Denver Broncos Position-by-Position Bye Week Report Card

What grades have the Broncos received for their respective performances with nine games under their belt?

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Broncos are enjoying a little time off. It's Week 10 in the NFL and the Broncos are taking their well-earned bye. 

Each team gets one week off during the regular season and it represents a great opportunity to analyze the team when the bye comes somewhere close to mid-season. With nine games under their belt, the Broncos sit at 3-6 and we have a large enough sample size to render a plausible grade. 

Join me as I go position-by-position to reveal the Broncos' report card at the bye. 

Quarterback: D

The only thing saving this from being an F grade was the encouraging performance of Brandon Allen in Week 9. Otherwise, the body of work Joe Flacco put together in the first eight games of the season would have netted the worst possible grade from yours truly. 

Flacco led the Broncos to a 2-6 start and while I have to offer up the obligatory disclaimer to head off the Flacco apologists in the comments (no, it wasn't all his fault), the truth is the 12th-year veteran was highly complicit in the team's struggles. 

Flacco started eight full games before a neck injury landed him on IR. He finished this season with the highest completion percentage of his career (65.3) but it was due to how little he was pushing the ball and how much he was simply checking it down. 

Flacco was one of the least-assertive passers in the NFL through the first eight weeks and the metrics back that up. He didn't receive the greatest of support from his O-line and offensive coordinator but neither were as bad as fans think. The truth is, the good quarterbacks in the NFL are supposed to make up for less-than-ideal performances in both of those areas. 

Looking forward, though, the Broncos will roll with Allen for at least the next two games coming out of the bye, both of which will be on the road. He earned a 125.6 QB rating in Week 9, which was the third-highest figure in team history for a player making his first start, while going 12-of-20 for 193 yards and two touchdowns. 

Allen was solid if unspectacular. His mobility and energy had a palpable effect on the Broncos offense. Such sparks are common when a QB change is made. The question is, is it fool's gold? Or can Allen sustain it? Only time will tell. 

Running Backs: B+

The Broncos' running backs have been more than solid through the first nine weeks. Phillip Lindsay has totaled 584 rushing yards and five touchdowns (4.9 avg), while Royce Freeman has chipped in 374 yards on the ground (4.0 avg) and two scores. 

Where this duo has really taken a step forward in year two, though, is in the receiving department. Lindsay has 25 receptions already, which is only 10 shy of the total he had in his Pro Bowl rookie year where he appeared in 15 games. Meanwhile, Freeman has caught 27 passes, which has been quite eye-opening. 

Combined, the RB duo has chipped in 341 receiving yards thus far but much of that was due to the previous QB's penchant for the check-down, as well as OC Rich Scangarello's mandate to get Lindsay and Freeman involved in the passing game. 

Neither player has taken a quantum leap forward as a ball-carrier but Lindsay is on pace to eclipse (barely) his rushing totals from his rookie year, while Freeman will obliterate his. It takes time for a new starting five upfront to build chemistry and play a cohesive brand of football, and that's only compounded when both a new OC and O-line Coach is also factored in, and perhaps the running backs have paid the price for it. 

But Lindsay and Freeman have proven to be every bit the play-makers they were as rookies and have really shouldered the load for this offense through nine games. Factored into the grade also is the performance of fullback Andy Janovich, who's mostly been his reliable self as a lead-blocker and occasional receiver out of the backfield. 

Offensive Line: C+

We can go through the individual starters but if you're looking for someone to trash the Broncos' O-line, that's not how I see it. LT Garett Bolles has been a walking liability and detriment to the overall efficiency of the unit, and RG Ronald Leary's streak of penalties in the first quarter of the season were drive-killers, but considering the hand these boys have been dealt, I'm not sure we could have expected them to be much better than they have been. 

Losing RT Ja'Wuan James has harmed the Broncos' pass protection but Elijah Wilkinson has somewhat made up for that with his run-blocking. Center Connor McGovern has been average but outside of one bad snap, the snapping issues everyone worried over during training camp have been a non-issue. 

