DENVER, Colo. — The Broncos are back in action
The Broncos beat the Dallas Cowboys 17-7 Saturday night in their preseason opener at Empower Field. We went back through and graded each player individually for their performance.
Here’s how everybody graded out…
Offense
Josh Johnson – A
The 36-year-old journeyman was sharp on Saturday. He hit guys underneath to move the sticks on third downs. He connected on long balls. It’s tough to find much to complain about, other than one or two deep shots that could have been placed a little better. But when you hit on as many deep balls as he did, it’s easy to let a couple of misses slide. Johnson completed 16 of his 23 pass attempts for 172 yards and two touchdowns. He played the entire first half.
Brett Rypien – C+
The fourth-year quarterback struggled on Saturday. A couple of balls were dropped that could have been caught, but most of the misses are on the quarterback. Two deep shots in particular could have changed the narrative. He also made a couple of long plays, though. It’s not all bad. Rypien completed 8 of his 18 pass attempts for 113 yards.
Mike Boone – C+
The Broncos’ third back wasn’t given a chance on either of his first two carries, which combined for -4 yards. Maybe Saquon or Zeke or Derrick Henry could’ve turned that into -2 yards but that was probably the ceiling for just about anybody. Boone’s third and final carry went for a well-earned three yards. The low-point of Boone’s short outing was a drop in the flat on 3rd & 2.
Max Borghi – C
The local product was a little too quick to bounce a run outside instead of taking the space in front of him. Like Boone, he wasn’t given much to work with. He finished with four carries for 10 yards.
Albert Okwuegbunam – D+
The Broncos’ line created a small crease on a first-down run but Okwuegbunam’s man was able to beat the tight end quick enough to crash in from the edge and make the play. Late in the first quarter, Okwuegbunam was supposed to block the backside defensive end while the quarterback sprinted out to the right. The tight end barely got a hand on the defender and he was able to chase down the quarterback for a hit and force a turnover on downs. Okquegbunam didn’t catch a ball in 17 snaps.
Eric Saubert – D+
The veteran tight end didn’t catch a ball and he missed at least two blocks while run blocking.
Seth Williams – A
The play of the second-year receiver’s day was a jump ball in the end zone from Josh Johnson. He also caught a deep crosser while sliding to the ground. Late in the first half, Williams took a hit as he caught a pass but held onto the ball, setting up a last-second field goal attempt. He finished with four catches for 29 yards and a touchdown on four targets.
Brandon Johnson – B+
The wide receiver got a hand on an early deep ball but couldn’t bring it in. A slant went threw his hands, too. Those plays would’ve carried his grade to an A+. Johnson made a great juggling catch down the sideline to set up the first score of the game. He had back-to-back catches late in the first half, helping set up the last-second field goal. He finished with four catches for 64 yards on six targets.
Kendall Hinton – A-
Hinton made the best play of the game, a leaping catch in the corner of the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown. Earlier in the game, he fought for a ball on the boundary and lost but a penalty negated the interception. Another ball was a half-step behind him but he couldn’t bring it in. He finished with three catches for 53 yards and a touchdown on four targets.
Jalen Virgil – A
The first big play from the rookie receiver was on a deep ball up the sideline for 40 yards from the Broncos’ 1-yard line. The second big play was a 30-yard grab on a late third down. He also moved the sticks on a third-down slant. He finished with three catches for 83 yards on five targets.
Graham Glasgow – A
The veteran played a clean game. He just about led Max Borghi into the end zone from six yards out by blowing a defensive lineman backward. The best running lanes came from Glasgow all night.
Luke Wattenberg – D+
The rookie center struggled to hold his ground when battling defensive linemen, including on an early draw play that he allowed the defensive tackle to stuff. A massive whiff on a run block was negated by a Cowboy penalty. He double-teamed one defender instead of blocking another who was untouched. It was a tough first night for the rookie.
Cam Fleming – D+
The late addition made a mental mistake and didn’t block an edge defender who smoked Montrell Washington on a jet sweep. He missed a couple of other blocks as well.
Quinn Bailey – C-
The second-year lineman started at guard on Saturday and was beaten on the first play of the game, letting his man stop the run for a four-yard loss.
Defense
Matt Henningsen – A-
The rookie almost had a sack in the fourth quarter but the quarterback was able to duck him and keep the play alive. He helped Jonathan Kongbo sack the quarterback on the next play but wasn’t given credit on the stat sheet. His strength at the point of attack was on full display, though he could have separated better. A few more tackles were out there.
Jonathan Harris – C-
Harris struggled to hold his ground on some late running plays, opening up holes in the middle of the field. He missed a tackle, too.
McTelvin Agim – B
The third-year defensive lineman batted away a pass in the pocket on third-down. He also separated from his blocker to make a nice tackle a couple of yards downfield. He was pushed around a little bit in the trenches, though.
