Broncos stock report: 5 up, 5 down following preseason Game 1

Which what is the arrow pointing for the Broncos coming out of the preseason opener?

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Football is back! And the Denver Broncos are 1-0! Okay, okay, I get it, it’s just preseason, but still — it’s great to see the boys back on the field!

The Hall of Fame Game had many highs and lows, in both team execution and also in individual performances. You can’t determine the fate of a team or player from one preseason game where the majority of the starters didn’t even put on their pads, but this at least gives us a slight direction as to the direction of the team. Let’s take a look at some of the positives and negatives from the Broncos first game action of the year.

Safeties: Up

Broncos' S Trey Marshall breaks up a Falcons pass.  :: Aaron Doster/USA TODAY Sports

Early in the offseason, it felt like Denver might have been a little thin at the safety position. The team had let longtime safety Darian Stewart walk, weren’t getting the production they had hoped to see from Su’a Cravens after exchanging a handful of mid-round picks for him, and prior to OTAs — many thought Kareem Jackson would play cornerback.

Well, we didn’t get a chance to see Kareem Jackson (or the other incumbent starter Justin Simmons) — but boy did the backup safeties look fantastic. Will Parks saw extremely limited time in the game, logging one tackle.

Early in the game, Cravens made a great play to diagnose a run at the line of scrimmage and quickly blew up the play, tackling the running back in the backfield for a loss. This is the exact type of play Denver expected to see out of Cravens when they traded for him. 

It’s an encouraging sign to see Fangio playing him to his strengths near the line of scrimmage, instead of playing off in deep coverage — something he has struggled with.

Dymonte Thomas led the team in tackles for the night, logging seven in total. Trey Marshall also had a great night, as he seemed to be involved in a number of plays throughout the game. He finished with three tackles and a pass deflection. The safety group rounded out with Jamal Carter and Shamarko Thomas, who also looked solid with their playing time.

This safety position battle is going to be very interesting as the preseason progresses. It’s reassuring to know the team has some solid depth at this position and could force them to carry an extra safety compared to years past — especially when you consider Kareem Jackson can also play CB in dime packages.

Defensive Line: Up

The Broncos' starting defensive line played in very limited action in this game, but looked fantastic. Shelby Harris was getting some great push up the middle, and Adam Gotsis made a fantastic play early in the game — batting down a pass at the line of scrimmage. We did not get a chance to see Derek Wolfe.

Two names that really stood out on the defensive line all night — the rookie Dre’Mont Jones and third-year DeMarcus Walker.

Jones is going to be a player. He was consistently beating his man and getting pressure into the pocket, finishing with a team-high three QB hits and a tackle for loss. I know we have to temper expectations as this was just one preseason game, but Jones appears to have the tools to make life difficult on NFL offensive linemen. It’s going to be exciting to see him progress throughout this preseason.

Would have thought Walker would play better when put into the right position? Remember when Walker was playing outside linebacker? He’s now back on the defensive line, which is obviously where he needs to stay. Walker was disruptive most of the game, finishing with two QB hits and a sack.

It’s encouraging to see this type of play from the backups — as they will not only contribute this season, but potentially provide valuable insurance next offseason when all three starters are unrestricted free agents.

Malik Reed, OLB: Up

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Go ahead and give this man a roster spot! There is a reason the Broncos ponied up a lot of dough to sign Malik Reed as an undrafted rookie and it showed last night. He had a fantastic training camp and it appears that play is transitioning out of the practice field. It felt like Reed was around the ball in just about every play he was in the game for.

It’s going to be interesting seeing how the team positions him on the depth chart. This team lost their two primary backup edge rushers this offseason in Shaq Barrett and Shane Ray. 

The Broncos still have a handful of quality players to backup Von Miller and Bradley Chubb, Dekoda Watson, Jeff Holland, and Justin Hollins (hybrid) — but it’s going to be hard to pass on Reed if he keeps playing like he did last night. It’s nice knowing the Broncos have some solid backup options to spell Von and Chubb when they need to. 

