Denver Broncos Preseason: Week 4 Stock Report

The Denver Broncos are in the final week of the preseason, and they have already made several cuts to trim the roster to 75 players. On Thursday night, the team will play its fourth preseason game—and its second game at home during exhibition season.

This game against the Arizona Cardinals will feature a lot of reserve players who are trying to make the squad. Even though most of the 53-man roster is set, there are a still some players with something to prove in the preseason finale.

Head coach Gary Kubiak will be watching these players closely on Thursday night.

“The first thing you want to do—hopefully, in this league, you want to come out of Thursday healthy when you're making all your decisions. When you're cutting to 53, it's very difficult to hang onto guys for three or four weeks that have little things going on.

"Hopefully we come out of it healthy and then we can make our decisions.”

Kubiak continued: "Hopefully we've got about three or four guys that play in a way that make us say, 'You know what? I'm not sure this is right.' Obviously, you've formed an opinion up to this point, and I know every year it seems like you come out of this game changing your mind about a couple players.

“It's up to them. I'm looking forward to watching the young guys play.”

With almost three weeks of preseason football in the books, let’s take a look at the Broncos' stock report.

Stock Up: WR Emmanuel Sanders

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Even though he hasn’t played in the preseason, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders is back on the practice field for the first time in almost a month—and that has his stock on the rise.

Sanders went down with a hamstring injury around August 8. The team tried to work him out before the preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks, but Sanders felt some soreness and was shut down. He’s been out of action ever since.

While Sanders was out of practice, he would work off to the side, catching passes from an equipment guy. He also revealed that he went through mental reps while his teammates were practicing.

“I just try to read coverages," he said. "I think that this is the first time, from a sideline perspective, that I got an opportunity to just watch how we were going to play for two full quarters. I saw an offense that could potentially be dangerous.”

Sanders emphasized: “I'm excited to get back out here. Hopefully I could provide big plays and a spark to this team.”

Kubiak said on Tuesday that Sanders is ready to go.

“If we were playing this week, Emmanuel is ready to go. I think we went about it the right way. There have been no setbacks this week. He's had good work.”

The Broncos first-team offense did not get into the end zone this preseason, and some Broncos fans are worried about the rust shown on the field by Peyton Manning and company. Getting an asset like Emmanuel Sanders back on the field should help greatly.

Stock Down: RB Montee Ball

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

The fact that his roster spot is up in the air before the fourth preseason game emphasizes how running back Montee Ball’s stock has plummeted. As we prepare for the final preseason game, he may be fighting for a roster spot with Kapri Bibbs.

Ball is what scouts call a “rhythm runner,” and he needs plenty of work to get into a groove. So far, Ball’s carries have been limited this preseason.

The young runner feels confident that he can look good with more touches, though.

“It is tough because I feel like I really haven't had the opportunities in these preseason games, but there’s still one more left and I feel like I'll have some playing time in this one, and I'll show them what I can do.”

Kubiak revealed that Ball is going to get plenty of work on Thursday against the Cardinals.

“[RB] Montee [Ball] and [RB] Kapri [Bibbs] are going to get the bulk of the work in the game," the coach said "They both deserve plenty of touches and they should get them coming out of this game, and they will both play special teams a great deal, too.

"We talked about the Montee deal. He needs a bunch of carries and he'll get them on Thursday.”

No player on the roster has more to prove on Thursday night than Ball. If he plays well, then the Broncos should keep him around for valuable veteran depth. If he struggles again this week in the preseason game, then perhaps his playing days in Denver are done.

Stock Up: WR Jordan Norwood

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Things change quickly in the NFL. Just last week, wide receiver Jordan Norwood was a player whose stock was down. After a strong performance against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night, Norwood now sees his stock climbing back up.

Kubiak agreed that Norwood shined on Saturday night against the 49ers.

“He's had a really good camp. He's played very well. I've gained a lot of confidence in him as a player. I know Peyton has a lot of confidence in him. So yes, he's playing well.”

Norwood provided Manning with a consistent target as a slot receiver. With Demaryius Thomas and Cody Latimer on the outside, Norwood was able to take advantage of coverages on underneath routes. He finished the game with four catches (on four targets) and 38 yards receiving.

In addition to impressing as a receiver, Norwood increases his chances to make the team with his skill as a return man. Kubiak will look at the veteran receiver in multiple roles.

“We'll see," the coach said. "[Special teams coordinator] Joe [DeCamillis] and I are going to talk about it. I definitely want to take a look at [WR Corbin] Louks this week. I want to take a look at him. [WR] Isaiah [Burse], we'll continue to take a look at him. We'll see.”

Thomas, Sanders and Latimer are locks for the final roster. Norwood is competing for a spot behind those three with Bennie Fowler and Andre Caldwell. After his performance against the 49ers, Norwood might have made enough of a positive impression to make the team.

Stock Down: C Gino Gradkowski

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

The Broncos traded the Baltimore Ravens for center Gino Gradkowski earlier this year with the idea that he could start in the middle of the offensive line. After starting at center during minicamp and OTAs, it was no surprise that Gradkowski entered training camp on the first-team offense.

After four days of practice, second-year pro Matt Paradis replaced him as the starter.

The Broncos selected Paradis in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL draft. As a rookie, he did not make the final roster but did stick around for the entire year on the practice squad. In the preseason, Paradis has stepped in as the starter and has not looked back. He’s been doing a respectable job as the starting center, and the team seems happy with his progress.

Gradkowski had been practicing as the second-team center, but now even that spot is up for grabs.

With veteran left guard Evan Mathis added to the mix, rookie Max Garcia has been bounced from the starting lineup. Garcia is a versatile player who started multiple games at every position on the offensive line during his college career. He was a center during his final season in college at Florida, and it should come as no surprise that the Broncos have moved him to that position in practice this week.

Kubiak admitted the team is considering all options behind Paradis.

“Today [C/G] Max [Garcia] is playing a little center. We know he's done that. He did that at Florida for four years. We're starting to get close to how we're going to swing on game day, how many guys we're going to have up. Seven is what you'd like to play with.”

Kubiak stated, “There are some important things that have to happen, so you've got some work there to do.”

Garcia’s versatility (and decent play as the starting left guard for the preseason) should earn him a spot on the 53-man roster. He can easily move over to center if needed, and the team may keep him around as a swing guard/backup center in 2015.

This means Gradkowski is on shaky ground.

Stock Up: LB Danny Trevathan

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Broncos fans were excited to see linebacker Danny Trevathan in action for the first time this preseason last Saturday night when the Broncos beat the San Francisco 49ers. Trevathan is starting at weak-side inside linebacker for the Broncos this season. His coverage skills and nose for the football make him a fine asset for the defense.

Last year, two separate knee injuries knocked Trevathan out of action. He’s been working diligently to get back on the field, and he should be near full strength by the start of the regular season.

Trevathan is excited about working under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips this year.

“He's just an old-school coach and he kicked it to us real," Trevathan said. "He told us to just go out there and play ball. Don't worry about anything. Just play ball, know what you're doing, be fundamentally sound and just play ball. It's going to work out for good. We have the pieces to the defense.”

Trevathan emphasized, “For us to go out there and showcase this, it's just showing that we're working towards our goal to be the best defense in the league.”

The Broncos are going to have an aggressive defense in 2015. There’s going to be a lot of action funneled in the direction of Trevathan. It looks like he’s going to be ready for the challenge.

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.