Broncos' Individual Player & Coach Grades at the Bye

Before the season started, the hype predicted the Denver Broncos to have five or six wins by this point. However, the Broncos lost multiple games that were viewed as 'gimmes' and sit with a 3-5 record at the bye.

The hype from fans, media, and even the Broncos themselves, has fallen flat, exclusively on the offensive side of the ball. While Denver's defense continues to be a great unit, as has been the case for years, the offense is still underperforming.

It hasn't been all bad from the Broncos' offense, nor has the defense been all good, especially on an individual level. As we evaluate the Broncos at the bye, that's what these grades reflect.

Every play is graded based on the players' performance on the snap in question. So a great play by the defense overall might not reflect as swimmingly for certain individuals involved.

Before jumping into the grades, a quick word about the qualifications for these bye-week grades.

The 150-snap mark was the cutoff for the bye week grades on both sides of the ball. This cutoff kept a lot of players off this list.

The only other exceptions are players no longer with the team (Bradley Chubb), or players who have not played since Week 5's loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The respective grades of these players wouldn't have changed with no action since the Broncos' mini-bye week.

In the end, only 14 players on offense and 13 on defense made the qualifiers for the bye week grades. So, without further ado, let us jump into it.

Offense

Russell Wilson | QB | Grade: 50.5

There have been some excellent moments from Wilson thus far, but he has lacked the consistency you would expect from a veteran quarterback of his caliber. His pre- and post-snap reads have been all over the place, with many plays seeing him lock onto his receiver and not looking the coverage off. That, along with his slow pacing through his reads, has led to many missed open receivers and pressures.

If the Broncos want to make a late playoff push over the final nine games, they need Wilson to play at a higher level more consistently.

Melvin Gordon | RB | Grade: 49.8

Fumbles were the issue for Gordon to start the season, and it has hurt the Broncos' trust in him. Since his last fumble in Week 4, he has carried the ball 38 times for 124 yards for a measly 3.3 yards per attempt.

The Broncos have been unable to get their run game going, and it isn't just because of poor blocking from the offensive line.

Courtland Sutton | WR | Grade: 54.3

The season started hot for Sutton, with grades of 60-plus in each of the Broncos' first four weeks. Since then, he was barely over 50 for Weeks 5 and 6 and below 50 in the past two games.

What is the difference?

It is hard to say for sure, but watching his tape, his effort hasn't been what it was to start the season, especially as a blocker. You can generally rely on Sutton for blocking and making tough catches, but not of late.

Jerry Jeudy | WR | Grade: 56.7

With no grades above 60 for the first six weeks, Jeudy was off to a really poor start this year. While he made a handful of big plays, they were marred by drops and terrible blocking attempts.

However, things improved over the last two weeks, and while it hasn't always been pretty, Jeudy has been effective.

KJ Hamler | WR | Grade: 73.8

Hamler is showing why he is a quality receiver even when he isn't getting used. His speed has been hard for defenses to match, though there have been more missed opportunities than successful ones — and that isn't on Hamler.

One thing you love to see with Hamler is that he gives everything he has no matter what he is asked, including as a blocker.

Eric Tomlinson | TE | Grade: 50.2

Tomlinson was brought in as a blocking tight end, which has been rough for most of his snaps. Nevertheless, he has cemented himself as the No. 2 tight end simply because he has been the best blocker for the Broncos this season, though that isn't saying much.

Eric Saubert | TE | Grade: 54.6

Saubert was the highest-graded tight end over the first eight weeks, but that is because of what he did as a receiver more than as a blocker. This has led to him hardly being used since rookie Greg Dulcich, who didn't play enough snaps to qualify, came back from injury.

Garett Bolles | OT | Grade: 65.1

Before he went down, Bolles was the Broncos' best-performing offensive lineman, and his injury has definitely hurt the unit. While it wasn't always pretty for Bolles, including an uptick in penalties, he often got the job done.

The question is, will he be on the Broncos' roster for the 2023 season, or will the Broncos be looking for a new left tackle?

Cameron Fleming | OT | Grade: 66.3

Fleming was a pleasant surprise this season as he was the starter at right tackle, where he played pretty well. When Bolles got hurt, he was quickly transitioned to left tackle, where he again played well.

