Denver Broncos: Week 3 snap counts vs. Bills

DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 17: Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 17: Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders

Check out which Denver Broncos players made a significant impact against the Buffalo Bills as we take a look at the team’s the snap counts.

The Denver Broncos dropped their first game of the season to the Buffalo Bills last week 26-16. This was a tough game for both teams, but unfortunately the Broncos couldn’t pull off the victory. This was their first loss of the year and they will be playing their division the Oakland Raiders at home this Sunday at Sports Authority Field.

Related Story: Denver Broncos: 3 Takeaways vs. Bills in Week 3

Analyzing the weekly snap counts is a good way to which players are making a major impact for the team. The more snaps a player plays, the more important they usually are to the team’s weekly game plan.

Snap counts were derived from NFLGSIS.com.

Quarterback 

Trevor Siemian, 70 snaps, 100 percent market share

Unless something drastic happens, the starting quarterback should play 100 percent of the snaps. It’s not a normal practice for a team’s coaching staff to work in the second or even the third string quarterback in the middle of the game. Either an injury or poor play are the usual causes for a shake up at the quarterback position.

Running Back 

C.J. Anderson, 49 snaps, 70 percent market share

Jamaal Charles, 21 snaps, 30 percent market share

Andy Janovich, 28 snaps, 11 percent market share

Nothing new here, Anderson worked the majority of the snaps while Charles spelled him on passing downs and on a few drives. Unless he gets injured, Anderson will be the team’s main running back for the entire season.

Wide Receiver 

Emmanuel Sanders, 62 snaps, 89 percent market share

Demaryius Thomas, 61 snaps, 87 percent market share

Bennie Fowler, 48 snaps, 69 percent market share

Cody Latimer, 11 snaps, 16 percent market share

Isaiah McKenzie, 9 snaps, 13 percent market share

Sanders and Thomas played the majority of the snaps with Fowler entering the game to play in three wide receiver snaps. Latimer and McKenzie were used sparring in this game.

Tight End

Virgil Green, 37 snaps, 53 percent market share

A.J. Derby, 29, snaps, 41 percent market share

Jeff Heuerman, 15 snaps, 21 percent market share

Green led all tight ends in snaps. He caught 3 passes for 18 yards, equating to a catch in every 12.33 snaps. Derby was the team’s second tight end, playing 41 percent of the team’s offensive snaps.

Offensive Line

Menelik Watson, 70 snaps, 100 percent market share

Ronald Leary, 70 snaps, 100 percent market share

Matt Paradis, 70 snaps, 100 percent market share

Garett Bolles, 70 snaps, 100 percent market share

Max Garcia, 36 snaps, 51 percent market share

Allen Barbre, 34 snaps, 49 percent market share

Watson and Bolles played all of the snaps at tackle while Matt Paradis played all of the snaps at center. Also, Ronald Leary is the first offensive linemen this year to play 100 percent of the snaps at guard. Garcia and Barbre alternated at the other guard spot.

Defensive Line 

Derek Wolfe, 51 snaps, 78 percent market share

Adam Gotsis, 45 snaps, 69 percent market share

Domata Peko, 35 snaps, 54 percent market share

Shelby Harris, 29 snaps, 45 percent market share

Zach Kerr, 17 snaps, 26 percent market share

It appears that the common theme in this season for the Broncos, is that the coaching staff likes to keep their defensive line as fresh as possible by implementing a rotation amongst their defensive linemen. No surprise that Wolfe led the team in snaps, considering he’s the team stud on the defensive line.

Linebacker 

Shaquil Barrett, 58 snaps, 89 percent market share

Brandon Marshall, 57 snaps, 88 percent market share

Von Miller, 55 snaps, 85 percent market share

Todd Davis, 41 snaps, 63 percent market share

DeMarcus Walker, 10 snaps, 15 percent market share

Corey Nelson, 8 snaps, 12 percent market share

Kasim Edebali, 8 snaps, 12 percent market share

Zaire Anderson, 3 snaps, 5 percent market share

Barrett, Marshall and Miller played the majority of the team’s snaps at linebacker. Todd Davis also received a lot of work even though he was spelled a few times during the game. The implemented a rotation with their younger players, so they could try to keep their starters fresh during the game.

Cornerback 

Aqib Talib, 61 snaps, 94 percent market share

Chris Harris, 60 snaps, 92 percent market share

Bradley Roby, 30 snaps, 46 percent market share

The Broncos like to keep it primitive when comes to their cornerback rotation. They keep their starters, Talib and Harris, on the field for the entire game, while working in Roby for three wide receiver sets and to spell either of the two starting corners.

Safety

Darian Stewart, 62 snaps, 95 percent market share

Justin Simmons, 57 snaps, 88 percent market share

Will Parks, 27 snaps, 42 percent market share

Jamal Carter, 1 snap, 2 percent market share

Next: Denver Broncos 7-round mock draft in September

Like cornerback, the Broncos like to keep it simple at safety, playing mostly their starters, while working in Parks on nickel and dime coverages.