5 takeaways from Broncos' 10-6 loss to Rams in preseason Game 4

What did we learn in Denver's fourth preseason game of the summer?

By this point, the Denver Broncos should be done with their preseason gauntlet. But they're not. There's one more exhibition game to go. 

Denver dropped its third game of the preseason on Saturday night, falling to the L.A. Rams 10-6. The Broncos now sit at 1-3 in the preseason but don't let that worry you.

Head coach Vic Fangio, nor any of his staff, have game-planned one whit of these four games. The preseason is about evaluation of players and that's exactly the value that Saturday night's loss brought the Broncos.

Denver got perhaps a little more clarity on their backup QB situation and saw a few players shine and create some separation in their respective position battles. What did we learn from preseason Game 4? Let's get to it. 

Hogan less than inspiring

The Broncos were hoping Kevin Hogan could show some clear competency as the next-best option to back up Joe Flacco to open the regular season. Alas, he showed what he consistently has as a Bronco — nothing special. 

It's not that Hogan was bad. He went 8-of-12 for 69 yards in almost a full half of play. But you could fall asleep watching him quarterbacking a Broncos offense. 

Just dink-and-dunk, pedantic play. For having been in the league as long as he has, Hogan misses too many open receivers in his reads and holds onto the ball too long at times. 

Hogan has shown a sudden propensity for scrambling, although it looks more like 'oh s#*t' ball. You know, a guy running for his life. But positive yardage came once again on Hogan's legs. He rushed four times for 14 yards. 

We'll talk about the next QB who entered the game shortly but Fangio's halftime comment about Hogan's first-half performance kind of says it all. 

“He had some good plays, some not so good," Fangio said Saturday night. "[He’s] still developing.”

Pump the brakes on the Rypien hype

Undrafted rookie Brett Rypien entered the game just in time to lead a two-minute drill to end the second quarter. He opened the game by completing his first five passes but it was all downhill from there 

Rypien challenged the defense a little more than Hogan did but the $146k rookie was inaccurate and ran into at least one sack. He took a massive shot early in the fourth quarter that'll teach him a little something about getting rid of the ball faster in the NFL. 

Rypien finished the night 14-of-23 for 80 yards, with one interception (a tipped pass) and a putrid QB rating of 49.2. He'll get one more game to make his case but for those holding out hope that he could unseat Hogan for that short-term backup QB job while Drew Lock heals from his sprained throwing thumb, pump the brakes. 

Rypien has shown nothing that would lead me to believe the Broncos couldn't pass him through waivers and re-sign him to the practice squad. 

Hollins shines

I really liked what I saw from rookie linebacker Justin Hollins. He played some off-ball and outside linebacker and though he wasn't exactly a whirling dervish, he was the best Broncos defender out on the field. 

Hollins finished with a team-high eight tackles (five solo). He's yet to really show out as a pass rusher but he hasn't been bad in that department.

The Broncos have put a lot on his plate, asking him to learn two positions as a rookie. But this was the first game I can say I caught a glimpse of what has enamored the Broncos about Hollins.

Butt debuts and holds up

Jake Butt finally debuted in the 2019 preseason and he looked good. Butt was getting to the second level as a blocker, mixing it up with some physicality. 

As a receiver, Butt was targeted twice and hauled in both for 17 yards. He took a couple of shots and bounced back up. After the game, he said it felt great to get out there again. 

It was good to see him out there. The Broncos, too, were happy to see him out on the grid-iron. 

“It was very good," Fangio said at halftime. "It’s great for him, great for the team. Guys are happy for him. He’s happy so it’s all good.”

Winfree just has 'it'

Rookie wideout Winfree hasn't benefitted from the greatest of QB play this summer but in each game he's found a way to make an impact. In L.A., he hauled in one reception for 19 yards and chipped in as a gunner on punt team. 

Winfree made one of the biggest hits of the night covering a punt. That's how Hall-of-Famer Terrell Davis carved out a role for himself back in 1995. 

Winfree will have to continue his progress as a receiver while providing additional utility to the team as a gunner, especially because Brendan Langley isn't making this team. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen.