Broncos Player Grades from 27-7 Preseason Win Over Falcons

The Denver Broncos opened up the preseason with a bang, defeating the Atlanta Falcons 27-7 on Friday night.

The preseason is all about evaluating the roster, particularly new players, rookies, and the overall depth, as the team works to put together a 53-man roster and 16-man practice squad that can propel the Broncos to their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history.

After sharing my key takeaways from the game and the biggest winners and losers, it's time to dig a little deeper by grading the player performances. For the preseason, any player with at least 10 snaps will qualify for a grade.

We will look at the highest- and lowest-graded players, as well as my 10 players to watch going into preseason Game 1.

Also, since this is for evaluation, most 2025 regular-season starters won’t be included, as players like Courtland Sutton, Quinn Meinerz, Patrick Surtain II, Zach Allen, and some of the other key starters would take up all the positive spots. The only exceptions would be a regular starter who is graded low enough to be noteworthy, or one of my players to watch going into the game.

Players to Watch Grades

Que Robinson | OLB | Grade: 80.7

Que Robinson and Jack Strand. — ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 14: 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

It wasn’t the flashiest game on the stat sheet with only two pressures, a stop, and a missed tackle, but Robinson was able to stand out due to his first-step quickness. He created more disruption than the stats show and carried strong practices into the game.

Jahdae Barron | CB | Grade: 63.4

Barron's pick-six was a result of being in the right place at the right time, but he had a solid game outside of that. He has issues giving up too much space, leading to completions being allowed, which is a major reason he has unofficially lost the battle for the starting job to Riley Moss.

Eyioma Uwazurike | DL | Grade: 31.9

Denver is turning to Uwazurike to help replace John Franklin-Myers as the starter, with the full replacement coming with its rotation, but this wasn’t the game Uwazurike wanted to have. He only played 11 snaps, but they were poor, and Denver needs more from him.

Karene Reid | ILB | Grade: 70.9

Reid had a great play to generate Barron's pick-six, but he had a good game overall. Reid's coverage ability still stands out, and he did seem to be quicker with his run reads than he was a year ago.

Devon Key | S | Grade: 67.3

Key's reliability as a tackler stood out, especially on a night where the tackling from the safeties was hit-or-miss. What's more, he wasn’t caught out of position or taking poor angles like the other depth safeties for the Broncos.

Jonah Coleman | RB | Grade: 76.3

With only four rushing attempts, Coleman was able to quickly show off his ability and how quickly he gets downhill. There was one rough pass-blocking rep where he ducked his head and lunged to make the block, only to whiff, but that was the only negative of his game. He also had two nice plays wiped out by holding penalties.

RJ Harvey | RB | Grade: 65.6

Harvey's improvement as a receiver was clear, even without him getting targeted, and he showed significant improvement in blocking. His rushing was still questionable at best, but there were still some improvements there to bet on continued development.

Pat Bryant | WR | Grade: 71.7

Bryant only had one catch, but the Broncos turned to him to make a play to kick off the game. He only played 10 snaps, and five of them were as a run blocker, where he showed his prowess for most of those five snaps.

Justin Joly | TE | Grade: 51.7

There wasn’t much opportunity for Joly to stand out on 23 snaps, with only one target and catch that was a dump-off for no gain. With 11 snaps as a run blocker, the rookie was able to show effort, though the technique and strength left a lot to be desired.

Quarterbacks

Jarrett Stidham | Grade: 72.9 | Sam Ehlinger | Grade: 64.3

There was a clear drop-off at the quarterback position from the first half to the second half. Ehlinger had some bright moments that lifted his grade in the second half, but he was far less consistent than Stidham and wasn’t playing at the level of consistency he has shown in practice.

The Positive

Cody Schrader. — Denver Broncos running back Cody Schrader (25) runs the ball against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quater at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jonah Elliss | OLB | Grade: 83.1

Elliss was disruptive from his first snap to his last as a pass rusher and as a run defender. As long as he can stay healthy, he should have a massive impact off the edge.

Calvin Throckmorton | IOL | Grade: 79.4

Throckmorton started the game at center and played 37 snaps there. It was the best football I have seen from him since joining the Broncos. If he can keep it up, he will improve his chances of making the roster.

Sean Fresch Jr. | CB | Grade: 77.9

Fresch was viewed as a potential returner, but his play on defense stood out. For the Broncos, his play at corner was the second-best of the game, only behind Moss. Fresch was sticky, aware, and fluid in coverage, and a willing run defender.

Red Murdock | LB | Grade: 74.6

The Broncos have put a lot on Murdock’s plate, and they gave him plenty of opportunity in this game to rise to meet it, and he did. With the most snaps on defense, 13 more than the second-highest, Murdock was all over the field making good plays; even with four catches on four targets allowed, he was still right there to make the tackle.

Cody Schrader | RB | Grade: 73.4

Among the three depth backs, Schrader was the only one who looked worth keeping around. It was only one game, and Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin both have regular-season experience, but Schrader outperformed them in this game.

Tyler Miller | OT | Grade: 71.2

The undrafted rookie tackle played quite well. While it wasn’t perfect, he showed key technical improvements from his college tape, and he didn't rely solely on his size and strength to win.

The Negative

Jaleel McLaughlin and Frank Crum — 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

Lucas Krull | TE | Grade: 28.4

Krull's lack of blocking at this point is infuriating, as he has shown next to no development in this area over his time with the Broncos. If he were a great athletic receiver, you could hide him some, but his pass-catching ability is below average.

Reid Holskey | OL | Grade: 31.1

There was a four-play series where Holskey was beaten off the snap, leading to a blown-up play. With 49 snaps in the game, the second-most on offense, he didn’t look like he belonged on an NFL field, and he was out there with the second unit largely due to injuries on the O-line.

Frank Crum | OT | Grade: 37.6

Denver has spent multiple years developing Crum, and while he looked good last preseason and in limited regular-season action, he struggled in this game. At times, it looked like he had forgotten all his development over the years and lost on the field.

Tycen Anderson | S | Grade: 41.2

Anderson isn’t a good defender, and special teams will have to be where he makes this roster. The problem is that when the defense is as bad as it was, it will still be hard to stand out in any way to make the roster, his special teams play notwithstanding.

Taurean York | LB | Grade: 42.7

York was dealt a bad hand of cards due to his size. His football IQ was clear, but his lack of size created issues, especially when working downhill, where he can’t get off blocks.

Johnny Walker | OLB | Grade: 48.7

After suffering an injury last year, Walker was back on the football field, and it didn’t go well. He had some good moments, but there is room for improvement. If he wants to stick on the practice squad, he needs to show those improvements.

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