Broncos Unflinching Midseason Grades: Position by Position

The Denver Broncos have reached the midway point of the 2020 season. With eight games in the books, the Broncos sit at 3-5.

With the epidemic of injuries this team has sustained, sitting two games below .500 at midseason should come as no surprise, even though acknowledging that doesn't take the edge off of Broncos fans' disappointment.

Despite all the personnel losses and coaching snafus, the Broncos have fought hard to be competitive, and outside of Week 7's loss to Kansas City, this team has been in each and every game thus far. There's a moral victory in that achievement but it's not one the team, nor its fans, are about to write home about.

The Broncos are an exceedingly young team, especially on offense. The injuries have exacerbated this team's relative inexperience but for all the Broncos lack in that department, they're still a talented squad.

Today, I'm handing out the Broncos' midseason grades, going position by position. I'll be unflinching in laying out each unit's marks, but don't take that to mean there isn't reason for optimism.

There is. But part of improving is being honest and forthright about where one stands and in the case of the Broncos, ignoring or looking past the state of each unit does this team no favors.

Each week, Mile High Huddle's Erick Trickel brings you the individual player grades. Today's midseason grades, while informed partially by the individual, micro grades, take on a more macro view. Let's get into it.

Quarterbacks

Just like last year, three different quarterbacks have started at least one game for the Broncos. It wasn't supposed to be that way, as Drew Lock was tapped to be the unquestioned starter this year, but his shoulder injury in Week 2 not only derailed what modest momentum he'd built up with new offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, but it also necessitated the Broncos turning to their stop-gap options.

Jeff Driskel, whom the Broncos signed in the offseason to a two-year, $5 million deal to be Lock's backup, was a categorical failure. He brought the Broncos back in that Week 2 game in Pittsburgh that Lock exited early, which was encouraging to see, but he came crashing back down to earth the following week against Tampa Bay and had to be pulled in the fourth quarter.

Brett Rypien went out and got this team its first win in Week 4, though his performance was about as uneven as it gets. He deserves some credit for doing what a competent NFL backup QB should, and kept the ship afloat while Plan A was nursed back to health.

Lock returned in Week 6 and played well for most of the game, only two throw two head-scratching interceptions in the fourth quarter. The Broncos managed to beat New England that day, but Lock's uneven performance at Gillette Stadium would serve as a somewhat alarming harbinger of what was to come.

Lock now has four full games under his belt since he returned from injury — a full quarter of the season. Over that span, the Broncos have gone 2-2 with Lock passing for 1,004 yards, completing 55.5% of his passes while throwing five touchdowns to six interceptions. He also rushed for two scores during that span.

Lock's slow starts, punctuated by furious production during garbage time, have now become the rule. He's done some impressive things at times this season but for the most part, he's looked like a QB that has regressed since his rookie season, and that is highly concerning.

Additional context and nuance is required to fully evaluate and explain where the Broncos are with Lock right now but more consistent play from the QB position would have this team in a far better position entering the second half of the season than where it's at now. There's a lot of room for improvement but barring another injury (knock on wood), the Broncos will give Lock what rope remains of this season at least to grow into the role of being the team's QB.

Grade: D

Running Backs

When Phillip Lindsay has been on the field, he's been closer to the dynamic 2018 version of himself than the steady, consistent grinder he was last year. Maybe that explains in large part why the Broncos went out and paid Melvin Gordon $16M over two years; taking some of the wear-and-tear off of Lindsay has allowed him to be that explosive rookie that he was two years ago.

Unfortunately, Lindsay got injured in Week 1 with a turf-toe and it cost him 3.5 games. He returned in Week 6 and busted off a 100-yard rushing game, only to suffer a concussion the following week after producing 79 rushing yards on nine carries, and missed another half of football. He's averaging nearly six yards per carry when he's on the field.

Meanwhile, Gordon has taken on the burden of being the 'bell-cow' to an extent, but outside of Week 4, his individual play hasn't justified the high-dollar contract the Broncos gave him. He hasn't been bad; just average. While throwing in a nice catch here or there and fumbling the ball away three times.

This Pro Bowl running back duo hasn't reached its full potential yet and part of that is due to the injury bug, a DUI arrest on Gordon's part, and an offensive line that has struggled mightily. Still, keeping the onus on just the backs, they get passing marks.

Grade: C+

Wide Receivers

Courtland Sutton going down for the season really held back just how potent the Broncos' receiving corps could be out of the gates, and the QB carousel only exacerbated this unit's inconsistent start. Tim Patrick has been a revelation, though, stepping in at the X-receiver spot and filling in nicely in place of Sutton.

Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler — Denver's first two picks of the 2020 draft — have come on strong of late, but both had extremely uneven starts to their rookie campaign. Both have consistently struggled with dropped passes, while Hamler missed three games with a nagging hamstring.

However, the arrow is definitely pointing up for this rookie duo, as they've combined for 37 targets and nearly 300 receiving yards over the last two weeks. Cutting down the drops will go a long way toward solidifying the play of Jeudy and Hamler.

The Broncos, as a team, have dropped 27 passes this season, and while not all of them fall at the feet of the receiving corps, most of them do. DaeSean Hamilton is another player who's begun to emerge of late, but like his first two years in Denver, 2020 has mostly been a case of 'one step forward, two steps back' for him.

I'd like to see a little more from seventh-rounder Tyrie Cleveland but for now, the Broncos have their hands full in trying to keep the heads of two rookies playing starters' snaps above water. The Broncos' receivers deserve a small break for the lackluster QB play and carousel, but that only goes so far.

Make no mistake, though. This unit is building up a head of steam and I can't wait to see how far that can take them in the second half of the season.

Grade: C+

Tight Ends

What began as an embarrassment of riches at tight end has become a skeleton crew thanks to the injury bug. The Broncos have now placed three different tight ends on injured reserve, while the top two guys on the depth chart — Noah Fant and Nick Vannett — have each missed one game.

The Broncos' tight ends had something special brewing between Fant and fourth-rounder Albert Okwuegbunam but after tearing his ACL in Week 9, the rookie is one of those placed on IR. But the glimpse we caught of Fant and Okwuegbunam together was a preview of the matchup nightmare the duo will present in the future.

The tight ends have had their fair share of drops and have suffered similarly from the inconsistencies at QB but this unit's barely passing grade I mostly lay at the feet of Coach Shurmur. Fant remains one of the most dynamic, young tight ends in the NFL and he's been grossly underutilized for most of the season thus far.

Grade: C

Offensive Line

Where to begin. First, prized free-agent acquisition Graham Glasgow has not been the adhesive the Broncos' front-office brass thought would patch the interior together. Combined with the tectonic decision by right tackle Ja'Wuan James to opt-out of the season, the right side of the Broncos' O-line has been a patchwork thus far.

The left side has been significantly better, but only due to the Herculean turnaround of Garett Bolles. The roles are reversed this time, with Bolles carrying left guard Dalton Risner and covering for his partner's lapses. Risner has regressed in Year 2 and that should alarm everyone reading this.

Rookie third-rounder Lloyd Cushenberry III has mostly been a mess at center. The loss of the 1,400 practice reps he missed out on with OTAs and the preseason being canceled have really set him back. He's been through the refiner's fire thus far and the Broncos can only hope that he'll soon bounce off the bottom because the team doesn't really have a viable backup option.

Demar Dotson replacing the first beleaguered, then injured Elijah Wilkinson at right tackle has been a blessing in disguise; not because the former is playing at a Pro Bowl level but because the latter was that bad. Dotson has played at least at an average level since taking over at right tackle but he exited Week 9 with a groin injury and the Broncos can only hope he bounces back sooner than later.

Mike Munchak's unit has not been the bastion the brass hoped it would be this year and has in and of itself contributed to the less-than-ideal play (and grade) of all the units mentioned before it. The triumph here, though, is Bolles.

The once-embattled left tackle has turned it around for good, it would seem, and remains the highest-graded offensive player the Broncos have. Were it not for Bolles, the Broncos' O-line would be getting an F.

Grade: D

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Defensive Line

It's crazy to think that in Week 9, the Broncos were without all three of their day-one starters on the D-line. Jurrell Casey and Mike Purcell are on IR while Shelby Harris was in COVID-19 protocol. Harris will remain in the protocol after testing positive for the virus on Wednesday.

The Broncos' young guns up front, with a little help from a couple of retreads, got the job done in Week 9, even though it was in a losing effort. Grading this unit through the scope of the entire first half of the season and it emerges as the cream of the crop.

Inexplicably, Bill Kollar's unit has overcome its devastating losses, which included for a quarter of the season Dre'Mont Jones and DeMarcus Walker. The emergence of DeShawn Williams is one of the feel-good stories of the year in Denver and it's been fun to see Super Bowl 50 hero Sylvester Williams come back and carve himself out a role in the wake of the injury bug's decimation.

In all honesty, it's been Harris who has kept this unit outkicking its coverage. He's taken his play to the next level and has established himself as a go-to leader on the defense. A massive payday is coming his way.

