Film Room: Evaluating Broncos OT Quinn Bailey's First Action

The Broncos were down to their practice squad tackle playing against the Chargers. Did Quinn Bailey hold his own?

With Bobby Massie and Garett Bolles out for the game, the Denver Broncos had three active offensive tackles against the Los Angeles Chargers. But, before long, the Broncos were down to two as Calvin Anderson got hurt and had to leave the game. 

That meant Quinn Bailey was thrust into the lineup after being a practice squad call-up prior to the game. It was the first serious action of Bailey's NFL career, and he had to face off against Joey Bosa with some frequency. 

This was a tough game for Bailey, and to ease him in, there were some changes made to the game plan, and fortunately, it worked out as the Broncos won. Bailey played a sizeable part in the victory because he came in and played a good game while showing the growth he has made over the years. 

Let's check out the film to see why Bailey received a game ball in the locker room when it was all said and done.  

Play 1: 9:52 | First Quarter

Situation: 1st-&-10

On this run to the outside, Bailey takes the inside block to seal the lane. RB Javonte Williams has multiple pullers to be his lead blockers, allowing Bailey to focus inside. RG Quinn Meinerz is one of the pullers, and he whiffs on his initial block, which hurt the result of this play. 

Bailey snatched his defensive lineman and showed good strength to hold on to the initial block. Eventually, he gets tossed, but he sustained the block for enough time to allow the back to get outside.

Play 2: 9:52 | Second Quarter

Situation: 3rd-&-Goal

This is just textbook stuff from Bailey here on the outside. It's an inside run, so he wants the defender to get out of the inside and away from being able to make the play. Off the snap, he catches the defender, uses his momentum against him, and turns the defender to clear out the hole. 

LG Natane Muti gave a little help to turn the defender, which made life a little easier for Bailey. This was just a beautiful play-call from OC Pat Shurmur that was executed flawlessly with the handoff up the gut. This was a run from the start, which is obvious with the O-line immediately firing off the snap in attack mode, but the possibility of the pass was enough to get the Chargers' defenders to bite. 

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Play 3: 9:52 | Second Quarter

Situation: 2nd-&-18

While this play was a failure with an incomplete pass, Bailey does well here. He gets back into protection quickly and mirrors the defender, who doesn't give much variance to his rush. Bailey is also staying in position to handle the stunt that was telegraphed from the start. 

Stunt rushes are a way to take advantage of inexperience, but Bailey handled this like a long-time pro. Unfortunately, QB Drew Lock had a bit of a hurry on his throw and didn't place the ball well enough, which is why the play went bust. 

Play 4: 9:52 | Third Quarter

Situation: 3rd-&-7

Bailey had a remarkable recovery on this play as the defender (#42) is turning the corner to get to the quarterback. At the last second, he can generate push to get the defender away from connecting with the quarterback. It was tight but enough to see the pass completed, instead of an incompletion or worse result. 

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