Reed finished the game with four tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, and one QB hit.

Colby Wadman, P: Up

I know, I know — a punter, right? I get it, but Colby Wadman had a great game on Thursday night. As with most early preseason games, the offenses on both sides struggled to find a rhythm and move the chains. 

This led to a lot of action for Wadman. He finished the night with nine total punts, averaging 46.3 yards per. He pinned Atlanta inside the 20-yard line twice and had a long of 56.

Punters often get overlooked when evaluating a roster, but when you have a coach that believes in “death by inches” every extra bit of punting distance helps. Wadman not only finished the game with great punting averages, but also had great hang time on his boots. 

It looks like he’s come a long way from his first start with the team, where he had many fans wondering why they chose him over Marquette King (remember that guy?).

Khalfani Muhammad, RB: Up

Broncos RB Khalfani Muhammad celebrates his first-quarter TD vs. Atlanta :: Aaron Doster/USA TODAY Sports

Where did this guy come from? In a game where Phillip Lindsay, Royce Freeman, and Devontae Booker didn’t suit up — the former 2017 seventh-round pick Khalfani Muhammad stole the show. Muhammad got the bulk of the carries in the first half, finishing with seven attempts for 50 rushing yards and a touchdown, good for 7.1 yards per carry. He topped this off with a team-leading four catches for 24 yards on five targets.

If you noticed, Muhammad is not a very big back — standing at 5-foot-7and weighing in at 174 pounds. It will be interesting to see what the team does with him as the preseason progresses.

The Broncos' RB group is already pretty full with the aforementioned incumbents on the roster and just got even more crowded with the signing of Theo Riddick.

Unfortunately for Khalfani, he’s likely on the outside looking in for a roster spot on this team. Lindsay, Freeman, and Riddick are sure locks to make the team. 

I also don’t see him beating out Booker, if the team chooses to keep him. Time will tell but he seems destined for the practice squad, a trade, or just being outright waived when the roster trims down to 53.

Offensive Line Depth: Down

Going into the game, one of the top things many fans were looking at was how well the offensive line would perform. In this game, the right side starters sat out (Ronald Leary & Ja’Wuan James). The left side starters (Garett Bolles, Dalton Risner, and Connor McGovern) looked great in their short action to start the game. One thing that was very encouraging is seeing how well Bolles and Risner played together.

There was one play in particular that stood out — where both of them started off blocking the same defensive lineman, but then Bolles broke off to engage an edge rusher coming from the outside. Risner held his stance on the linemen and the two ended up picking up the pass rush perfectly. This is encouraging, as many times in the last two years Bolles would struggle with knowing who to pick up and when to switch assignments.

Connor McGovern looked solid overall, however, he did have one shotgun snap that was a little off target... continuing those concerns.

Once those three starters came off the field though, it was not pretty. The backups were consistently beaten off the line and pushed into the pocket, making life difficult for Drew Lock and Brett Rypien. It’s obviously still early, and you assume Mike Munchak will improve the play of the backups, but at this moment in time health on the offensive line is going to be paramount to this team’s success.

Devontae Jackson/David Williams, RB: Down

On a night where starting RB Khalfani Muhammad stood out, there was not much to be excited about elsewhere in the backfield. It’s already going to be an uphill battle at RB for any of these guys with the talent already on the roster but Devontae Jackson and David Williams certainly didn’t help their cases at all.

Jackson finished the game with a team-high 12 carries for just 26 yards, good for 2.2 yards per tote. Williams carried the ball five times for nine yards, good for just 1.8 yards per carry. 

Not exactly the type of production you want to see for guys vying for a practice squad spot. The offensive line certainly did not give them a lot of help, but at the same time, they were also running up against defenders buried on Atlanta’s depth chart. These guys will have chances to turn it around in the next four weeks, but this was not the best start for either of them.