Meanwhile, LG Dalton Risner has been a revelation. The rookie second-rounder has already established himself as a leader in the trenches and has been phenomenal as a run blocker. He still has work to do as a pass protector but man, for a rookie, the Broncos couldn't have asked for more than Risner's given them. 

It isn't easy blocking for an old, immobile and unathletic pocket statue, and especially one who was loathe to push the ball downfield and whose awareness was oblivious at times. And there were certainly instances where the Broncos' O-line relinquished undue pressure on Flacco but I did not envy the starting five their lot in having to keep him upright. 

Football Outsiders currently has the Broncos O-line ranked No. 6 in run blocking and No. 29 in pass protection, both of which I think are fair. Right now, the report card features a C+ but I could see that grade climbing by season's end with even marginally better QB play. 

Tight Ends: C+

This grade would be worse were it not for Noah Fant. The veteran Jeff Heuerman has had next-to-zero impact in the passing game and has been just okay as an in-line blocker. 

Meanwhile, we've hardly seen Troy Fumagalli but when we have, he's been less-than-impressive.  The rookie Denver picked up off waivers, Andrew Beck, has been surprisingly effective as an in-line blocker. 

But this position is all about Fant. And he's coming off a record-setting Week 9 performance in which he hauled in three receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown. His 75-yard catch-and-run score was the longest scoring reception for a rookie tight end in NFL history. 

Fant's 23 receptions are already the most for a rookie tight end in team history. You can see his confidence rising with each passing game and it's possible last week's break-out performance opened the floodgates. 

This is another unit that I can see improving down the stretch with improved QB play. Something tells me the second half of Fant's season is going to be fun to watch. 

Wide Receivers: B-

Emmanuel Sanders was very good for this offense before he was traded ahead of Week 8. Courtland Sutton in year two has been a revelation, establishing himself as one of the NFL's true No. 1 wideouts, even with sub-par QB play. 

Aside from those two players, this unit has been a colossal bust for the Broncos. We haven't seen DaeSean Hamilton show any kind of initiative or development in year two, outside of the occasional block at the point of attack. 

Tim Patrick got hurt in Week 1 and hasn't played since and while Diontae Spencer is an electric player, his most impactful play has been a lost fumble. Sutton and Sanders save this grade from being a couple of tiers lower. But Sutton, especially, has been so good that it's elevated the grade to where you see it. 

How much of the lack of impact from anyone not-named Sutton or Sanders had to do with QB play? It definitely had an effect but in Week 9, not one receiver besides Sutton caught a pass from Allen. There are implications in that fact. 

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Defensive Line: B-

This unit's grade was cruising for the basement in the first quarter of the season. With Shelby Harris playing out of position at nose tackle, it trickled down to the entire D-line with the unit playing poorly across the board. 

That changed in Week 5, though, when Vic Fangio made the fateful decision to bench Adam Gotsis, move Harris out to defensive end and plug Mike Purcell in at NT. Since then, this unit has been formidable and force to be reckoned with.

Derek Wolfe is having arguably the best year of his career, rivaling what he achieved in 2015. He leads the team with five sacks. And DeMarcus Walker has emerged as a bonafide play-maker. The D-line's grade would be higher were they not so atrocious in the first four games. 

Outside Linebackers: C-

Von Miller has been a disappointment this year. There's no getting around it. Through four games, he's got just four sacks. Being the No. 25-ranked edge defender according to Pro Football Focus stings, but it's fairly indicative of Miller's performance thus far. 

Losing Bradley Chubb to a torn ACL in Week 4 only adds insult to the issue. Malik Reed has been valiant but as an undrafted rookie, he's still got a ways to go and the same holds true for rookie fifth-rounder Justin Hollins. 

The biggest issue holding back the Broncos defense is the pass rush. Even Coach Fangio said earlier this week that he'd like to see a more consistent pass rush moving forward. 

This unit has been below average thus far, hence the grade. 

