Broncos Player Grades at the Bye: Which Way is the Arrow Pointing?

It's time to grade the Denver Broncos with the third quarter of the regular season in the books.

Dec 2, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) and wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) after the game against the Cleveland Browns at Empower Field at Mile High. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

With the Denver Broncos emerging from their bye week, it's a good time to look at how the players have done up to this point of the season. The team sits with an 8-5 record, with a good lead on the No. 7 seed in the AFC.

While the Broncos can’t lock up a playoff spot with a win this next week, beating the Indianapolis Colts, a team in the hunt for the No. 7 seed, would go a long way toward securing a spot. It could lead to a clinching scenario when the Broncos take on the Los Angeles Chargers next week on Thursday Night Football. 

There were some qualifiers for the bye-week player grades. Each player had to have received at least 200 snaps and been eligible for a grade in three of their last five games to qualify. So, without further ado, let’s get into it. 

Quarterback

• Bo Nix | Grade: 75.6

Nix has been outstanding the last few weeks and has registered some of the highest grades for a quarterback in all the years I have been doing this. There are still inconsistencies when handling pressure, but that is one of the last issues he has left to correct. 

Running Backs

• Jaleel McLaughlin | Grade: 58.3
• Javonte Williams | Grade: 41.6

The Broncos have not had consistency from their running back room, but McLaughlin has shown the closest to it over the past few weeks. Williams is seeing the field because of his pass protection, but any touches he gets have almost always been a waste of a down. 

Wide Receivers

• Devaughn Vele | Grade: 68.1
• Courtland Sutton | Grade: 67.8
• Troy Franklin | Grade: 55.6
• Lil’Jordan Humphrey | Grade: 51.8

Franklin and Humphrey need to find consistency in their roles, especially the rookie, who is a limited route runner and has been struggling to make an impact with what he does best. Franklin's deep-ball tracking has been an issue, leading to missed shots, which is unusual given his developed connection with Nix due to their time at Oregon together. 

Vele and Sutton have been reliable for Nix, even with some drops from the veteran. When Sutton has dropped a pass, he's more than made up for it in the same game. Vele is tough as nails and has made multiple critical catches when needed. 

Tight Ends

• Nate Adkins | Grade: 53.5
• Lucas Krull | Grade: 48.6
• Adam Trautman | Grade: 38.5

Adkins has found some consistency as a blocker, while Krull and Trautman are suitable for a couple of plays per game. Krull has made some good catches, while Trautman has some good blocks, but they both look like they should be the third man on the depth chart.

Watching this tight-end room should ensure the Broncos add a legit player at the position this offseason. 

Offensive Tackles

• Garett Bolles | Grade: 71.5
• Mike McGlinchey | Grade: 61.4

While both of these tackles have had some penalties, they have been one of the better duos in the NFL this season. Bolles should be getting an extension from the Broncos, and while McGlinchey has had issues in pass protection, he's been doing a great job with his run blocking. 

Interior O-Line

• Quinn Meinerz | Grade: 76.9
• Ben Powers | Grade: 59.6
• Luke Wattenberg | Grade: 51.3

The Broncos' interior offensive line has been good, though inconsistent. There haven’t been many issues with Meinerz, who has again been one of the best guards in the NFL, but Powers has been erratic, while Wattenberg has struggled.

Powers has done well as a run blocker but has had some issues with pass protection. Wattenberg, who hasn’t had to face a lot of one-on-ones in pass protection, has done alright there while struggling in the running game.

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Defensive Line

• John Franklin-Myers | Grade: 73.8
• Zach Allen | Grade: 67.2
• Malcolm Roach | Grade: 61.5 
• D.J. Jones | Grade: 60.7

While Allen started the season on fire, teams have adjusted to slow him down, which is fine as Franklin-Myers has stepped up and played phenomenal football. Jones and Roach make some plays each game, but their impact has dropped over recent weeks outside a small handful of plays. 

Outside Linebackers

• Nik Bonitto | Grade: 74.7
• Jonathon Cooper | Grade: 65.5
• Jonah Elliss | Grade: 46.5

There may not be a pass rusher in the NFL who has been as consistently on point as Bonitto this season. He makes big plays as a pass rusher each week and added a pick-six on Monday Night Football.

Bonitto has some issues as a run defender, but the Broncos do an excellent job covering those up. Cooper has been reliable as a pass rusher without Bonitto's sacks and highly reliable as a run defender. Over the past few weeks, Elliss has hit a rough spot in all phases. 

Linebackers

• Justin Strnad | Grade: 66.7
• Cody Barton | Grade: 58.9

There have been issues with Barton's consistency due to his not being overly athletic and getting caught out of position, but he has made many big plays to make up for those issues. Strnad has been more reliable and consistent, though he doesn’t have the big plays Barton does. 

Cornerbacks

• Patrick Surtain II | Grade: 73.9
• Riley Moss | Grade: 62.7
• Ja’Quan McMillian | Grade: 56.2 
• Levi Wallace | Grade: 42.9

Surtain has been outstanding all season, and Moss has been reliable. The Broncos missed Moss in Week 13 and need him back in the lineup as soon as possible. McMillian has been hit-or-miss, with many misses over the past five games.

However, he is coming out of a great game against the Cleveland Browns. As for Wallace, he did well until the Browns game, where he was smoked almost every snap and got lucky with a couple of missed connections. 

Safeties

• Brandon Jones | Grade: 60.1
• P.J. Locke | Grade: 57.6
• Devon Key | Grade: 54.1

Outside of the Baltimore Ravens game, Key has been mostly reliable as a safety, though not great. Locke has had a few plays where he has been caught out of position, especially against the run, which was a tremendous strength for him earlier this season.

It could be because of some of the other players in the secondary being in and out of the lineup. Jones continues to be a great addition in the secondary to help replace Justin Simmons. 

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