Grade: B-

Rush Linebackers

The Broncos lost Von Miller on the doorstep of the season-opener, which is a massive loss in and of itself. But combined with the fact that Bradley Chubb was still working back from his ACL injury, it couldn't have come at worse time.

It took Chubb three weeks to get going and get back on his proverbial feet. But he busted loose in Week 4 and outside of last week's disappearing act, has been a constant force for the Broncos on the edge. Is he back to 100%? I don't think so but he's dang close.

Meanwhile, Jeremiah Attaochu started off the season strong as the starter opposite Chubb only to suffer a quad injury that derailed his season for a good month. Malik Reed stepped in and did all the heavy lifting and now sits second on the team with five sacks.

I'd like to see Chubb, Reed, and Attaochu affect each week's opponent more consistently and in a more dynamic way but overall, the Broncos have weathered the loss of Miller about as well as could have been expected. But the rush linebackers still haven't been great, though there have been flashes.

Grade: C+

Inside Linebackers

With Todd Davis handed his walking papers to start the season, only a few weeks after fifth-round rookie Justin Strnad was placed on year-ending IR, the onus fell on Josey Jewell and Alexander Johnson to carry the torch. For the most part, they've done just that.

There have been a few games where Jewell and Johnson's run fits have been off, and they've each at times struggled to get off blocks, but defending the run has been this duo's strong suit. It's against the pass where one has to hide one's eyes when it comes to the linebackers.

Mark Barron, and then Austin Calitro, were supposed to help in that arena but the former has yet to take the field for Denver and the latter has had his own stay on IR. The Broncos have honestly made due with Johnson and Jewell but it's a duo lacking twitch and athleticsm and when everything is going well at the other two levels of the defense, this team can get by with that.

When it's not, Jewell and Johnson can get exploited in a hurry and we've seen it happen several times this year. Still, tip your cap to Jewell, who's really come on strong this year as a run-stopper posting three games with double-digit tackles.

Grade: C

Cornerbacks

Another unit hamstrung by the injury bug. No. 1 corner A.J. Bouye has spent more time on the sideline than he has on the field, which has forced the Broncos into some less-than-ideal situations.

Vic Fangio has had to rely on two rookies — Michael Ojemudia and Essang Bassey — extensively this year and while the returns have seen their share of hits, they've also seen a good number of misses. Throw in the bizarre handling of De'Vante Bausby and the extremely disappointing play of Davontae Harris when his number has been called and the Broncos have had some painful moments at corner.

The story here, though, is the emergence of Bryce Callahan, who's played at a top-5 level this year, especially of late. He missed last week with a mysterious ankle injury but whether asked to play the boundary or the nickel, Callahan has answered the bell proving that when he's on the field, he's an asset.

Bouye has been a disappointment, but not because of his play. He's just been injury-prone. Ojemudia has mostly impressed and proven to be a great fit for Fangio's scheme but he's now strung together two bad games and needs to rebound. Callahan's consistency is the only thing keeping this unit's grade above passing.

Grade: C

Safeties

I hate to say it, but the strength of the defense last year — its safety duo — has not held true in 2020. Justin Simmons has flashed but has looked more like the player of his first three years in the league than the second-team All-Pro of 2019.

Kareem Jackson has fallen off in a big way, though he still brings a physical force to the middle of the field and in run support. Jackson's 33 years is showing up on tape, especially in coverage.

Simmons' play, in conjunction with the apparent regression of Lock and Risner, has been one of the most disappointing aspects of the 2020 season. It hasn't been all bad, but Simmons has been far from the franchise-caliber safety he was last year and it has cost the Broncos at times on the backend of this defense.

Grade: C+

Special Teams

With the exception of one bad long-snap, the Broncos' specialists have been the only thing holding the third phase together. Brandon McManus has been money again this year, justifying his contract extension on the doorstep of the season, while free-agent hire Sam Martin has brought competency back to the Broncos' punting game.

Denver's coverage units, though? Absolutely atrocious. I'm talking the worst in the league. Each week, Tom McMahon's unit springs a new leak. If it isn't a 102-yard kick returned for a touchdown one week, it's an inopportune 30-yard punt return, or a field-position-killing penalty.

This unit lacks discipline and while it might be a result of the plethora of injuries the team has suffered overall, this issue falls squarely at the feet of McMahon. Pro Football Focus has Denver's special teams graded as the worst in the league. I concur.

Only the steady legs of McManus and Martin, along with some decent gains in the punt- and kick-return department, save this unit from an F.

Grade: D

Where did I get it wrong? We want to hear your takes! Sound off in the comment section below with your midseason grades for the Broncos!

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