6 Up, 3 Down in Denver Broncos 34-6 Preseason Win over Minnesota Vikings
Denver Broncos Sam Ehlinger went off against the Minnesota Vikings after his early interception. Many players balled out on Friday as Cut Day looms.
It's Cut Day™️ in the NFL, following the Denver Broncos 34-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Friday night.
And there were already 14 cuts made by the Broncos yesterday and earlier in the week:
- FB Adam Prentice (He will be re-signed to the practice squad.)
- DL Israel Antwine
- OLB Ron Stone Jr
- NT Jordan Miller
- WR Joseph Manjack
- OT Foster Sarell
- WR Kyrese Rowan
- C Lecitus Smith
- S Parker Robertson
- OG Reid Holskey
- CB Ricardo Hallman
- WR Hakeem Butler on Aug. 25
- WR Kyre Duplessis on Aug. 26
- S Taylor Rapp on Aug. 26 (He will likely be brought back to the team at some point this year after he figures out his home stuff that Sean Payton mentioned.)
The team is currently at 80 players. The remaining 27 cuts will come today by the 4 p.m. MT deadline.
But before we get there, let's celebrate what these guys did in the the third and final preseason game of the year for the Denver Broncos.
6 Up: Sam Ehlinger Went Off
There were some great performances by the Broncos backups on Friday night. And although few or possibly none of them will make the active roster, we should celebrate them either way. At least some of these guys will make the practice squad, and depending on injuries some of them will get elevated to the active roster at some point this year.
Sam Ehlinger
After Jarrett Stidham played well, specifically in his second drive going 4-5, he was pulled. That's because he's cemented as the team's backup quarterback.
Ehlinger made a push for the team to keep three quarterbacks, though they haven't in the three previous years with Sean Payton as head coach.
Ehlinger started the game off with a dumb interception in which he forced the ball into a receiver way too late. It was easily picked off by Kahlef Hailassie. That was Ehlinger's first pass of the night.
The good news was he bounced back phenomenally. He had some great throws, including the 25-yard toss down the sideline to Dane Key to move Denver into the red zone in the 2-minute offense. A few plays later he connected with Jaleel McLaughlin for a touchdown.
Oh, and finding Justin Joly WIDE open in the middle of the field was great, too, and Joly turned around to trot 88 yards into the end zone.
Ehlinger finished 15-20 for 233 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 INT and a 131.9 rating. It was his best performance of the season and I expect him to be cut today, but then re-signed to the practice squad.
Tyler Badie
Badie played well, running with toughness in between the tackles. He finished with 6 carries for 24 yards, a 4.0 YPC average. His best carry of the day was a solid 10-yard run that included a cutback to elude a defender before moving the chains.
Badie also caught his only target for another six yards.
Given the state of the running back room—with J.K. Dobbins the undisputed No. 1, RJ Harvey as No. 2 (for now), and Jonah Coleman as No. 3—there is likely no room for Badie nor Jaleel McLaughlin. But keep in mind that Badie also is the team's second-best return man and Marvin Mims injured his foot in the first drive of the game.
Depending on the severity of Mims' injury, it could open up a spot for Badie to make the 53-man.
Luckily Sean Payton said Mims will be fine.
Jaleel McLaughlin
Much like Badie, McLaughlin was playing for his roster spot on Friday night. And he really balled out.
He caught that touchdown from Ehlinger just before halftime that put the Broncos up 20-6. But that wasn't his only reception. He finished the night with 6 catches for 35 yards and the score.
Plus, McLaughlin ran for 7 times for 23 yards (3.3 YPC) including a 9-yard run early in the 3rd quarter.
McLaughlin's been on the team throughout the Sean Payton Era, and has started nine games over the last three years. He's averaged 4.8 yards per carry during his career here and his 59.5% success rate last year was the best of his tenure.
He's scored seven total touchdowns; three on the ground and four through the air, showcasing his versatility.
If the Broncos decide to keep four running backs today, it will either be Badie or McLaughlin cut. If they only go with three, both will be cut and likely brought back on the practice squad. However, either of them could be signed by another NFL team. That's the risk of keeping them off the 53-man roster today.
Cody Schrader
Schrader went off, but he's behind both McLaughlin and Badie in terms of making the roster.
Schrader was featured in the first half and had 13 carries for 42 yards (3.2 YPC) including a 12-yarder as his longest of the day.
He also had 6 receptions for 90 yards, with a touchdown. His 22-yard catch and run outside was a thing of beauty.
But, just like with all these performances, we have to keep in mind that it was against mostly third-stringers.
If they can stash him on the practice squad, he'd be a nice addition. But considering the Broncos can keep only 17 on the PS, do they really want three running backs? Possibly given J.K. Dobbins' injury history.
Kolbe Katsis
The dude enjoyed a 48-yard kickoff return. It was his second 40-yard return of the preseason. He has great vision and finds a seam in the coverage unit as he picks his way downfield.
But he didn't add anything to the receiving room.
It seems unlikely they keep a return specialist, unless Mims is seriously injured and can't play. But Katsis showed some strong abilities in the kickoff return game. He also returned two punts for 31 yards, including one he took from the sideline to the other sideline as he almost found a way to break it.
Rich Kurtzman
Karene Reid
Reid led the team with 5 tackles on the game. He's got a nose for the ball and was stacking tackles all night on Friday.
But, I'm not sure it was enough to make the final roster given Red Murdock and Jordan Turner there as well at ILB.
Reid to the practice squad would be a great move for Denver, though.
3 Down: Cameron Ross Muffed a Punt
Sean Payton said he told the players, like the show The Voice, he wanted them to make the coaches "turn their chair around." In other words, the players needed to really impress coaches and force them to keep them on the roster.
Cameron Ross
Ross did the opposite. He muffed a punt. Luckily, he jumped on it and recovered the ball, but it hurt the Broncos field position on that ensuing drive. He also caught a pass and went backwards with it.
Jarrett Stidham
Stiddy was good in the second drive, but in that first drive of the game his overthrow ended up getting Marvin Mims hurt. Yes, it was partly the Vikings' defender's fault for running into Mims after the overthrow, but Stiddy probably shouldn't have thrown the ball at all.
Que Robinson
On one play, a Vikings running back went to the left, then completely reversed his field to the right and Que Robinson had him dead to rights for a 10-yard loss. But Robinson missed the tackle. Luckily, the back still came up short and Minnesota had to punt.
Keep in mind that there weren't many "downs" in this game, and the Robinson and Stiddy criticisms were a bit nitpicky. I'd love to see Robinson on the team and he should make it.
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Rich Kurtzman was born and raised in Denver Colorado and attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins in the aughts. He's been a professional writer since 2011, covering Colorado State football and men's basketball, as well as the Denver Broncos, for many outlets. Current Denver Broncos work can be found on Mile High Sports. Previous credits include CBS Denver and The USA TODAY Sports Media Group.
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