Denver Broncos Game Grades: Zach Wilson takes advantage of his big opportunity against the Arizona Cardinals

DENVER, Colo. — The Denver Broncos finished their preseason undefeated after taking down the Cardinals 38-12 on Sunday.

Here’s how the offense graded out…

Quarterbacks

Jarrett Stidham: B

One drive, one score. That’s a good day.

Stidham was 4-of-8 for 28 yards. He might have left a clean pocket, but I don’t really have much to complain about. He did his job.

Zach Wilson: B+

Wilson had a great day by most accounts.

He hit Nate Adkins leaking into the flat for an easy touchdown. He scrambled for 21 yards on 2nd & 20. He hit a tight window throw to Jalen Virgil on a slant. He hit another tight window throw to Troy Franklin on a deep dig 21 yards downfield as he was being hit.

Wilson completed 16 of his 25 pass attempts for 251 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t turn the ball over.

But he had a couple of dangerous plays.

He tried to shake an oncoming rusher in the backfield a couple of times but couldn’t get out of the rusher’s sights. He whipped a ball into tight coverage in the flat that could have been picked off.

He also tried a sidearm throw to Lucas Krull on a tight end screen. But he hit an oncoming defensive lineman in the gut. Luckily, the ball fell to the ground.

His deep touchdown to Brandon Johnson only worked because the safety overran the ball. A veteran would probably have stopped and picked it off.

Wilson got away with his mistakes, and that made his outing stellar.

Running Backs

Audric Estime: A-

Estime has been solid pushing defenders backward and falling forward in short-yardage situations. For the first time, he made a couple of defenders miss on Sunday.

Estime finished with five carries for 18 yards and a touchdown. He caught a 14-yard pass, too, which could bode well for his third-down potential in the future.

Tyler Badie: B+

The numbers are deceiving for Tyler Badie. His 10 carries for 32 yards are ugly. The blocking he got from his offensive line was even uglier. The best example is a toss that was blown up for a six-yard loss.

Badie’s vision was on point. He looked quick. He looked shifty. He looked like a really good back.

Blake Watson: C-

I thought there were a few examples of plays that were shortened because Watson didn’t go where he was supposed to. His vision is rough.

But the raw talent is obvious. His 0-yard run from the goal line hurts his stats, but he broke a pair of tackles just to get back to the line of scrimmage.

Watson finished with 38 yards on 11 carries.

Wide Receivers

Devaughn Vele: B-

Vele’s grade is a tough one because of the small sample size. He ran a great slant route to move the sticks on 4th and short. It was his only catch. He ran seven routes.

Vele also missed a crack block on a toss, which resulted in a six-yard loss. That’s why his grade isn’t in the A range.

Troy Franklin: B

The rookie got the largest workload of any receiver, playing 32 snaps. He caught a 21-yard deep dig late in the first half. He probably could’ve settled into the center of the gap in zone coverage to make the catch a little easier, but he still caught the ball so we won’t dock points. Franklin also took an end around for nine yards.

Franklin made a surprisingly good block playing from an H-back-type role near the goal line. I’m not ready to call him a great blocker, but it’s certainly a positive sign.

Jalen Virgil: B

Virgil ran 14 routes but only came away with one catch. It was a slant in a tight window that picked up 13 yards. He nearly reeled in a touchdown pass on a double move from 22 yards out, but the ball glanced off his hands. He drew a pass interference penalty on the play, though.

Virgil also had a great block in the trenches on Audric Estime’s touchdown run.

David Sills: B+

Sills made a pair of catches on a second-quarter drive. One was a 24-yarder on a deep dig. The next was a shallow cross off of play action that picked up 14 yards and moved the Broncos’ within four yards of the end zone.

Michael Bandy: B

Bandy ran a great whip route to pick up 17 yards. Then he caught a ball over the middle to move the chains on 3rd & 6. He wasn’t able to hold onto a high ball over a defender in the side of the end zone. Those plays aren’t really his game, but the missed opportunity hurts his grade.

Brandon Johnson: A+

Johnson caught a contested deep ball 46 yards downfield for a touchdown. He also caught a 37-yard hole shot that nearly got him into the end zone. Great day.

Tight Ends

Nate Adkins: A+

The blocking production was as good as usual. Adkins added a 19-yard catch while coming back to the ball on a scramble drill and a touchdown later in the same drive when he leaked out from a yard away.

Lucas Krull: C-

Krull received a heavy workload, but he didn’t provide anything as a receiver. His blocking was fine. He wound up on the ground a surprising number of times, even when he won the rep. That doesn’t hurt his grade, but I thought it was interesting.

Hunter Kampmoyer: B

Kampmoyer didn’t get too much work, but he ran a great return route and picked up 13 yards early in the third quarter.

Thomas Yassmin: D+

Once again, Yassmin looked raw. Even when he set up well, he didn’t sustain blocks as long as necessary. I think he’s a fun prospect, but there’s work to be done before he’s ready to contribute.

Offensive Linemen

Alex Palczewski: C+

Palczewski worked at tackle and guard on Sunday. He had his moments, like when he helped lead the way for a touchdown on a quarterback sneak. He also missed some blocks, like when he gave up the tackle on the first run of the game.

Sam Mustipher: A-

I thought Mustipher had a really, really solid day. Enough to make me wonder if he should make the team. One example came on a zone run on the first drive when he set up a block for one of his teammates and then worked upfield to clear the way for an eight-yard gain. He looked polished.

Will Sherman: D

Sherman gave up a stuff in the red zone on the first drive. He gave up a hit on Zach Wilson on the 21-yard completion to Troy Franklin. He was called for holding. He had a good kickout block to set up a nine-yard drive, but the results overall were rough.

Matt Peart: C+

Peart was fine. He gave up a hit at the start of the second quarter. He had a tough assignment on an iso run and didn’t get to his man at the second level.

Demontrey Jacobs: B+

Jacobs keeps getting better. He was clean. He looked good in space. He was moved in pass protection a couple of times but always stayed between his man and the quarterback. Jacobs had a strong case to make the team.

Alex Forsyth: C-

I thought Forsyth had his best game of the preseason. He had a nice moment getting to the second level while playing guard in the third quarter. He had a pancake in pass protection. Allowing a sack kills the grade, though.

Nick Gargiulo: C+

A couple of hiccups in pass protection hurt Gargiulo’s grade, but he had his moments. He had a good pull deep in the red zone on the first drive of the third quarter. He helped lead the way on the quarterback sneak touchdown, too.

Frank Crum: C-

Crum gave up a sack. The talent is obvious—he’s big, he’s strong, and when he connects he can blow defenders up—but there’s plenty of work to be done.