{"id":143847,"date":"2023-08-15T14:50:09","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T18:50:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=143847"},"modified":"2023-08-15T14:50:09","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T18:50:09","slug":"denver-broncos-5-things-watch-week-2-preseason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/08\/15\/denver-broncos-5-things-watch-week-2-preseason\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Things to Watch in Denver Broncos Week 2 Preseason"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s \u201conly preseason\u201d is a true statement. The Denver Broncos decided early on that their preseason would be different from last year. It started with the <a href=\"http:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/08\/12\/denver-broncos-preseason-week-1-recap\/\" target=\"_self\">preseason week one<\/a> game, where the healthy starters played. It is riding into preseason week two, where the Broncos hope the differences between last year and this year will manifest. We shall see. Here are five things to watch for in the Broncos Week 2 preseason game.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>5 Things To Look For in the Denver Broncos Week 2 Preseason<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>Denver Broncos Offensive Line\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Denver Broncos offensive line was without right tackle<a href=\"http:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/08\/14\/denver-broncos-preseason-week-1-positives-and-negatives\/\" target=\"_self\"> Mike McGlinchey<\/a> for the first week of preseason. The remainder of the offensive line consisted of presumptive starters, including much-paid Ben Powers and returning All-Pro Garrett Bolles, returning from the broken leg he suffered last season.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I don\u2019t think the Broncos have a Russell Wilson problem. I think the Broncos have an OL problem <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KDHMaR6DSL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/KDHMaR6DSL<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Denver Broncos 365 (@DailyBroncos) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DailyBroncos\/status\/1690745888149291008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 13, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>According to <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pff.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pro Football Focus<\/a>, <\/em>quarterback Russell Wilson was pressured 64.3% of the time. That is, he was pressured on nine of his 14 dropbacks. Wilson completed two of those attempts for 40 yards. The offensive line gave up five quarterback hits and one sack. Left guard Powers gave up two pressures on 14-pass blocking snaps. Bolles started okay, but his play rapidly declined.<\/p>\n<p>To be fair, this is a small sample. The starting offensive line was on the field for 20 offensive snaps, 14 passes, and six-run snaps. The offensive line was also revamped and missing one of its newest acquisitions. The question is will they improve in the second week of preseason?<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Russell Wilson\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>There will be a Wilson watch all year. Head coach Sean Payton hasn\u2019t stated whether the starters will play in week two of the preseason, but it does seem the offensive starters need more work.<\/p>\n<p>Looking at the stat sheet from week one, it appears that Wilson had a good game. But if you look closer, it doesn\u2019t look as great. Through the first three series against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/08\/10\/storylines-as-the-cardinals-open-preseason-against-denver\/\" target=\"_self\">Arizona Cardinals starters<\/a>, Wilson went 4-of-9 for 49 yards.<\/p>\n<p>For the first play, Wilson rolled right and threw behind tight end Adam Trautman for an incomplete pass. The Broncos then completed a short run before Wilson&#8217;s pass on third down got batted down. The Broncos then went three and out.<\/p>\n<p>An interception by Essang Bassey gave the offense a short field, starting on the Cardinals 41-yard line. Wilson hits Jerry Jeudy over the middle for 19 yards. Cardinals outside linebacker Dennis Gordeck then pressure Wilson from the left side. The hit caused Wilson to fumble. The fumble was recovered, giving the Broncos a third and long. The next offensive attempt was an incomplete shovel pass under pressure. The Denver Broncos brought out Brett Maher and the field goal unit, who attempted and failed at a field goal attempt.<\/p>\n<p>The starters went one-of-five on third downs. They played into the second quarter. At which time, you will hear much about Wilson\u2019s 21-yard touchdown pass to Jeudy. Keep in mind this was against the Cardinals second squad. Let\u2019s look and see how he does against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/06\/27\/top-5-nfl-rosters-2023\/\" target=\"_self\">San Francisco 49ers starters<\/a> in week two of the preseason.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Broncos Backup Quarterback Battle\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Jarrett Stidham received lots of money to come to Denver and presumably be the backup to Wilson. Then week one of preseason happened, and Stidham didn\u2019t look good. He completed five passes on 15 attempts for 50 yards, one sack, and one interception.<\/p>\n<p>Much traveled, Ben DiNucci entered the game late and played on 17 snaps. He looked much better than Stidham, who played on 27 of the snaps. DiNucci&#8217;s stats won\u2019t blow you away, completing six of five passes for 55 yards. But he didn\u2019t turn the ball over, and he didn\u2019t seem to panic. Granted DiNucci was playing against the threes, and Stidham was facing the two\u2019s in the Cardinals\u2019 defense. It was the first preseason game. Let\u2019s look and see what happens in week two of the preseason.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Denver Broncos Tight End Room\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Undrafted rookie Nate Adkins played on 38% of the offensive snaps. Adkins was on the field the most of any tight ends. While he wasn\u2019t targeted, his blocking stood out and will probably get him a spot on the 53-man roster.<\/p>\n<p>For those who drafted Greg Dulcich in your fantasy drafts, it isn\u2019t quite time to panic, but it is close. In week one, Adam Trautman played 23% of the snaps, ran nine routes, and had three targets. He caught two passes for 18 yards. Trautman was TE1 on the depth chart for week one and TE1 on the field for production.<\/p>\n<p>Dulcich was on the field for 23% of the offensive snaps. He ran seven routes but was not targeted. The reason to remain calm is that it is preseason, meaning all the bells and whistles remain safely in the playbook. Payton has referred to Dulcich as \u201cJoker\u201d in the offense. That would give him the same status as Taysom Hill had in Payton\u2019s offense.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Essang Bassey\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Last season Bassey played rotation on the corner and was a special teams player. He played 222 defensive snaps with 173 out of the slot. On 126 snaps dropped into coverage, he was targeted 16 times and allowed eight receptions for 73 yards. Bassey did not allow a touchdown from the slot alignment.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Essang Bassey picks it off! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BroncosCountry?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#BroncosCountry<\/a><br \/> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vfDr8t3EHM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/vfDr8t3EHM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Barstool Denver (@BarstoolDenver) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BarstoolDenver\/status\/1690189163382124544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 12, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Denver Broncos defense and Bassey started where they left off last season. Last season Bassey played on 21% of the defensive snaps as a backup to K\u2019Waun Williams. In the preseason week one game Bassey was on the field for 20% (16 snaps) of the defensive snaps as a starter in the slot.<\/p>\n<p>Bassey\u2019s stock is rising after the first preseason game. He made plays from the slot and on special teams. Now it is time to watch and see if he can sustain his good work in the week two preseason game.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo: Rob Schumacher\/The Republic-USA TODAY NETWORK<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Denver Broncos have offensive areas that need improvement. Here are 5 things to watch for in Week 2 of the preseason. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4822,"featured_media":143876,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[54,15],"tags":[6061,7305,6477,2131,9138,237],"class_list":["post-143847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorials","category-broncos","tag-adam-trautman","tag-denver-broncos-news","tag-essang-bassey","tag-garrett-bolles","tag-greg-dulcich","tag-russell-wilson"],"modified_by":"Will Koshover, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4822"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143847"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143847\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}