilson’s status for Sunday, the Broncos’ new coach reiterated a plan has not been established.

“I don’t want to answer that because I’d rather answer it entirely once we’ve had this meeting,” he said.

Waiting to see Williams’ readiness

Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi is still a couple of weeks away from getting a good feel for where Javonte Williams is in his expedited return.

After suffering a serious knee injury in October, the third-year running back made his return to the field last weekend in Denver’s second preseason game. Williams was heavily involved in the offense while he was on the field in San Francisco, catching four of his five targets for 18 yards and rushing three times for 12 yards.

“I was encouraged. I thought he ran hard, and he got some confidence getting back into that first game action,” Lombardi said. “Again, we said it before, running back is a hard position to really know what you have until you are playing full contact football.”

With Williams’ unavailability for the final preseason game to be determined, the next time he faces live competition could come in the Sept. 10 season-opener against the Raiders. Lombardi wasn’t sure what kind of load Williams would be ready for by Week 1.

“When you say a full load, I don’t know exactly what that means, but I think with the other runners we have in that room, he will be able to get into that mode,” Lombardi said of the potential Williams is ready for a full workload against Las Vegas. “It may not be the first game, but I think by the end of the season, we will be able to manage his workload where he will be feeling good.”

In attendance

There was football and business royalty at the Broncos’ practice facility Thursday.

Quarterback-turned-professor Peyton Manning and his father and fellow quarterback, Archie, checked out the joint practice, as did Stan Kroenke, the owner of the Rams, Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets and Colorado Rapids.