None of Fleming's tape has been great, and his issues have been on display multiple times, but he's been effective and vastly outperformed expectations.

Billy Turner | OT | Grade: 52.6

It took a while to get Turner on the field, but he eventually took over at right tackle and has been fine since. There are issues in pass protection, which were expected, as he has struggled there consistently in his career.

Turner's play as a run blocker has been solid, but there have been some uncommon mistakes on his end that you don't see on his past tape.

Dalton Risner | IOL | Grade: 42.7

Risner has been a significant problem on the O-line, and while a change at center in Week 8 helped some, it didn't turn Risner isn't a great player, just a little less bad. With him set to be a free agent after this season, he needs to turn his play around to boost his value for a big contract from another team.

Quinn Meinerz | IOL | Grade: 55.7

Meinerz got hurt in Week 1 and then missed the next four games. When he re-entered the starting lineup, his play matched the hype he received throughout the offseason.

However, after that first game back, his play has gone downhill, and hopefully, that gets corrected for the back nine.

Graham Glasgow | IOL | Grade: 61.8

Glasgow entered the starting lineup at right guard and played decently, with his play improving each game. It wasn't great by any means, but solid enough.

When Meinerz was back, Glasgow took a seat before stepping in at center in Week 8. In his limited action at center, Glasgow played well and looked natural there, despite having some communication issues, which is understandable.

Lloyd Cushenberry | IOL | Grade: 36.1

Unfortunately, it took an injury for it to happen, but Cushenberry needed to be benched. He was the Broncos' worst offensive lineman, and it wasn't particularly close.

However, after he went down, the play improved because there was more the Broncos could do with their blocking instead of being limited by the center. Best wishes on the road to recovery to Cushenberry, but when he is back, he shouldn't get the starting center job back.

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Defense

Dre'Mont Jones | IDL | Grade: 70.9

While Jones can be hit-or-miss as a run defender, his play as a pass rusher has been phenomenal. He is tied for the fourth-most pressures, has the second-highest pass rush productivity, and the fifth-highest pass rush win rate among interior defensive linemen, according to Pro Football Focus.

This is a contract year for Jones, and the expectation is for Denver to lock him up long-term, which is a must.

D.J. Jones | IDL | Grade: 68.7

Jones has been a huge addition to the Broncos' defensive line with his reliability as a run defender. The whole unit takes a significant step back when he isn't on the field.

D.J. compliments Dre'Mont and can get after the quarterback fairly well. D.J. Jones has the fourth-highest run-stop percentage, and his average tackle depth against the run is 1.7 yards.

Mike Purcell | IDL | Grade: 64.6

While many believed Purcell would be a cap casualty, he stuck around on the roster and has been a significant boost for the depth. His play against the run has been solid, which provides help on the rotation with D.J. Jones.

Teams have more success running the ball when Purcell is on the field, but it isn't directly related to that. His average tackle depth is 1.9 yards, while his run-stop percentage is the 17th-highest out of 69 interior defensive linemen.

DeShawn Williams | IDL | Grade: 47.6

Among the same 69 interior defensive linemen, Williams has the 11th-lowest run-defense grade, the 20th-lowest run-stop percentage, and an average depth of tackle of 2.7 yards, which is the 27th-highest.

Dre'Mont Jones is near Williams in each of those, but unlike Williams, Jones makes up for it as a pass rusher. With only 55 qualifying interior defensive linemen, Williams has the ninth-lowest pass-rush grade, the fifth-fewest pressures, the seventh-lowest pass-rush productivity, and is tied for the ninth-lowest pass-rush win rate. In addition, he has been outplayed by rookie Matt Henningsen, who barely missed the 150-snap cutoff to qualify for these grades.

Baron Browning | OLB | Grade: 61.8

Browning is the only edge defender with enough snaps to qualify that is still on the roster. His play has been exceptional, showing why he truly belongs on the edge.

Browning can play without having to overthink, and you can see it with his movements. While he does get too far upfield against the run, leaving open lanes, he has shown improvement there as he continued to get reps. However, Denver needs him back after trading Chubb.

