Broncos Individual Player Grades For 2020
The Denver Broncos ended up finishing the season with a 5-11 record, which is far below the team's standard and the brass' expectations for 2020. It was a rough year that saw a lot of players get lost due to injury early on, leaving the Broncos reeling.
Some players, despite the overall poor play from the team, actually put together a solid season for the Broncos. Others played a large role in the Broncos struggling as much as they did during the season.
That is what the 2020 season grades are here to reflect. Here's a look at the most noteworthy Positives, Negatives, and everything in between.
As always, the Broncos MVP, this time for the entire 2020 campaign, is revealed in the video above.
The Positive
Shelby Harris | DL: 90.6
The Broncos really saw drastic improvements from Harris this year. He didn’t just show those improvements as a pass rusher, but also as a run defender, which was nice to see. Now the question becomes how much he gets on a new deal and if it comes from the Broncos.
Bryce Callahan | CB: 88.9
Before he got hurt down the stretch and had to be placed on injured reserve, the Broncos' top corner was playing at an All-Pro level when in the slot. Callahan did have some rough times when moved outside to the boundary, which is why his grade for the season is in the high 80s and not in the mid-90s. Denver hopes he can get back to full health and play like he did this season in 2021 on the final year of his deal.
Tim Patrick | WR: 88.3
When the Broncos lost Courtland Sutton for the season, they really needed other receivers to step up. No one stepped up more than Patrick did. He caught 51 passes for over 700 yards as well as a team-high six touchdowns. He earned himself a lot of money, either this year with someone offering him a contract as a restricted free agent, or after the 2021 season when he becomes unrestricted.
Dre’Mont Jones | DL: 85.0
A bright rookie season in which Jones revealed his potential was nice, but how he built upon that in 2020 was great to see. He really took the needed steps to improve his game and looks like a rising star on the Broncos defense. His pass-rushing chops reached new levels, but more importantly, his run defense did as well. There is still plenty of areas and room for Jones to grow, but he is trending in the right direction.
Noah Fant | TE: 84.7
The up-and-coming tight end really started off great for the Broncos this season before suffering an ankle injury that saw him miss time leading to his play taking a hit as he dealt with it. It was an injury that still bothered Fant for the rest of the season, but he was able to bounce back to make a solid impact for the offense over the final few weeks. Fant also took his blocking up a notch, but he still has room to improve there.
Melvin Gordon | RB: 80.1
Gordon's four fumbles were really tough to watch because of how lackadaisical he carried the ball at times. He ended up finding that balance and became far more consistent as a runner for the Broncos. To end the season, he was the focal point of the offense and he carried that burden extremely well, despite just missing out on the 1,000-yard milestone by only a few yards. Gordon put together one of the better and most efficient seasons of his career.
The Negative
De’Vante Bausby | CB: 32.6
It was made clear why Denver was okay with letting Bausby walk multiple times this season. He was benched for the final game of the season after two abysmal games in the weeks prior. Bausby did alright earlier in the season, but it was easy to see where he could have issues if he didn’t improve in those areas and teams eventually exploited those vulnerabilities.
Lloyd Cushenberry | C: 42.2
There were some good moments from Cushenberry to help save his grade from being completely terrible, but his season was mostly bad. His lack of length really showed up multiple games, leading to a lot of issues in pass protection and as a run blocker. He was without question the worst run blocker the Broncos had this season and just couldn’t handle reach blocks very well. If he wants to remain a starter, he will need to put in a lot of work on how to improve and cover for his lack of length.
A.J. Bouye | CB: 43.4
When Denver traded for Bouye, many, including myself, were high on what he could bring to the defense, but that never really materialized. He got hurt early in the first game and missed a lot of action, then came back to play poorly, while still dealing with the shoulder injury and missed the final four games due to a suspension. It was a season where you analyze Bouye's cost relative to his play and determine whether it would be best to part ways and use that money elsewhere.
Elijah Wilkinson | RT: 44.0
The Broncos coaching staff saw something in Wilkinson to wanted him to compete for left tackle before the season, but he ended up being the starter at right tackle when Ja'Wuan James opted out and it didn’t go well. Wilkinson really struggled at right tackle before getting hurt and landing on the bench. Wilkinson was placed back as the starter in the final few weeks where he had one good game, but really struggled in the season finale.
Alexander Johnson | ILB: 45.9
His 12-game campaign in 2019 really led to high expectations for 2020, but Johnson failed to meet them. His inconsistencies and limitations in coverage really hurt the defense. He did well against the run but saw issues more of misreading the play and clogging the wrong hole. Johnson was really good as a blitzer and was used there often likely because of the coverage limitations.
Nick Vannett | TE: 48.9
While he started to come around over the last half of the season, Vannett's play was really rough over the first half. It led to multiple fans calling for him to be cut, but he turned it around to be mostly solid over the last half. Vannett played to a level where you are fine with him as your No. 2 guy, but you look to improve that spot if you want to use more 2-TE sets next season.
Other Noteworthy Grades
Kareem Jackson | S: 79.0
While Denver could get out of its deal with Jackson, his play this year shows why that may not be the best idea. He was far from perfect, but he was mostly good and reliable. He has the versatility to do multiple things in the Broncos defense. The most important key is the Broncos don’t have anyone on the roster who can quite bring what he does to the defense. Will Parks is close, but not quite.
Justin Simmons | S: 77.6
There really are two parts to Simmons' season. When the Broncos used him as they did in 2019, in the same coverage scheme and role, he played like a top safety in the NFL. However, the Broncos did have to make a few changes because of injuries and the youth they were playing with, and that had an effect on Simmons. In those cases, his play wasn’t as good and saw him make a lot more mistakes than normal.
Graham Glasgow | RG: 74.3
There is a lot of hate for Glasgow from Broncos fans because he does have his issues. However, he showed this year those issues can be attributed to dealing with a rookie at center and changes at right tackle. Once Demar Dotson was in at right tackle, Glasgow saw his play mostly balance out. All season long, Glasgow did very well in pass protection. His run blocking at times was a big miss, but he was mostly consistent there. He didn’t generate great push, but he did well clearing out the hole with technique and positioning.
Jerry Jeudy | WR: 59.1
The 2020 first-round pick had some big plays for the Broncos, but if he had better hands this season, he would have had so many more. Jeudy dropped a lot of chances and it really hurt the Broncos. His five-drop game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16 was by far his worst game of the season. The promise is there, but he has to get those hands more consistent.
Michael Ojemudia | CB: 55.8
Much like the other Broncos rookies, it was a very up-and-down season for the third-round corner. Ojemudia had his 'welcome to the NFL' game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2, but really turned it around and was playing exceptionally well after that for a while. When the Broncos took on the Atlanta Falcons, Ojemudia regressed to the mean and was embarrassed once again. From there, his play followed the roller coaster over the rest of the season.
Drew Lock | QB: 49.1
Lock may be The Guy over the final five weeks of the season because he showed promise in those final five games a year ago and again this season. The rest of his 2020 campaign was rough to watch and saw him make the same repeated mistakes. Denver may run it back with him, but if so, the team needs Lock to grow from these last five games and quickly. The Broncos cannot wait for over half of the season for Lock to turn it up again only to turn it on when the playoffs are out of reach.
For the MVP of the season, make sure you check out the video above.
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