Broncos Player Grades From 34-6 Preseason Win Over Vikings

The Denver Broncos closed out their preseason with a romping 34-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

It was the turnaround the Broncos wanted and needed to see from their depth after their ugly loss to the Green Bay Packers a week ago. Seeing your depth step up and create difficult decisions for the 53-man roster and practice squad is part of what the preseason is about, and the Broncos' backups did just that with their play in the finale.

In this Vikings game, we'll examine the grades for 15 players on each side of the ball, each with a varying roster outlook: some may be safe, some set for the practice squad, and others may have played their final down of NFL football.

So Let’s get into the Broncos' preseason finale grades.

Offense

MVP: Kage Casey | IOL | Grade: 80.5

After playing poorly against the Packers on the right side of the line, Casey returned to the left side and put together a good game. It wasn’t perfect, with a few hiccups in both pass protection and the run game, but he was consistently the best-looking Bronco out there over his 35 snaps played.

Nate Adkins | TE | Grade: 80.2

Adkins lined up early as the Broncos' primary blocking tight end, the only one behind Adam Trautman, and he did a good job consistently. Adkins had one bad whiff on a run to the outside, but that was the only major negative to his game.

It was mostly clean and consistent, showing his value as a blocking tight end, especially with Adam Prentice as the fullback.

Cody Schrader | RB | Grade: 78.2

Schrader deserves to be on a roster, either in Denver or elsewhere. With him finally getting a shot against a second-unit defense, he continued to shine as he has done all preseason long.

After the Broncos' top three backs, Schrader was the best in the preseason and by far the best of the three who played against the Vikings.

Calvin Throckmorton | IOL | Grade: 68.7

Throckmorton saw a few snaps at right guard and played well, then moved to center and continued executing at a high level. He made himself a hard player to cut, especially with Broncos backup center Alex Forsyth missing all of the preseason and most of training camp with an injury. Throckmorton stepped in and played well in his first snaps at center in the NFL.

Sam Ehlinger | QB | Grade: 66.9

Look, Ehlinger played a good game, but the Broncos made it clear against the Packers he isn’t in the running for the backup job, and this game reinforced that by giving him as much of a run as they did. He made some great plays and took advantage of broken coverage, but the best thing is how well he handled pressure.

It doesn’t seem likely Ehlinger makes the 53, but he made the decision a lot more difficult.

Jaleel McLaughlin | RB | Grade: 64.3

McLaughlin had a good game, but he didn’t really get going until a little later in the game when the Vikings were down to their third-stringers on defense, except for a touchdown on an impressive catch-and-run. It's been a lackluster preseason for him, including a fumble, but it was a good game to end the preseason.

Matt Peart | OT | Grade: 63.6

Peart has outplayed Frank Crum all preseason, and with Crum likely heading to injured reserve, Peart should be locked in as the backup tackle. He was at least solid in all three games, and he should’ve been well on his way to being the backup over Crum, even without the injury.

Tyler Miller | OT | Grade: 54.8

It was a solid preseason overall from Miller, but he had some of his flaws exposed by the Vikings with some really awful moments in pass protection and in the run game. He also made some big blocks and showcased a short-term memory to bounce back from those bad plays.

Kolbe Katsis | WR/R | Grade: 51.4

Offensively, Katsis was unforgettable in a bad way. His pure offensive grade is in the 30s, but this year, special teams are being factored into grades.

Katsis's impact as a returner was enough to raise his grade over 50. There is a good shot he gets retained on the practice squad, or even the roster, depending on Marvin Mims Jr.'s health after he injured his foot in his return to the field on Friday night, as Katsis is one of Darren Rizzi’s guys.

Justin Joly | TE | Grade: 49.1

Joly had a big 88-yard touchdown catch-and-run that came on a busted coverage, which was great — make the play that needs to be made — but his game was not good outside of that. He got a talking-to by Sean Payton after multiple plays, including a block where he showed terrible effort on a special teams return that could’ve been a big one if Joly had given more.

Lucas Krull | TE | Grade: 48.4

Special teams and blocking continue to be an issue with Krull, though it wasn’t a complete disaster like it was in the other preseason games. He still doesn’t do enough as a receiver to make up for his blocking issues, but this wasn’t a bad game from him as he fights to stick around.

Dallen Bentley | TE | Grade: 43.5

Bentley isn’t showing enough as a receiver and is struggling to make himself a target in limited receiving opportunities. His blocking was fine against the Vikings, but nothing special. He is poised to land on the practice squad if he clears waivers.

Joseph Manjack | WR | Grade: 42.0

Manjack had a good preseason opener, disappeared for the Packers game, and stood out in a bad way in the finale. As the saying goes, it’s not about how you start, but how you finish, though in Manjack's case, a lot of his issues are because of his bad start off the snap, and the Vikings were able to expose that.

