Roster battles: Revealing the winners from Broncos' preseason Game 3

Which Broncos emerged victorious in their individual roster battles on Monday night?

After spending a couple of days in joint-practices with the San Francisco 49ers, the Denver Broncos took them on in a preseason game, losing 25-14 on Monday night. 

Going into the game, there were some roster battles I was monitoring. What were those battles and who ended up coming out on top? 

QBs Drew Lock vs. Kevin Hogan

The battle for the backup quarterback job continues and will continue until a winner is determined. Through the two games so far, Lock has shown growth game-to-game as well as in practice. 

The rookie has outplayed the veteran Hogan who, with a wonky throwing motion, struggles with ball placement among many other qualities you want in a quarterback.

Can Lock take more steps forward or will Hogan regain some ground? 

Winner: Kevin Hogan

There is no doubt that Drew Lock played has well enough to take over the No. 2 spot. Again, he's shown growth over each game and is just getting better. Meanwhile, Hogan is just getting worse each game. 

So how is Hogan the winner, you might ask? Well, it's because Lock sustained an injury that will cause him to miss some time. 

That sucks because based on play, Lock is the clear winner, but that injury puts Hogan as the Broncos' backup quarterback, at least temporarily. 

WRs Trinity Benson vs. Nick Williams

If Denver keeps six receivers, it is seeming like it will come down to these two. Williams seems to have an edge due to special teams usage, but Benson brings speed to the offense that they just don’t have. 

Benson should see some reps with special teams because he is talented with the ball in his hands. Will we finally see that from Benson, or will Williams continue to pull away?

Winner: Push

Both players flashed in the third game, but didn’t do enough to stand out. Benson has yet to get a shot as a returner, but did show his speed on a couple of deep routes, but wasn’t able to be connected to by the quarterback. 

Nick Williams showed he is still the underneath guy, but failed to show he can do more than that. The final roster cuts will come in 11 days and these two have just two games left to make an impact to stick around. 

RGs: Don Barclay vs. Ron Leary

I put out an article recently about time running out for Leary, which leads to this battle. If Barclay can step up enough, it could make Denver comfortable moving on from Leary. 

This all depends on whether Leary actually plays in this preseason. His availability has been the big issue with his Broncos tenure. For that to happen, Barclay will need to step things up with his game from what we have seen in previous weeks.

Winner: Don Barclay by default.

Barclay struggled in the Niners game. There was some good and bad, but he at least played. Availability is the best ability and Leary missed more action due to injury. 

DBs Horace Richardson vs. Trey Marshall

Denver has nine defensive backs that are set to make the roster, but it's likely they keep a 10th and that battle is between Richardson and Marshall. With Kareem Jackson's versatility, the Broncos can go either way — corner or safety for that last spot. 

Marshall has been up and down, but plays a position that is set to lose two of its top players after this season. Meanwhile, Richardson has been putting together a strong performance this preseason. 

Winner: Trey Marshall by default.

Like with the offensive guards, Marshall wins simply because Richardson didn’t play. Richardson was pushing for the roster, but has seen his progress halted due to injury. Marshall was bad out there on MNF, but did have a couple nice plays. He is pushing for the roster, but he took a step away with it after this game. 

RBs Devontae Booker vs. Khalfani Muhammad

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Muhammad has a strong Hall of Fame Game only to fade away. Booker is clearly ahead of the pack, but can Muhammad regain some ground with time running out?

Theo Riddick was brought in to replace Booker, but that fizzled quickly due to Riddick's injury.

Winner: Devontae Booker by default.

Muhammad ended up not playing in the game, which leads to Booker being the winner by default. He did look really good out there on the field and showing that the book isn’t closed on Booker just yet. 

LBs Jamal Carter vs. Alexander Johnson vs. Josh Watson

With injuries to Josey Jewell and Todd Davis, the Broncos have had ample opportunity to see the depth of the ILB position. Johnson and Watson have both made plays as they push for a roster spot, but the safety convert Carter could throw a wrinkle into it.

Can Carter hold up, or will Johnson or Watson continue to control the depth?

Winner: Alexander Johnson

It was not a good showing from the linebackers. Carter was not able to hold up and continued to be a liability in coverage, and Watson looked lost out there and gave minimal effort on multiple plays. 

What plays Watson did look good in were ones that had him attacking the edge. As for Johnson, he was slow and late to react on multiple runs and you could see his lack of speed and athleticism to hold up in coverage. Despite the issues, Johnson still looked the best out of this group out there for the Broncos. 

TEs Jake Butt vs. Bug Howard

With Austin Fort done for the year, Butt has a chance to make the roster again. However, Howard is still around and before he got hurt he was having a good camp. He will push for the fourth tight end spot, but can Butt make the plays to hold him off? 

Winner: Bug Howard by default.

Another battle where one player wins because the other didn't play in the game. Howard was decent out there, but made multiple mistakes. Still, he was able to stay on the field, while Butt was on the sideline as he is working back from injury sustained nearly a year ago. 

DL DeMarcus Walker vs. DeShawn Williams

Like the backup quarterback spot, the battle for possibly the sixth and last defensive line spot is raging on. Walker stood out in the HoFG but faded against the Seahawks, and while he did that, Williams played consistent solid football. 

He didn’t make plays like Walker, but did his job. Can he step it up, or will Walker make more plays to separate?

Winner: DeShawn Williams

Neither of these players put together a good showing. Mike Purcell looked better than both of them, and could make a late push for the roster. Between these two, however, Walker struggled and was pushed around in the running game. 

Williams was slightly more consistent and less pushed around, and neither had much of an impact on the passing game. 

OL Jake Rodgers vs. Chaz Green

Elijah Wilkinson is the backup tackle, but who is behind him? Rodgers had a good game against Seattle and really gained ground the other tackles. Meanwhile, Green has struggled in both games and looking like he doesn’t belong. 

Despite that, Green has stuck around, and still has a chance to make the Broncos' roster. Will he make the most of it?

Winner: Jake Rodgers.

This was a bad game for a lot of Broncos, and these two were part of it. Rodgers gave up some bad plays in pass protection, but they were few. Meanwhile, Green was a mess from start to finish and didn’t have as many redeeming plays as Rodgers did. Green is playing himself off the roster, while Rogers is pushing for a spot on the roster. 

OGs Sam Jones vs. John Leglue

Backup guard is a spot that is up in the air. Jones has struggled all preseason, but is highly-regarded as young player, while Leglue is an undrafted rookie who stood out against the Seahawks.

It is a must for Jones to step up his game, as he can’t stick around forever just because the staff believes in him. Will he step up or will Leglue continue to gain ground on him?

Winner: John Leglue.

Leglue was one of the few solid offensive linemen from the game on Monday night, but there were some plays he really showed that he is a rookie. Still, he put together a better performance than Jones, who has continued to struggle through each game this season. Jones has some believers behind closed doors at Dove Valley, but has not made the progress that was hoped.

Follow Erick on Twitter @ErickTrickel.