Eyioma Uwazurike – B-
The rookie was in position to stuff an early run but was held and no flag was thrown. On the next play he flowed with the runner and stopped him for a short gain. He wasn’t able to get off blocks but his strength was noticeable. He found his way into the backfield on a fourth-quarter stunt around the edge but wasn’t able to pull the quarterback down.
Baron Browning – A
Baron Browning burst around the edge of the defense and took out a running back on the first play of the game, setting the tone for a dominant night. He used an inside move on a third-down pass rush and swatted the ball away right as it came out of the quarterback’s hand. His low point was when he was responsible for a flat zone in coverage but flowed with the run action, leaving the bootleg pass wide open.
Nik Bonitto – B-
The most impressive play from Bonitto was when the running back pushed his edge of the defense and Bonitto drove the tackle three yards into the backfield before tackling the runner and the blocker. The bad news was that it was a play action and the quarterback was running a bootleg to the other side. Bonitto created pressure on a couple of occasions but never hit the quarterback. On one rush, Bonitto broke out a spin move which flushed the quarterback out the back of the pocket, teeing him up for a Baron Browning sack. He also snuck inside and helped Alex Singleton stuff a run on a different play.
Jonathan Kongbo – A-
The second-year outside linebacker came through with a big sack on a fourth down late in the fourth quarter. He also drew a holding call to negate a converted third down. He provided pressure on other occasions.
Alex Singleton – A-
The veteran linebacker played like a starter against backups. He forced an incompletion with pressure up the middle on a blitz. A running back tried to block him but didn’t come close. Later on, he got into the backfield and should’ve had a third-down stuff but he was tackled from behind and no holding flag was thrown. His stopping power was evident, too. He was solid in coverage but a step late on at least one occasion. His four tackles tied for the third-most on the team.
Justin Strnad – B+
The third-year linebacker made a clean tackle on a tight end in open space on a screen. On another occasion, Strnad did well to chase down a a tight end in the flat and set up a third down. Strnad wasn’t quite as physical as Singleton as a blitzer. He finished with the second-most tackles for the Broncos.
Jonas Griffith – INC
The 25-year-old linebacker only played two snaps before leaving with a dislocated elbow that will keep him out four-to-six weeks. He was involved in both of those two plays. He read the inside zone run in both and pounded the Cowboys running back at or near the line of scrimmage. The tools were on display, but the sample size is too small to give a grade.
Michael Ojemudia – C-
The third-year cornerback started the night on a high note, by breaking up a pass on an out route. If he was just a little bit quicker he could’ve intercepted it. Then things took a turn for the worse. He was called for a 17-yard pass interference on a post route. A few plays later he was beaten on a dig for a double-digit gain.
Faion Hicks – C-
The rookie cornerback gave up a 40-yard catch in one-on-one coverage down the sideline. He bounced back with great coverage on a comeback route a few plays later, but a defensive penalty negated the play. He ate up a receiver on a jump ball late in the game, but gave up a touchdown a couple of plays later.
Damarri Mathis – B
The rookie gave up a catch to move the sticks while playing off coverage, but was not targeted often. He also made a solid tackle in the running game.
Caden Sterns – A-
The second-year safety wasn’t involved much in the passing game and only played a couple of series, but he was key to shutting down the run game in the early going. He had a couple of stuffs, including on a third-down draw play. His ability to stop runners in their tracks is notable for a safety his size in this era. His four tackles tied for the third-most on the team.
PJ Locke – A-
The only turnover of the game came on a great play from Locke. He saw the formation the Cowboys were in on fourth-and-short and jumped a route to the flat. He picked the pass off, though the Broncos would’ve gained two yards of field position if he’d knocked the ball away instead.
JR Reed – B+
The 26-year-old safety got the Broncos off the field with a pass breakup out of the slot on the first series of the game. He had a big hit in the flat to break up a pass late in the game. He made a solid, clean tackle in the flat. He could’ve crashed a little harder in the run game.
Special Teams
Montrell Washington – A
While the rookie receiver was quiet offensively, he was loud in the return game. His first punt return was an 18-yarder and his second went for 27. Only one Bronco has picked up more punt return yards in a preseason game: Isaiah McKenzie in 2018. (Sorry to bring that up.)
Sam Martin – B+
The 32-year-old is the incumbent in the punting competition and he showed why. His two kicks went for 52 yards and 49 yards.
Corliss Waitman – D+
The second-year punter’s first kick only traveled 34 yards and wound up at the Cowboys’ 21-yard line. It was ugly. The second kick only went for 41 yards but it pinned the Cowboys at the 10. It doesn’t make up for the stinker.
Brandon McManus – B
The Broncos’ kicker was two-for-two on extra points and drilled a 52-yarder at the end of the first half. We’re docking points because he missed the 57-yarder just beforehand, which was negated by a penalty.
