Broncos vs. Packers: 5 Things to Watch for in Preseason Game 2

With the preseason opener in the books, the Denver Broncos are prepping for their second game against the Green Bay Packers at Empower Field at Mile High.

In their first game, we saw exactly what we wanted to see in our five things to watch. New offensive coordinator Davis Webb got the play calls in on time, and the offense was humming.

The linebackers looked solid, while the safety depth left much to be desired. The defensive line handled the run well, and while the Broncos' first-unit offensive line blocked well in the run game, the tight ends struggled.

Lastly, we saw some players step up as possible returner options behind Marvin Mims Jr.

With that said, the Packers are coming to town on Friday, so let's highlight what to watch for.

Second- and Third-Team Offensive Line

Frank Crum and Jaleel McLaughlin — Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin (38) celebrates after a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in the second quater at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the first game, the Broncos were dealing with injuries on the offensive line, which threw their second and third units into disarray. The Broncos had their backup guard, Calvin Throckmorton, starting at center, and their sixth offensive lineman was out as well.

This led to a messy display from Denver's backup units, especially tackles Reid Holskey, Frank Crum, and Matt Peart.

Hopefully, the Broncos get healthy on the line this week (the early signs are positive), and they can go with the more usual depth units to see if that helps some individual players bounce back, especially in Crum's case. The rookies Kage Casey and Gavin Ortega did alright in Game 1, with the undrafted Tyler Miller looking like the Broncos' best depth tackle.

We need to see the depth O-line units step it up in Game 2 after a rough debut overall.

Defensive Line Rotation

Red Murdock eyes Jack Strand. — The Broncos' front seven eyes Jack Strand. | David J. Griffin / IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

The Broncos' defensive line rotation was one of the biggest takeaways from the preseason opener. The top four guys were clear, followed by Jordan Jackson taking the field as the fifth in the rotation, then Tyler Onyedim and Sai’vion Jones, before getting to the depth players in the unit.

If the Broncos stick with the same rotation, it clarifies how the team views the D-line, but they could switch things around to see how players do and further solidify the plan up front. I would like to see Jones or Onyedim earlier in the game vs. Green Bay to see if they can step up and handle it.

If the Broncos stick with the same rotation we saw in Game 1, it could be bad news for Jones.

D-Line: Hands Up

Que Robinson and Jack Strand. — Jack Strand (18) of the Atlanta Falcons gets a pass off over Que Robinson (51) of the Denver Broncos during the Friday evening NFL, American Football Herren, USA preseason football game. | David J. Griffin / IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

The Broncos emphasized getting their hands up to clog passing lanes in practice, and that carried over to the preseason opener. The D-line batted three passes, one of which led to an interception by Riley Moss.

Last year, in the regular season and postseason, the Broncos only had 13 batted passes.

With the emphasis on batting down passes to help generate turnovers, it will be interesting to see whether the Broncos can carry it from game to game.

Now, broken-up passes aren’t the same thing, but they can have a similar result, as we saw with linebacker Karene Reid on Jahdae Barron’s pick-six, so we can lump the two together and keep an eye out for Broncos defenders tipping passes.

Depth Wide Receivers

Cameron Ross, Kolbe Katsis, and Joseph Manjack all put together good games in the preseason opener, and they're all pushing for a practice squad spot. They still face stiff competition, so they're worth watching to see if they can go back-to-back with good games and possibly separate themselves from the others.

Meanwhile, Kyrese Rowan, Dane Key, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Hakeem Butler, and Kyrie Duplesiss didn’t have the best showings in Atlanta, and Michael Bandy didn’t play. This Packers game is an opportunity for them to bounce back and stand out.

Humphrey is probably safe as he is a Sean Payton favorite, but the rest could be falling behind and running out of time.

Potential Returners on Offense and Defense

Denver Broncos wide receiver Cameron Ross (87) returns a kick against the Atlanta Falcons in the first quater at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Against the Falcons, the Broncos used cornerback Sean Fresch Jr. and wide receivers Ross and Katsis as their returners. Ross and Fresch took the punt returns, and Ross and Katsis took the kick returns.

The Broncos are looking for someone to step up behind Mims, but it isn’t always about the returns.

All three of these players did well against the Falcons on their side of the ball, and if they can follow that up with another good game, it could push them even closer to making the roster. Few teams keep pure returners anymore, so the more a player can do, the better.

We'll see whether Katsis gets some punt return action or if the Broncos give anyone else a chance to return, as we saw with Jonah Coleman on kickoffs during the planned scrimmage midway through camp.

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