As the Denver Broncos beat the Green Bay Packers in a close affair on Saturday night, all the attention was on Jamaal Charles’ big return to the field.

We went back to the tape to see how Charles really looked in limited playing time with three targets in the passing game and four rushing attempts for an impressive 6.8 yards per clip.

All that plus some other notes from the matchup against Green Bay as the regular season quickly approaches.

Jamaal Charles hasn’t lost much

Jamaal Charles got his first taste of live action in 2017, and the early returns were quite encouraging.

Charles’ vision and balance stood out off the bat. Both are two qualities that don’t require the explosiveness that Charles had in his prime, but his lateral quickness did aid him in this. As he dissected and hit holes in a hurry, or bounced runs to the outside, Charles was efficient in gaining positive yardage on every run he had, an underrated strength in his game. His ability to freeze defenders and gain angles on runs is really special.

His lateral quickness also stood out. That, combined with his vision and patience, makes him still a very efficient runner. With his lateral quickness, he’s able to open up holes with subtle shakes, allowing him to keep defenders guessing and gain extra yardage, a skill that makes him lethal when hitting holes up the middle.

Charles always seems to be side stepping, juking or sliding to the hole. Once he hits the opening, he’ll lower his shoulder and gain extra yardage while taking on contact or pop out to the outside and try to do damage in the open field.

His ability in pass protection also stood out as he showed his veteran awareness on multiple occasions Saturday. Having a trustworthy blocker in the backfield as an alternative to C.J. Anderson is crucial and will add to Charles’ value for the Broncos.

Another asset to Charles’ game that was on display Saturday is his ability as a receiver out of the backfield, where he’s lethal breaking down linebackers in space. Jamaal also has nice hands and is a veteran who knows how to find openings in a ‘D’ to make plays. We only saw glimpses, but the ability to be a trustworthy receiver out the backfield is there and could prove crucial for the Denver attack.

With his ability as a receiver and his savviness in pass protection, the former Kansas City Chiefs great still looks very much like a valuable third-down back, something this team has been looking for.

The biggest question with Charles—aside from his longevity and ability to stay healthy—is going to be his pure speed and how much of it is still left? We saw brief spurts on a few routes he ran against the Packers but never really saw him get to the open field. Once he finds those creases to take off and go, we’ll see how many players he can still run away from. Regardless, he showed more than enough to make the team and be a contributor, but how close this version of Charles is to the phenom we saw in KC remains a bit of a question.

Shelby Harris is for real

While most eyes were focused on the Broncos’ new No. 28, he wasn’t the only one who impressed in the second to last game of the preseason. Which is why we also went back to analyze Shelby Harris’ breakout performance.

Harris has flashed in this preseason, showing good burst for a 290-pound defensive lineman and some intriguing ability as an interior penetrator. Against the Packers, Harris was forced onto the field in a hurry once Zach Kerr went down with a bruised knee.

Seeing more time, Harris played out of his mind, showing the type of asset he could truly be. As the Broncos are seeking more pass rush up the middle and added depth on the front three, Harris answered the call in a big way.

After going back to re-watch his performance, it wouldn’t be unfair to say that Harris looked better than Kerr has this preseason and seemed like a more able pass rusher than Adam Gotsis has thus far. He showed some real skills against the run as well, making him a potentially more intriguing option as a down-lineman than DeMarcus Walker. It’s just one game, but doing so while playing against first and second teamers in the all important third preseason contest was a big signal.

It’s hard to argue Harris wasn’t the games MVP with seven tackles, four for a loss, and three sacks, including a stop on a 4th-and-1 play by blowing past his direct blocker and quickly closing on the play.

Against the run, Harris looked active, playing as the left defensive end in the three-man formation, reading the run well. Lined up as a three-technique attacking the right guards outside shoulder, he gave the Packers backup RG,  Justin McCray, trouble the entire first half.

Harris showed strong hands, keeping lineman at bay and quickly disengaging when the run came his way. His awareness stands out, and he never gives up on plays, a really good combination to have. If he can’t win on his initial rush, he’ll follow the play and try to tip a pass or will run down runners on the back side showing nice pursuit.

His strong hands and extremely long arms really stand out as they’re his primary weapon as a pass rusher combined with his first-step. His long arms and relatively short 6-foot-2 frame make him a unique player to block as he can play with natural leverage without having to bend too much and is able to keep opposing blockers at bay with those arms.

He might not bull over many opposing linemen, but he has more than adequate functional power and is really hard to move off of his spot. He’s a patient and smart defender who shows a good nose for the ball. Maybe not a starter level talent but as a rotational member of the d-line, Harris possesses a very intriguing set of skills that fit what the Broncos need quite nicely. His closing speed and general athleticism aren’t anything special for the NFL’s high standards, but he still gets in opposing backfields in a hurry thanks to a pretty good initial get-off.

Offensive line shows progress despite criticism

The offensive line has received lots of criticism and rightfully so, as things still look shaky in pass protection and there have been far too many penalties. But there is one positive that really stood out when watching the film: the run blocking in 2017 looks improved, and this group might be better suited for this scheme than the 2016 O-line was for Gary Kubiak’s zone-block.

The big issues are the penalties, which should be cleaned up with center Matt Paradis back in the starting lineup and veteran Allen Barbre taking over at left guard. This should also help pass protection up the middle which hasn’t been consistent enough in the preseason.

The real issue in protecting the passer and with the penalties lies at the bookends where rookie left tackle Garett Bolles has shown his inexperience, and right tackle Menelik Watson hasn’t been all that much better. Neither is all that experienced and might need some added help once the season starts. In the preseason, it’s natural not to add an extra lineman or mess around too much with protections, but there are ways to help those two tackles schematically. Mike McCoy can be counted on to make those adjustments if necessary once the season really starts.

Maybe more concerning is what happens if Bolles or the historically injury prone Watson go down for any prolonged period. So far, the backup tackles have been liabilities and having to start either Donald Stephenson or Ty Sambrailo sooner rather than later could prove to be problematic for this offense.