Ball Security/Drops: Down

Is Isaiah McKenzie still haunting this team? At certain points in the game, I felt myself holding my breath awaiting a Broncos' punt return. Denver rotated in a few different guys on punt returns — Brendan Langley, Kelvin McKnight, and Nick Williams.

Langley did not have the type of performance you’d want, turning the ball over on one of his punt returns. Not exactly what you’d want to see from a guy fighting for a roster spot in a new position. In addition to his fumble, Steven Dunbar, Jr. also put the ball on the ground after catching a short pass over the middle from Drew Lock.

In addition to the fumbles, drops seemed to plague the team throughout the night. First-round TE Noah Fant had a drop on his first drive with Kevin Hogan on what would have been a first down catch on third down. 

Juwann Winfree had a similar situation on a later pass from Kevin Hogan that would have also resulted in a first down. It’s early and both of these guys are rookies, so it’s not a huge concern at this point, but something to keep an eye on.

Penalties: Down

The Broncos were the second-worst team in the NFL last year in the penalty committing department. This is an area many fans expect to improve this season with Vic Fangio at the helm. 

That wasn’t necessarily the case last night as Denver committed eight penalties for minus 90 total yards. The large majority of that came from a long ball defensive pass interference call that Fangio (a man of his word) ended up challenging.

The issue with the penalties is a lot of the ones on offense ended up killing a drive or negating a long gain. You expect to see a lot of penalties in the early part of the preseason, though. For what it’s worth, the Falcons committed 12 penalties for minus 98 total yards.

Drew Lock, QB: Down

Drew Lock attempts a pass in the Broncos' preseason opener vs. Atlanta.  :: Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

I’ll preface this by saying that Drew Lock did not get a ton of help last night from both his offensive line and his receivers. However, many expected much more from him in his NFL debut, especially considering he was going up against second and third-string defenders. 

Lock’s first drive started with a hand-off, an overthrow to Fant on a deep pass, and a near interception — not the best way to start. Many hoped he would rebound on the next drive, but he didn’t get the help he needed from his receivers. Key drops on third downs prevented him from being able to establish a rhythm on a couple of his drives.

In addition to the drops, the backup offensive line did not make matters any better. One drive in particular ended in back-to-back sacks on Lock. The first was probably more Lock’s fault than the line, though. 

He was facing a heavy front that brought six pass rushers. Lock didn’t see his first option open and decided to tuck the ball and run. He had nowhere to go and was quickly sacked by the Falcon’s defense. 

It’s going to take some time for him to understand he can’t always play himself out of bad situations like that at the NFL level. On the next play, offensive tackle Chaz Green got absolutely blown up and Lock was sacked before he could even finish his drop back.

The other thing that had me concerned with Lock after reviewing some of the tape was how he went through his progressions. Obviously, we aren’t expecting him to be Peyton Manning out there going through three or four reads on a progression, but it felt many times he was forcing passes instead of just taking what the defense gave him. 

A handful of his incomplete passes 10-plus yards downfield on early downs had guys wide open on the short and intermediate routes for easy five-yard pickups. You can tell he has the “home run mentality” from his days at Mizzou. Time and coaching will fix that.

Overall, I think expectations of Lock were just very high going into this game. I don’t think this game changes much of what we already knew, though. 

When the Broncos called Lock’s name on the day two of the draft, they knew how raw he was in some of the areas needed at the NFL level and it’s just going to take time, and more importantly, patience, for him to develop those skills.

Bottom line

We as fans have to do our best to not overreact from what we saw last night. Sure, there were certain players that stood out and played fantastic. On the other end, there were some players you’d expect more from. 

But at the end of the day, this is just one sample of many that the coaches will evaluate as they assemble this final team. The coming weeks will give a much better picture of how this roster will begin to shape ahead of the regular season. 

It was an encouraging game to say the least though, as it appears the team is trending in a much more positive direction than they were at the same point in recent seasons.

Follow Trevor on Twitter @TrevorJudge.