Denver Broncos: 3 Players to watch vs. Falcons in Hall of Fame Game
The Denver Broncos will kick off a new NFL season playing the Falcons in the 2019 Hall of Fame Game but who should Broncos fans keep an eye on?
As they prepare to start a new NFL preseason on Thursday night, the Denver Broncos are hoping to reverse their fortunes from last season. They enter their 2019 Hall of Fame Game matchup with the Atlanta Falcons coming off of a year in which the finished below .500 and well outside the playoff picture.
Things have changed since then, though. Case Keenum is gone and Joe Flacco is in — as is rookie Drew Lock. Meanwhile, a pair of young running backs in Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman figure to be a dynamic 1-2 punch out of the backfield, particularly the former who broke out as an undrafted rookie in the 2018 season. Meanwhile, Von Miller in the defense hope to return to being an elite group in this league.
While that may be the outlook for the Broncos, the Hall of Fame Game will not offer many looks at the established veterans on the roster. Instead, as it’s an extra preseason game, we’ll see plenty of player that are striving to earn either a bigger role or just a spot on the 53-man roster.
Having that in mind, let’s take a look at the players worth watching for the Denver Broncos in the Hall of Fame Game.
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3. Trinity Benson/Kelvin McKnight, WR
It’s safe to say that the wide receiver battle in Denver might be the most up-in-the-air position group on the team. While Courtland Sutton, Emmanuel Sanders (once 100 percent healthy) and DaeSean Hamilton are likely locked in as the top three pass-catchers, whoever comes in behind them on the depth chart is anything but decided.
To this point in training camp, though, undrafted rookies Trinity Benson and Kelvin McKnight have started to make their cases.
Given Sanders’ recovery from an Achilles injury still ongoing and the fact that the Broncos will likely try to keep Sutton and Hamilton healthy, Benson and McKnight should see the field plenty in the Hall of Fame Game. This could be a tremendous opportunity for either player to set the tone for the preseason and pave the way to a spot on the 53-man roster.
2. Malik Reed, EDGE
The top two edge rushers in Denver are not remotely in question. Von Miller and 2018 first-round pick Bradley Chubb are entrenched as the starters at the position. Having said that, the depth chart behind them is much less decided than that. And while fifth-round rookie Justin Hollins could earn his keep, so too could undrafted rookie Malik Reed out of Nevada.
While Reed is undoubtedly raw as a pass rusher off the edge, he possesses some impressive physical traits and some of the work that he put on film while in college was enough to turn heads. If he’s been developing early and picking up more technique refinement throughout the offseason with the Broncos, he has the innate gifts to make an impact in the preseason and perhaps earn a spot in the rotation on defense.
1. Drew Lock, QB
With the Broncos trading up to draft Drew Lock in the middle of the second round after trading for Joe Flacco earlier in the offseason, quarterback was always going to be a hot topic in Denver this offseason. True to form, things have indeed turned out that way.
Having said that, there hasn’t been much drama at the position. In fact, Fangio has been adamant that Lock is not ready to be an NFL starter, essentially confirming that Flacco is the guy until further notice (which may be a while). Even still, there’s reason for fans to be excited to see Lock out on the field.
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Anytime you have a prospect with the talent of Lock coming in at a position like quarterback, fans want to see what they’re made of and what they bring to the table. Even if Fangio is right and Lock has growing pains in the Hall of Fame Game, it’ll still be fascinating to see what he is doing well at this point and the foundation he has to build on in Denver.