Broncos vs. Cowboys: Which Broncos Players Impressed the Most?

The dust has settled on one of the most anticipated preseason games in Denver Broncos history—only to be eclipsed by the next game in hype and attention.

Obviously, the majority of the focus was on the play of Kyle Orton, Tim Tebow and Brady Quinn, which didn't solve much.

Orton looked great between the 20s and then stalled in the red zone.

Tebow completed almost all of his passes and extended plays, but in the end he looked erratic and off on his timing and had to settle for field goals.

Brady Quinn looked bad in the beginning and then very serviceable against Dallas' third-string defense.

Looking further into the game, here are a few players that may have either saved themselves from the cut list permanently, or at the very least earned another look for next week.

Jeremiah Johnson

Acceleration and a burst through the line like that for a touchdown could earn anyone a second look.

Obviously, Knowshon Moreno and Willis McGahee are safe, but in a game where Lendale White did not impress and Lance Ball was his average self, Johnson showed some tough running in the red zone which John Fox must love to see.

Perrish Cox

Setting aside all other factors and simply basing an opinion off on-field action, you liked to see Perrish Cox be in the right place at the right time for his interception.

His coverage kept him in position most times and the explosiveness he showed after the pick was exciting.

Again, who knows how his off-field troubles will shake out, but it would be a shame to see a talent like this wasted.

David Anderson

David Anderson found himself near the top of the Denver Broncos receiving statistics tonight, not because of one big flashy play, but due to consistency.

Anderson is the kind of sure-handed presence that will benefit any quarterback.

His skills are much like former Bronco receiver Brandon Stokley, and hopefully he can stick on this roster and provide the same kind of chain-moving ability.

Kyle McCarthy

Originally thought to be an early casualty of the cut line, McCarthy might have made John Fox and Dennis Allen look like a genius tonight.

McCarthy flashed on several occasions and found himself near the ball on a majority of the plays he was in for—one of which was a very impressive sack off the edge.

There were a few plays in coverage where McCarthy's lack of foot speed was exposed, but despite that he showed the kind of football IQ that can make him a weapon, if used correctly, on this defense.

Jason Hunter

Hunter led the team with two sacks against the Cowboys, which was surprising since it seemed likely that the names like Dumervil or Miller would populate the stat line in that category.

Hunter far outshined the two players ahead of him on the end. Granted, it was against the reserve offensive line, but he can only beat the players in front of him.

His disruption and play-making in the game should help increase his participation on the defense and continue to put pressure on Robert Ayers to make plays this preseason.  

Matthew Willis

If Tebow leads Willis a little bit more with that pass, we are discussing a touchdown play. 

Simply put, Willis displayed his separation skills against the defensive backfield and there is no reason to believe that he cannot do it on a regular basis.

The only thing better than having a player who can stretch the field and win most jump-ball situations, like Brandon Lloyd, is having two of them.

Willis may be proving that he is the type of guy you can feel comfortable chucking one up and seeing what happens.