Broncos Trounce Rams: Biggest Risers & Fallers
The Denver Broncos whipped the tar out of the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night. It was only a preseason game, and the starters did not play, but the Broncos won 41-0. The execution in all three phases was superb.
The coaches had to be pleased with the performance of the players fighting to make the team. In a beatdown like the Broncos put on the Rams, there are plenty of good performances and minimal poor performances.
Let's break down the three biggest risers and fallers.
Riser: Albert Okwuegbunam | TE
Okwuegbunam has been playing like a man on fire lately after a rough start to training camp. He was the star of the team versus the Rams and the leading receiver, catching seven passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.
Okwuegbunam was a yards-after-the-catch machine the entire night. Furthermore, he was in the game late in the fourth quarter, when the game was far out of reach, and he was still competing at a high level.
'Albert O' has gone from a projected veteran cut to a player who the coaches can’t live without. By any measure, it was a magnificent performance that he desperately needed.
Riser: Jarrett Stidham | QB
The backup quarterback competition has been neck and neck between Stidham and Ben DiNucci, but Stidham slammed the door on any question that he is not the second quarterback on this roster. He started the game with seven straight completions and finished with 17 completions for 236 yards and a touchdown.
Stidham would have had another touchdown on Marvin Mims, Jr.’s electric 75-yard catch that was brought back 25 yards as the officials ruled him down and another on the aggressive face mask that kept Mims out of the end zone. It appears that Stidham may have finally put it all together and is worth the big money he was given in the offseason to be the No. 2 guy behind Russell Wilson.
Riser: Lil’Jordan Humphrey | WR
Mims could easily go in this spot with his incredible performance, but everyone knew he was that type of player, and his spot on the roster was not in doubt. However, Humphrey was still fighting for a place on the team. He came up big on Saturday night.
It wasn’t just his four catches for 57 yards that was impressive; it was how he got the yards. Humphrey took a short pass over the middle and gained a first down with significant yards after the catch early in the game.
In the two-minute drill to end the half, Humphrey had another big yards-after-the-catch reception, which is what the offense needs in those situations. Humphrey was a reliable receiver, catching every pass thrown to him, and he likely stamped his name on the final roster.
Faller: Kendall Hinton | WR
Unfortunately, the next two players suffered from the incredible performances by Humphrey and Mims — Hinton being the first to land on the fallers list. Hinton struggled to catch the ball, missing one difficult catch on the sideline early in the game.
By any account, it would have been a tough catch for anyone, but Hinton has to make those grabs when he is on the roster bubble, as he appears to be. He did make a great catch on the sidelines coming back to the quarterback on a scramble drill, but it was nullified due to a holding call on Alex Palczewski.
Hinton finished the night with zero catches and did not stand out on special teams. His hold on the roster spot is tenuous at best.
Faller: Marquez Callaway | WR
Another victim of other performances at the wide receiver position, Callaway did nothing wrong on the night, but he also did not stand out. That is what hurts him. An experienced receiver who should have had a firm grasp on the fourth wide receiver spot, he has not done anything to justify a spot on the roster.
In fact, Callaway has been relatively quiet in preseason and training camp. He has been passed on the depth chart by Brandon Johnson and Humphrey, putting his roster spot in doubt.
Callaway likely still makes the team due to Jerry Jeudy’s injury and his experience, but he has been outplayed by several other receivers. In a high-scoring affair on Saturday, Callaway had zero catches on only one target.
That's not a good performance as a receiver, and his presence on special teams was not noticed.
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