Denver Broncos Preseason: Week 3 Stock Report
The Denver Broncos have gone through two preseason games so far, and they are undefeated throughout the process. Things are moving quickly as the regular season approaches for every team in the NFL.
This team is still in a Super Bowl window, and it’s easy to make the argument that they have the best chance to win this year. Entering Year 4 of the Peyton Manning era, this may be the team that finally gets the combination correct.
It’s imperative to find the best players for the 53-man roster. Spots on the roster are precious, and the team is analyzing quite a bit of talent on both sides of the ball at UC Health Training Center.
The Broncos are at home for the first time this preseason as they take on the San Francisco 49ers Saturday night. The two teams are going to hold joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday as they prepare for the regular-season dress rehearsal—aka Week 3 of the preseason.
Head coach Gary Kubiak talked about the team’s plan for these joint practices.
“We're going to be in shells tomorrow against each other and then we'll be in shorts on Thursday, so this will be a little bit different, but I think it just gives you a chance to evaluate your players against other people." Kubiak continued, "We plan on practicing our young guys a great deal over the course of the next two days. It's almost like them getting to play another game in a lot of ways because their reps are going down this week in this preseason game.”
With almost three weeks of preseason football in the books, let’s take a look at the Broncos' stock report.
Stock Up: NT Sylvester Williams
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It was shaping up to be a make-or-break year for 2013 first-round pick Sylvester Williams. He flashed for eight games as a rookie, but failed to impress in 2014 as a 16-game starter. Williams rarely made a tackle, and he had zero sacks through his sophomore slump.
This year, Williams looks better in training camp and the preseason.
The new 3-4 defense under defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is getting the best out of players like Williams. The team has a more aggressive mindset on the defensive side of the ball, and the defensive line is asked with controlling one gap instead of two gaps like they did under former coordinator Jack Del Rio.
Williams has done a good job of controlling his gap, but he’s also working to get penetration. This is something we didn’t see from Williams last year as he was mostly stuck hand-fighting on the line. Now, Williams is capable of swallowing up the run or getting interior push on the quarterback.
The seasoned veteran likes the different looks this defense will give an opponent.
“I think the versatility is going to help us out a lot. Also, I think we got depth. I think we’ve got guys that could start most anywhere in the league. We’ve got [DE] Vance [Walker], we got [NT Darius] Kilgo and we’ve got [DE] Kenny [Anunike] coming back early. I think overall, we're going to be pretty good.” Williams emphasized, “The thing about us is that we could all play three positions on the defensive line. I think that’s going to help us out a lot.”
As the nose tackle in a 3-4, Williams is the fulcrum of the defense. This team can’t afford to be weak up the middle, and so far Williams is showing that he can stand strong and produce for the new-look Broncos defense.
Stock Down: WR Jordan Norwood
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We may have seen Jordan Norwood fall down the depth chart over the last week. He started training camp strong, but Norwood has not been able to translate that success over to the preseason.
It looked like Norwood was a lock for the final roster last year in the preseason before a knee injury dashed his hopes of making the team. Instead of playing on Sundays, Norwood spent the 2014 season on injured reserve as he recovered from his injury.
This year, Norwood came out and performed like he never missed a beat. During the offseason workouts and training camp, Norwood made plays as a receiver all over the field.
He stretched out to make plays above his head, and he dove to the ground to snare passes that were too low. Norwood showed fearlessness when running routes over the middle, and he showed good body control on sideline routes.
He’s not showing up in the preseason—and if he’s mentioned in the broadcast it’s been for something bad.
In the preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks, Norwood finished the game with three catches for 29 yards. However, it was a fumbled punt that stood out the most.
In the game against the Houston Texans in Week 2 of the preseason, Norwood failed to record a catch even though he was targeted twice. In addition to not showing well as a receiver, Norwood is also failing to make an impact as a return man.
He’s a talented veteran, but Norwood has to play almost flawlessly if he wants to make the final roster in 2015.
Stock Up: QB Trevor Siemian
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The Broncos surprised some in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL draft when they selected quarterback Trevor Siemian out of Northwestern.
Siemian didn’t do much of note during his college career. He couldn’t beat out Kain Colter (a running quarterback) for the starting job, and Siemian had only seven touchdowns—with 11 interceptions—during his senior season. For his career, Siemian had passed for 5,931 yards with 27 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.
He didn’t show well on film, but the Broncos saw something they liked—his natural arm talent.
There’s no question that Siemian can sling the rock. He has a natural motion and a quick release as a passer. His arm is strong enough to make every throw required in the NFL, and Siemian isn’t afraid to challenge the edges of the defense.
Offensive coordinator Rick Dennison likes what Siemian has done so far this offseason.
“Trevor lost so much time in the spring. He just wasn't able to go out there with his knee," Dennison said. "He's progressing as you would think, just being out there and playing.”
There’s a chance that Siemian makes the final roster for the Broncos—even though carrying three quarterbacks would cramp the team at other positions. He could wind up on injured reserve as he continues to recover from the knee injury he suffered last year in college. At the very least, it looks like Siemian has earned a spot on the practice squad as a developmental prospect.
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Stock Down: RB Montee Ball
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With Ronnie Hillman rushing for 120 yards (on only 16 carries) in two preseason games, we’ve seen Montee Ball struggle to make an impact during that time. Ball has 12 carries for only 30 rushing yards over the last two games—and he’s looked lost on the field at times.
This isn’t the Ball we saw in training camp.
Ball ran in a zone-blocking system during his time in college at Wisconsin. He’s a natural fit for this scheme, and he showed natural ability during camp. Ball would patiently wait for holes to open, then showed crisp burst when getting to—and through—the holes.
He entered training camp with the mindset that he was going to push C.J. Anderson for the starting job. Now, Ball may be getting pushed by Juwan Thompson for the fourth spot on the depth chart.
Kubiak wants to see more of Ball in the preseason.
“First off, I think [RB] C.J. [Anderson] and [RB] Ronnie [Hillman] continue to get their work. We're not going to stop that, but I'd like to see Montee get more carries," Kubiak explained. "I don't know how it's going to work out, but we're obviously going to play our starters deeper into the football game, so we'll see how it goes.”
Ball is better than the player he’s shown in the preseason. We’ll see if the motivation of falling down the depth chart can bring the best out of him.
Stock Up: LB Shaquil Barrett
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Over the last two preseason games, second-year linebacker Shaquil Barrett has made big plays. If there was such a thing as a forced-fumble specialist, then Barrett would be an All-Pro at the position.
Barrett knows how to use his length and strength to get after the passer. He has the strength to push opponents out of his way, and Barrett has good closing burst when the quarterback is in his sights.
In both preseason games, Barrett has recorded a strip-sack. He’s also recorded a whopping six quarterback hits over the last two games. Simply put, Barrett is being incredibly disruptive when on the field.
Seven different players—including Barrett—recorded a sack in the preseason opener against the Seahawks.
Kubiak was encouraged by what he saw.
“It was encouraging because of how we flew around. I could go through guys, but [OLB] Shaq [Barrett] was a very encouraging young player. That's what you want to see. You don't want to see your success come from one guy, or two.” Kubiak emphasized, “You want to see it come across the board because of the scheme you're playing and guys playing hard. That was encouraging to see.”
We’re only two games into the preseason, but it’s looking more and more like Barrett is going to make the 53-man roster.
All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos' media department unless otherwise noted. Advanced stats via ESPN's employees-only database.
Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions.
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