Denver Broncos outside linebacker Malik Reed had a great game against the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday evening, totaling two sacks for losses of 17 yards in a 20-7 win.
Reed (6-2, 235 pounds) is an undrafted rookie out of Nevada who appeared to be a lock to make the 53-man roster even before Thursday’s dominant performance. He totaled 10 tackles and four sacks in five preseason games.
Reed will be one of the team’s top backup outside linebackers this season behind starters Von Miller and Bradley Chubb.
At quarterback, Kevin Hogan went 12-of-23 for 138 yards in the first half with one touchdown pass and two interceptions, good for a 48.8 passer rating. Brett Rypien played in the second half and went 8-of-11 for 86 yards with no touchdowns and one interception, good for a 57.4 passer rating.
If Denver is not confident with either Hogan or Rypien serving as the backup quarterback behind Joe Flacco in Week 1, the team will consider adding a quarterback off the waiver wire this weekend.
With preseason now in the rearview mirror, the Broncos will turn their attention toward building a 53-man roster. Denver currently has 87 players on the roster and must get down to 53 by Saturday afternoon. The first dozen or so transactions will likely be announced Friday with the rest happening Saturday.
After submitting an initial 53-man roster, the Broncos will begin building a 10-man practice squad on Sunday morning. Denver will kick off Week 1 of the regular season against the Oakland Raiders on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” on Sept. 9.
