Denver Broncos: Analyzing Week 2 snap counts vs. Cowboys

Check out which Denver Broncos players made a significant impact against the Dallas Cowboys as we take a deeper dive into the snap counts.

Analyzing the snap counts on a weekly basis can help determine which players are most important to the team’s success. During the season, second and third string players may earn more opportunities for playing time and by verifying the snap counts it’s easier to see which players are carving out a role with the team.

The Denver Broncos did a phenomenal job against the Dallas Cowboys who are considered one of the most talented teams in the league. With that being said, let’s see which players contributed the most to Denver’s 42-17 victory over Dallas.

Snap counts were derived from NFLGSIS.com.

Quarterback

Trevor Siemian, 77 snaps, 100 percent market share

This isn’t a surprise considering majority of starting quarterbacks in the league play 100 percent of the snaps. He should play all of the snaps going forward unless something drastic happens, causing him to leave the game.

Running Back

C.J. Anderson, 56 snaps, 73 percent market share

Jamaal Charles, 20 snaps, 26 percent market share

Andy Janovich, 7 snaps, 9 percent market share

Anderson played lights out on Sunday, rushing for 118 yards and one touchdown. He earned every snap that was given to him due to his stellar play in the first few games of the season and in the preseason. He currently holds the bell-cow back role for the team and he’s not going to let go of that title unless he sufferers a devastating injury.

Charles spelled Anderson on a few series and looked very promising with the ball in his hands. He still has some juice left in his legs and it appears that the Broncos are going to use him until the wheels fall off.

Wide Receiver

Emmanuel Sanders, 69 snaps, 90 percent market share

Demaryius Thomas, 68 snaps, 88 percent market share

Isaiah McKenzie, 30 snaps, 39 percent market share

Bennie Fowler, 23 snaps, 30 percent market share

Cody Latimer, 14 snaps, 18 percent market share

Sanders and Thomas were on the field most of the time as they are the team’s top two pass catchers. Thomas caught six passes for 71 yards and Sanders caught six passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns. Bennie Fowler and Isaiah McKenzie split reps as the third wide receiver with Mckenzie receiving 39 percent of the snaps. Former second-round pick Cody Latimer appears to be riding the “NFL Draft Bust” train, because he could only get on the field 18 percent of the time.

Tight End

Virgil Green, 46 snaps, 60 percent market share

A.J. Derby, 29 snaps, 38 percent market share

Jeff Heuerman, 23 snaps, 30 percent market share

Denver ran a lot of three and four wide receiver sets, causing Green to be off the field 40 percent of the time. Situation can sometimes dictate a player’s usage and Green unfortunately had to sit out on some plays, because Denver wanted to take advantage of Dallas’ lack of depth in their defensive backfield.

Offensive Line

Menelik Watson, 77 snaps, 100 percent market share

Matt Paradis, 77 snaps, 100 percent market share

Ronald Leary, 72 snaps, 94 precent market share

Garett Bolles, 58 snaps, 75 percent market share

Allen Barbre, 53 snaps, 69 percent market share

Max Garcia, 41 snaps, 53 percent market share

Connor McGovern, 5 snaps, 6 percent market share

Donald Stephenson, 2 snaps, 3 percent market share

Watson, Paradis and Leary played the majority of the snaps. Bolles suffered an injury, causing him to leave the game. Denver implemented a rotation at left guard during most of the game with Allen Barbre owning a 69 percent market share of the snaps.

Defensive Line

Derek Wolfe, 52 snaps, 73 percent market share

Adam Gotsis, 44 snaps, 62 percent market share

Shelby Harris, 33 snaps, 46 percent market share

Domata Peko, 19 snaps, 27 percent market share

Kyle Peko, 7 snaps, 10 percent market share

Linebacker

Shaquil Barrett, 62 snaps, 87 percent market share

Von Miller, 57 snaps, 80 percent market share

Brandon Marshall, 55 snaps, 77 percent market share

Kasim Edebali, 19 snaps, 27 percent market share

Corey Nelson, 16 snaps, 23 precent market share

Todd Davis, 16 snaps, 23 percent market share

DeMarcus Walker, 9 snaps, 13 percent market share

Barrett, Miller and Marshall are the team’s core at linebacker and their snap counts reflect how important they are to the defense since they were on the field for the majority of the game. Marshall and Barrett both accumulated seven tackles a piece, while Miller put the pressure on the quarterback with two sacks.

Cornerback

Aqib Talib, 69 snaps, 97 percent market share

Chris Harris, 69 snaps, 97 percent market share

Bradley Roby, 62 snaps, 87 percent market share

Lorenzo Doss, 5 snaps, 7 percent market share

Not much has changed from last week, Talib and Harris played most of the snaps while Roby entered the field for three and four wide receiver sets.

Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Offensive linemen fill big needs

Safety

Justin Simmons, 70 snaps, 99 percent market share

Darian Stewart, 63 snaps, 89 percent market share

William Parks, 53 snaps, 75 precent market share

Jamal Carter, 1 snap, 1 percent market share

Simmons recorded six tackles while playing almost every defensive snaps on Sunday. Steward was next in line, playing 63 snaps while accumulating three total tackles.

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