Inside Linebackers: B

This unit started off on shaky ground as well, mostly due to the injury bug and curious coaching decisions. Todd Davis missed the first few games and when he finally made the lineup, the Broncos stopped the run well, and then Josey Jewell got hurt. 

Enter Alexander Johnson.

Johnson was finally tapped to start in Week 5 and since then, he has produced arguably the best off-ball linebacker play the Broncos have had at least since 2015 but maybe even longer. His 41 combined tackles are the most for any Broncos linebacker in his first five career starts. 

Johnson was named PFF's Defensive Player of the Month and even Al Wilson has gotten into the bold prediction game, tapping Johnson as a future All-Pro/Pro Bowl linebacker. Davis has worked well with Johnson at his side, but make no mistake; Johnson is a star and has elevated this unit. 

Cornerbacks: B-

I have to applaud Coach Fangio for leading this Broncos passing defense to a No. 4 ranking, despite missing his No. 2 and No. 3 cornerbacks for most of the season. Chris Harris, Jr. has had to do most of the heavy lifting in coverage with Bryce Callahan still yet to make his Broncos debut and De'Vante Bausby on injured reserve. 

Isaac Yiadom didn't take the leap forward in year two the team expected, but thankfully, newcomers Davontae Harris and Duke Dawson have made up for it. Harris, in particular, has been very good in coverage, though his tackling and run support have been lacking. 

Chalk it up primarily to the Xs and Os covering for the dearth in talent but the two Harrises and Dawson deserve a ton of credit for this unit relinquishing just 202.1 passing yards per game. 

Safeties: A+

I'm not sure Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson could be any better than they have been through nine games. Both players have been high-impact and have really helped to cover some of the previously mentioned holes in coverage and tackling. 

Simmons and Jackson made PFF's mid-season All-Pro team. Jackson was just signed this past spring and will be in Denver for another couple of seasons but Simmons is in a contract year. The Broncos need to take action on getting him extended before he becomes any more expensive. 

Special Teams: C

Not the worst but far from the best, the Broncos special teams is simply average. Brandon McManus has been solid but since 2015, he's been a middle-of-the-road kicker and one the team has to worry about hitting his kicks when the chips are down. 

Punter Colby Wadman has been average but definitely better than the fans give him credit for. Meanwhile, the Broncos kick and punt coverage units are currently ranked last in the NFL in both categories. Tom McMahon has to step his game up. 

Getting Diontae Spencer to stop fielding punts inside the 10-yard line consistently will help the offense with field position. But Spencer has brought an electric threat to the Broncos' punt return, which the team has lacked for many years. 

Coaching: C

Vic Fangio's defense has provided mixed returns. On one hand, the passing defense has been stellar, but on the other, Fangio has presided over the disappearing act of a future Hall-of-Famer in Von Miller. 

The Broncos went nearly four games without a sack or a takeaway, which only illustrates how uneven Fangio's defensive coaching has been thus far. But from a developmental perspective, Fangio and his staff should be applauded for the work they've done to get production out of players like DeMarcus Walker, Alexander Johnson, Davontae Harris, Duke Dawson and Malik Reed. 

Offensively, it's been obvious that Rich Scangarello is in his first year as a play-caller in the NFL. There have been a few shining moments but his design and play-calling were a part of the canvas upon which the 'World of Suck' was painted. 

The good news is, Scangarello showed signs that he's learning from his failures and successes in Week 9 with a more mobile quarterback calling his signals. We'll see how well Scangarello and Brandon Allen manage the two weeks on the road coming out of the bye but no question, the coordinator's first year has been a trial-by-fire. 

Did I mention that Tom McMahon needs to step it up? I think I did. 

The bottom line is, Fangio and company have coached at a 3-6 level. You can argue that Denver could just as easily be 6-3 but they're not. In those critical moments, the Broncos folded and that falls on the coaches when you boil it down. 

What this team really needs is a talented and more-than-competent quarterback. Allen reminds me of a more athletic version Trevor Siemian. We know where that path leads. This team needs to answer its most pressing question — whither the elusive franchise quarterback? 

 Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.