Broncos Veteran Grades in 21-20 Preseason Loss to Niners

Even though the Denver Broncos lost to the San Francisco 49ers, they showed much more as a team than in the first preseason game. Many of Denver's issues in preseason Game 1 were improved, though it was still far from a perfect performance.

The Broncos have one more preseason game to continue cleaning things up before the regular season starts. For Game 2 in San Fran, there was a minimum requirement of 10 snaps to qualify for my grading system.

Eight Broncos on offense and two on defense did not meet those requirements. As always, with my grading system, each player starts at 50, and depending on how they perform on a given play, their grade can rise or fall. The change depends on the individual's impact on the overall play.

So let's jump into the grades for the veterans from this tough 21-20 preseason loss.

Quarterbacks

Russell Wilson 65.3 | Jarrett Stidham 61.2 | Ben DiNucci 31.2

There was a lot to like about Wilson's game. He looked quicker when taking off with the ball but also quicker to come to that decision. However, issues with some of his reads and a few panicked movements under light pressure knocked his grade down from the low 70s.

Stidham was solid and much better than he was in Game 1, but Denver is still in a world of hurt if Wilson misses action during the regular season. As for DiNucci, he was a complete disaster on the field, and the offense did little because of him. He did get a passing touchdown, but it came off the legs of his running backs.

Running Backs

Javonte Williams 53.2 | Samaje Perine 71.1 | Tony Jones, Jr. 63.2

It was good to see Williams on the field, take some hits, and get back up. His recovery from such a severe injury in a short amount of time is nothing short of miraculous.

Somehow, Williams even looks quicker and more agile than before getting hurt. The big issue was a bad drop on a screen pass with so much space for Williams to work with.

Perine had a great game and took advantage of the offensive line opening some good lanes for him. He was quick to hit the hole and consistently finished driving forward.

Jones was better than he was in preseason Game 1, but he had 45 total rushing yards, 43 of which came on one run.

Wide Receivers

Courtland Sutton 47.3 | Jerry Jeudy 51.0 | Marquez Callaway 51.6 | Lil'Jordan Humphrey 47.3 | Kendall Hinton 13.7

Jeudy was the only receiver Wilson targeted in the game, and it was overthrown. Sutton got open a few times but struggled to get separation consistently and didn't have the best game when asked to block.

Callaway and Humphrey did alright overall, but the latter got hurt by putting the ball on the ground. Callaway only got targeted once but didn't catch it. They both did well when asked to block, though they still have work to do there.

As for Hinton, it was a terrible game. His grade doesn't factor in the penalties, and he still graded out the lowest in this game. His technique was awful as a blocker, which helped lead to the penalties, and he wasn't clean with his routes.

Tight Ends

Adam Trautman 58.6 | Greg Dulcich 61.2 | Albert Okwuegbunam 44.5 | Tommy Hudson 42.3

Trautman was solid overall as a blocker, but there were a couple of issues on the first drive. Dulcich showed what he could do as a receiver and had a couple of solid blocks, but he has no consistency as a blocker.

Okwuegbunam was alright, but he still seems to be fighting to make it elsewhere, more so than in Denver. As for Hudson, it was clear why he's at the bottom of the pecking order.

Offensive Tackles

Garett Bolles 68.2 | Cam Fleming 45.5 | Isaiah Prince 48.7

It was a massive turnaround for Bolles, who had multiple wins as a blocker with only a couple of losses. If Denver can get that performance from Bolles consistently, you can live with it for the season, but consistency has always been his issue.

Fleming and Prince were not complete disasters, but there is a clear gap between them and the other tackles, and both got shown up by the rookie Alex Palczewski and the versatile Quinn Bailey.

Offensive Guards

Ben Powers 41.2 | Quinn Meinerz 64.2 | Quinn Bailey 72.2 | Will Sherman 59.7

Powers has been awful in pass protection, despite being tied for the best pass-blocking efficiency in true pass-block snaps last season. Through two games, he has allowed four pressures with one sack. The Broncos need better from him, but at least he's doing exceptionally well as a run blocker, which has kept his grade up somewhat.