Cameron Ross | WR | Grade: 30.6

It was a game that went almost as badly as it could have for Ross. He failed to take advantage of his offensive touches, though it wasn't all his fault, and then muffed a punt that he fortunately recovered. It was a game that could’ve taken him out of consideration for the practice squad.

Gavin Ortega | IOL | Grade: 12.5

According to 9NEWS' Mike Klis during the game broadcast, the Broncos like Ortega a lot and don’t want to lose him, but based on this game and the preseason as a whole, they shouldn’t have to worry. Ortega was consistently getting beaten and needed help to recover or create an opening for the runners. He is one of the players that Denver must love what they see in the film room.

Defense

MVP: Brent Austin | CB | Grade: 75.6

Sean Payton and Brent Austin. — Sean Payton talks to Brent Austin and other Broncos. | Rich von Biberstein / IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Now, Austin had a good, quiet game, which is typically a good thing for corners, but in the preseason finale, when you’re fighting for a spot, that splash play can be a difference-maker for the decision-makers. Austin had a really good game and should be in play for the practice squad, but the lack of splash plays could be an issue.

Kristian Williams | IDL | Grade: 74.3

For the first time in the preseason, one of the depth defensive linemen stood out positively. Williams was a force for the Broncos, and the Vikings consistently struggled to block him. This could have been enough to land on a practice squad in Denver or elsewhere.

Dondrea Tillman | OLB | Grade: 70.4

Yeah, the Broncos have great depth at edge with Tillman, Jonah Elliss (74.6), and Que Robinson (79.3), but I wanted to highlight Tillman, who has been the forgotten man, with the guys ahead of him shining. Tillman had a great game and was good throughout the preseason.

Parker Robertson | S | Grade: 68.7

Robertson flies around the field and consistently finds himself in the right spot. His aggressive nature has flaws that can be exploited, but the Vikings weren’t able to, and everything went Robertson’s way in this match.

Miles Scott | S | Grade: 67.9

Scott still has some issues learning to be a safety, but he has a good understanding of the defense, has shown he can contribute on special teams, and plays fast, hard, and free. This might’ve been the game to land him on the 53 over the practice squad.

Jordan Turner | LB | Grade: 65.2

Turner is a downhill thumper who does well on special teams, and that is the game he had against the Vikings. He was fine in coverage and allowed some catches, but he was consistently quick to bring the receiver down after the catch.

Red Murdock | LB | Grade: 64.8

Murdock did what he did best in college: force a fumble late in the game. It was a massive boost to his grade, which was significantly lower due to some special teams and coverage issues. Showing his ability to generate takeaway potential could be enough, though, as the Broncos are hungry for more turnovers.

Karene Reid | LB | Grade: 64.4

Reid is set as the third linebacker. He does well in coverage and special teams and has shown consistent improvements as a run defender. While he doesn’t play with the force some of the other depth linebackers do, he has proven reliable, particularly in coverage.

JL Skinner | S | Grade: 63.1

Skinner didn’t have the best start to the preseason, but he got better each game and ended with a strong game. Vance Joseph praised Skinner earlier this week, so it was good to see him show that it was deserved.

Tyler Onyedim | IDL | Grade: 60.0

Onyedim had an up-and-down game overall, and he definitely needs to show more as a pass rusher than he did against the Vikings or in the preseason overall. However, his run defense is solid and reliable, though the Vikings attacked him with double teams with decent success.

Sai’vion Jones | IDL | Grade: 54.5

For being a pass rusher, Jones was quiet in the preseason, including against the Vikings, even as the opponent's third-string O-line took the field. There were some good starts to his rushes and close calls that show off his potential to impact the game as an interior pass rusher. His run defense, however, leaves much to be desired.

Kris Abrams-Draine | CB | Grade: 47.3

Abrams-Draine has issues going against size and power, and the Vikings attacked him in the run and pass game. He's still reliable and doesn’t allow much after the catch, but his lanky build has been an issue his whole career and continues to be.

Jahdae Barron | CB | Grade: 42.1

Nothing is more frustrating than watching a defensive back stand there and watch a tackle attempt be made instead of jumping in and helping to make it. Ever since the touchdown he allowed against the Packers, Barron has looked like a shell of his former self, and it's not like he was great before that touchdown.

Taurean York | LB | Grade: 33.5

For the first time this preseason, York's football IQ wasn’t easy to see. He was caught out of position a few times, and his lack of size remains an issue. It also doesn’t help that he isn’t a great athlete to help overcome the lack of size, or that he seemed off on the play calls.

Jordan Miller | IDL | Grade: 21.2

Denver has spent multiple years working with Miller, and he has been nothing but a disappointment this preseason. It wouldn’t be surprising to see them continue to work with him on the practice squad because of that familiarity, but his play hasn’t been worth a practice squad spot, and he put on his worst tape yet against the Vikings.

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