The NFL preseason just continues to get uglier and uglier as we watch third and fourth-string players attempt to put points on the board. For the Denver Broncos, that’s not working too well.
Things won’t get any better either in the last preseason game next Thursday night against the Arizona Cardinals but once that is out of the way, we can finally turn our attention to the regular season.
But first, more preseason talk. The Broncos were defeated by the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night, their third preseason loss in a row. Here are the winners and losers from this one.
Winner: Jake Butt
Butt has played in just three games over the course of his first two seasons in the league as injuries have not only ravaged his career, they have threatened to end it.
He was on the field Saturday night and while he only caught two passes for 17 yards, getting on the field and competing is a big thing for this young man. He was excited in talking to reporters after the game and his story is one that makes you want to root for the guy.
Losers: Quarterbacks
One thing is clear: if Joe Flacco goes down this year, things are going to get very ugly for this team. That said, the backup quarterback in 2019 may not even play for the Broncos currently as Drew Lock’s thumb injury has definitely muddied the waters.
Kevin Hogan and Brett Rypien are not the answer as both looked less than impressive in this game. Rypien looked particularly rough, throwing a lot of passes in the dirt and over the heads of his wide receivers. His throws were just all over the place.
Hogan has had an ample chance to prove he should be the backup quarterback this year and he just hasn’t seized it. If he hangs onto that position, it will be by default.
Winner: Troy Fumagalli
The Broncos had a couple of tight ends needing a good performance in this game, and Troy Fumagalli was up to the task in addition to Butt. He led the team in receptions and yards, catching five passes for 44 yards in the game.
Fumagalli may have given himself more of a firm grip on a roster spot with his performance.
Winner: Khalfani Muhammad
Muhammad has gotten a lot of work this preseason, which shows that the coaching staff wants as much film on him to evaluate as possible. That wouldn’t be the case if he wasn’t in line for a spot on the team on the 10-man practice squad.
Muhammad carried the ball 10 times on Saturday night (6 more carries than anyone else) and rushed for 30 yards. He also caught two passes for 15 yards and was even given a chance to return a kick.
He has a chance to make the 53-man roster and will have a lot to play for against the Cardinals.
