The start of the season is now and for the Denver Broncos, that means that they will try to repeat as the AFC West Champions. Denver will have a first place schedule, but the team is up for the challenge. Ahead of their first game, we have gotten the injury report and the projected depth chart rankings.
Injury Report:
Cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine, Broken Ribs, occurred in week 2 of the preseason.
Denver Broncos Week 1 Depth Chart:
Quarterback: Bo Nix, Trey Lance
Halfback: Malik Sherrod(R), RJ Harvey, Ty Chandler
Wide Receivers: Marvin Mims Jr, Barrion Brown(R), Cortland Sutton, Danny Gray.
Tight Ends: Evan Engram, Albert Okwuegbunam, Caleb Lohner
Offensive Linemen: Garett Bolles, Mike McGlinchey, Luke Wattenberg, Quinn Meinerz, Spencer Fano.
Edge Rushers: Nik Bonitto, Jonathan Cooper
Defensive Tackles: Zach Allen, Sai’vion Jones
Linebackers: Dre Greenlaw, Channing Tindall, Drew Sanders
Cornerbacks: Patrick Surtain II, Jahdae Barron, Kapena Gushiken(R), Art Green
Safeties: Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones
A Rookie Halfback in the Building:
Denver has three rookies starting for them this week against the Atlanta Falcons. One of the most surprising starts for the team is rookie halfback Malik Sherrod, especially since RJ Harvey had a breakout year accumulating almost 2,000 all purpose yards. Inside the headquarters of the Broncos, the story is that Sherrod looked too explosive in the pre-season not to give him the opportunity to start, his grit ability to change his direction on a dime far surpassed Harvey’s ability to get up the field in the same fashion. The Bronco running backs are still expected to complement each other, with Harvey providing the team with short bursts in short situations. Harvey has a bigger frame and a canny ability to break tackles, he will be an asset to the team late in games as the defense tires.
Deep Threat Ability:
Denver desperately needed a deep threat receiver to take the top off of defenses last season. The team signed Danny Gray, but utilizing Gray as a receiver wasn’t optimal to the team. Gray was subjected to the fourth position on the depth chart and was the primary returner in the kicking game. Denver brought Gray back this off-season with the intention of making him a halfback. However, the team signed Ty Chandler and drafted Sherrod, so they were set at halfback. Nonetheless, Barrion Brown was drafted to open up the downfield passing game and Gray can also be utilized in a similar fashion, especially on five wide formations. Denver was one of the most balanced passing attacks in the league last season, the team had 5 different receivers that had 900+ receiving yards. Brown’s presence on the field should keep defenders on their toes and open up running lanes as defenders will be less inclined to press the speedy rookie.
Denver Waves G’Bye to Riley Moss:
Denver attempted to trade Riley Moss to the New England Patriots before the draft and ultimately decided to trade him to the Buffalo Bills after the season. Denver targeted a corner in the draft, hoping to potentially take one in the earlier rounds, but ultimately selected Kapena Gushiken in the 4th round of the draft. Gushiken has a lot of raw talent and time will tell if Denver is introducing the rookie way too early, but with Riley Moss needing to be re-signed in the off-season, Denver wanted to unload the 26 year old corner for his highest price. Moss had a solid career in Denver, but his asking price was too much for the team.