Josey Jewell | LB | Grade: 74.9

Jewell is integral to the Broncos' defense, especially for communication. There is a significant difference between when he is and isn't on the field. Jewell is well-rounded and plays the run and pass extremely well.

Jonas Griffith | LB | Grade: 54.4

There were high expectations for Griffith entering the season, but he hasn't developed as many had hoped. While there have been plenty of bright spots, consistency is still significantly lacking in both phases.

Between overpursuing against the run or getting lost in coverage, the issues with Griffith are still there. His last two games have especially been poor, and Denver needs more of what they got from him in Weeks 3, 4, and 6, which were by far his three best games as a pro and three of the best games from any Broncos linebacker this season.

Alex Singleton | LB | Grade: 51.9

Singleton has his moments, including a massive game in Week 6. However, that game significantly inflated his bye week grade. It was Singleton's only grade above 70 and one of two that he had above 50. So if you take out that game, his grade drops nearly 10 points.

Patrick Surtain II | CB | Grade: 70.5

Surtain has had an extremely good season, but the biggest issue has been the lack of physicality — outside of coverage and tackling problems. Week 8 saw Surtain whiff on a tackle attempt, but he turned it around and finished the game by looking like an elite and completely rounded corner.

Surtain was physical, brought the heat as a tackler, and blew up blocks that were not seen on tape outside of that game. If he plays to that level consistently, he could have his name mentioned with the likes of Deion Sanders, Champ Bailey, and the other greats at the position.

Damarri Mathis | CB | Grade: 51.1

Mathis played quite well when stepping in for Surtain in Week 2, but has been quite obviously a rookie since relieving Ronald Darby in the starting lineup. Nevertheless, teams are picking on Mathis and are having tremendous success, by either completing a pass or drawing a penalty.

The flashes are great, but this is the ultimate test for Mathis to answer some questions about the future of the Broncos' cornerback room.

K'Waun Williams | CB | Grade: 67.7

Williams has been an exceptional addition to the cornerback room with his play from the slot. It hasn't all been pretty, but he is a force when hot, both in coverage and against the run. Williams has only been below 50 once this season and below 60 three times for his weekly grades.

Justin Simmons | S | Grade: 60.2

Simmons started the season off well but was then lost for a month with an injury. Upon his return, it was rough for a couple of games, but he started to regain his form against the Jacksonville Jaguars. There were still issues, but Simmons showed why he is such a highly regarded safety in the NFL.

Kareem Jackson | S | Grade: 41.8

Jackson has clearly lost a few steps, and it shows multiple times every week. While he has made a few plays, there are about five times as many mistakes on his end.

Jackson is out of position frequently and lacks the recovery athleticism to make up for some of his more over-aggressive plays. Hopefully, he can turn it around for the back nine as he is 34 years old, and this could be the end of the road for Jackson in the NFL, not just as a Bronco.

Coaches

Nathaniel Hackett | HC | Grade: 42.8

Hackett has had some promising moments, but just when that promise starts to show, an issue pops up. He will call plays that are working and get the defense on its heels, only to switch back to what isn't working. There are many plays the Broncos' offense runs that are so ineffective, but Hackett sticks with it.

Even if it isn't the quarterback's desire, Hackett needs to stick with what he knows the offense can execute the most efficiently. His job is on the line, after all.

Ejiro Evero | DC | Grade: 70.5

The pressure packages and coverages from Evero have been great, but some issues have been consistent through the first half of the season. Missed tackles continue to be a severe issue with the Broncos, as they have the second-most missed tackles in the NFL.

The hiccups against the run have also been a consistent issue, as Denver's rushing vulnerabilities have been exploited more over recent weeks.

Dwayne Stukes | STC | Grade: 59.3

Stukes and his special teams units had a great game against Tom McMahon and the Las Vegas Raiders, but they have been solid at best outside of that game. Communication from the returner has led to multiple issues over the past three weeks.

The Broncos' coverage units have been fine, but the return units have been rough. Fortunately, the special teams haven't been as significant of an issue as in previous seasons, even though a terrible play from the return unit directly led to one loss this year.

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