Meinerz had a rough go in Game 1, but he did significantly better against the Niners. Sometimes his awareness can falter, and he needs to speed up his feet when pulling or working as a lead in the screen game.

Bailey worked as the right guard and right tackle and had a great game at both spots. When the second-team offensive line entered the game, they struggled from left tackle to the center spot, but the right side held up and won consistently.

Bailey should be on his way to making this squad. Sherman also had a good game and could be in the discussion to make the squad.

Centers

Lloyd Cushenberry 48.7 | Luke Wattenberg 57.3 | Kyle Fuller 43.7

Cushenberry still has issues working solo blocks in the run game against defensive linemen, but if he can get to the second level, he does well. He had issues working as a lead in the screen game, and his awareness in the passing game, especially with stunts, must improve. Overall, Cushenberry looks improved over the past couple of seasons.

The battle for the backup center has been between Wattenberg and Fuller. Wattenberg got Game 1 as the second-team center, with Fuller as a guard, and the Broncos switched for the Niners.

Both did significantly better in Game 1. In San Fran, Wattenberg started rough as the left guard against the Niners, but he settled down and started to improve. Fuller had multiple rough moments and never exactly settled down.

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Defensive Line

Jones, Allen, and Harris should be the starting three. They work off each other well, and while it wasn't the cleanest, they did quite well as a trio. Lancaster did well as the primary nose tackle and had some key moments in the goal-line stand on the opening drive.

Henningsen was consistent but didn't have the splash plays Garcia did. The big splash play from Henningsen was a batted pass, which Garcia intercepted.

Garcia had those splash plays, but outside of them, it was a lot of rough moments. They both seem to be battling for the final spot on the D-line, with the loser a favorite for the practice squad.

As for Jackson, it was a rough game, and he is probably at the point of hoping he can land on a practice squad elsewhere.

Outside Linebackers

Cooper looked outstanding. He was quick and explosive off the snap and, a few times, fired off quicker than Gregory did. Gregory was alright and had some splash plays, but he also opened up some running lanes with how aggressive he was getting upfield. That was also an issue with Bonitto.

Clark did alright and helped clear space for others to make the play or get pressure on the quarterback. Notably, Clark was the third edge to take the field and was out there on the field late in the game.

Allen and Patrick were alright, but they have a long way to go if they want to make the roster and are more likely to compete for a practice squad spot.

Inside Linebackers

Josey Jewell 72.1 | Alex Singleton 54.3 | Justin Strnad 52.5

Jewell was great when he was on the field. Singleton was great against the run, but his issues in coverage were exploited a couple of times.

As for Strnad, he can make the roster if he has another solid game due to the injury to Jonas Griffith.

Cornerbacks

Denver needs K'Waun Williams in the regular season. Bassey's interception was lucky, but his play in coverage was a disaster outside of that. He allowed three catches on three targets and could have been picked on a lot more than that.

Surtain and Mathis are the starting duo, and Mathis has shown enough to cement himself there. However, he will need to stay disciplined when handling play-action passes.

McMillian seems to have cemented himself as the top backup on the boundary with Riley Moss out with an injury. Against the Niners, McMillian wasn't targeted once.

Smith should be on his way out. He has been terrible on defense and almost as bad when working on special teams.

Moreau, Hood, and Hicks can all compete for a practice squad spot. Hood was terrible in Game 1, but did better in Arizona than in San Fran, while Hicks was the opposite.

Safeties

Caden Sterns 57.3 | Kareem Jackson 57.8 | Delarrin Turner-Yell 64.1 | Devon Key 47.1

With Justin Simmons held out, Sterns and Jackson got the start, and they did well as a duo. P.J. Locke was also held out of the game, and Turner-Yell had a great game taking advantage of extra reps with Locke out.

Key was alright, but the practice squad is what he is fighting for.

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