Broncos Player Grades From 33-13 Preseason Loss to Packers

The Denver Broncos were unable to keep their preseason winning streak alive in front of their home crowd as the Green Bay Packers came to town on Friday night and pulled off a 33-13 victory.

There were many ugly individual performances by the Broncos in this game, something head coach Sean Payton was clearly unhappy about in his post-game press conference.

“Obviously that wasn’t good enough," Payton said post-game.

Not everything was ugly, though, and there were some good performances, though not as many as you'd hope to see. As we get into the player grades, I will highlight some of those good showings and point out some of the worst.

Since the preseason is about depth evaluation, starters and key players are not included in the player grades, with one exception. So, let’s get into this week's grades.

Quarterbacks

Bo Nix. — Bo Nix calls the signals pre-snap against the Packers. | Dustin Bradford / IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Bo Nix | Grade: 75.6
Jarrett Stidham | Grade: 38.7

All eyes were on Nix in his first game back since his broken ankle in the playoffs, and he looked great out there, as did the first-team offense for the most part. It was great to see that he had no limitations from the injury.

Hopefully, Nix can stay healthy because the Broncos don’t have a capable backup, though Stidham is clearly the better option over Sam Ehlinger; it's like choosing between moldy pepperoni pizza and a moldy pizza with sardines and anchovies.

Ehlinger didn’t receive enough snaps to qualify for a grade, with only nine snaps (10 snaps are the minimum). However, if I overlook that requirement, he would have a grade of 5.3, which would be the lowest in nearly 10 years of my grading system.

MVPs

Defensive MVP: Karene Reid | LB | Grade: 78.9

There were many poor performances on defense, which made some of the better performers look bad. Reid was one of the standouts, as he worked beside Jordan Turner and Red Murdock (both of whom graded in the 30s), and most of the defensive linemen playing in front of Reid graded under 45.

Despite the issues around him, Reid flew around the field and kept multiple bad plays from becoming even worse.

Offensive MVP: Lil’Jordan Humphrey | WR | Grade: 70.4

There were a few good performances on offense, but Humphrey showed why Payton likes to keep him in his wide receiver unit. Humphrey did have a drop, which is an issue, but he ran good routes, caught two of his three targets for 32 yards, and really stood out as a blocker.

The Positive

Que Robinson | OLB | Grade: 73.9

Denver has something special in Robinson. With how quickly he fires off the snap, he's difficult for offensive linemen to handle, and he is showing surprising strength and power to avoid being a liability against the run.

Multiple teams could start Robinson, as their third pass rusher, at the very least.

Parker Robertson | S | Grade: 73.2

There has been some under-the-radar hype about the undrafted rookie coming out of training camp, and he showed why. Unlike most of the other depth safeties, Robertson was rarely out of place and was quick to fly downhill and mix it up as a run defender.

Tyler Onyedim | DL | Grade: 70.5

On one of the Packers' touchdown drives, Onyedim blew up five or six plays behind the line of scrimmage, though he couldn't finish consistently until a big stop near the goal line. He stood out as a run defender against a mostly second-unit offense and generated a QB pressure.

Dan Key | WR | Grade: 69.8

After an unremarkable game against the Atlanta Falcons, Key had a good outing against the Packers. He fought off some tight coverage to make himself a target and showed effort as a blocker. The effort wasn’t enough, as his technique let him down, but he at least showed there is something to work with as a blocker.

Cameron Ross | WR | Grade: 68.9

There were a few good performances from the offense, but Ross consistently stood out, though he wasn’t always great. He gave good effort as a blocker with moderate success, ran good routes, and got himself open for more than the two targets he actually received, but pressure on the quarterback killed his chances to make a play.

Cody Schrader | RB | Grade: 67.2

Schrader once again put together a good game, and some of his plays came against the same Packers defensive unit that Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin struggled against. While Schrader is still clearly the lowest running back on the depth chart, it would be nice to see the Broncos reward him by moving him up, but we all know Payton likes his guys, and Badie and McLaughlin seem to be exactly that.

The Negative

Frank Crum. — Denver Broncos quarterback Sam Ehlinger (4) avoids the sack of Green Bay Packers edge rusher Arden Walker (46) as offensive tackle Frank Crum (73) blocks. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dasan McCullough | OLB | Grade: 20.1

Due to injury, this was McCullough's first game action, and at one point, he was getting hype as an undrafted rookie with a shot at making the roster. With this being McCullough's first in-game exposure, one is left wondering whether the practice squad is even an option. Denver could look elsewhere for a practice squad player.

Frank Crum | OT | Grade: 21.3

Crum has been a disaster in both preseason games, and it was on another level of woe against the Packers. He was consistently getting run around, even by third- and fourth-string pass rushers, including one player whom the Packers added earlier this week. Sure, he has effort, but that effort means little when it's made to overcome a bad mistake made earlier in the rep.

Kristian Williams | DL | Grade: 25.3

Jordan Miller | DL | Grade: 28.2

Both Williams and Miller sit at the very bottom of the defensive line depth chart and are competing for a practice squad spot. Both were consistent liabilities and got bullied in the run game. Denver can and should look outside the organization at this point for its practice squad defensive linemen.

Lucas Krull | TE | Grade: 31.6

The Krull experiment should be over. His blocking was a liability, both on offense and on special teams, and he doesn’t make up for it as a receiver. Krull isn’t able to get separation, even against linebackers and safeties, and his routes are easy to read.

Joseph Manjack | WR | Grade: 43.2

After a good first outing in Atlanta, Manjack struggled with route running to create separation, which is one reason he went undrafted. Without special teams ability, his chances of making the roster were already low, but if he doesn’t bounce back, this performance may even eliminate him from practice squad consideration.

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