08-22-25 Hour 1 of Broncos Country Tonight with Zach Segars

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello everybody, and welcome back to another post Rockies late
night edition of Broncos Country Tonight, hosted by yours truly,
Zach Segers.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Here.

Speaker 1 (00:13):
Not quite as fun a game for the Rockies as
we've maybe gotten too accustomed to over these past couple weeks.
You know, they were on a nice little seven and
three run over their last ten, you know, going into
Pittsburgh and getting shelled eight nothing puts a little damper
on that. That's definitely disappointing, a sobering feeling. But on

(00:36):
the bright side, now you know, you've got the Rockies
because of their recent hot streak. Sitting with thirty seven wins,
they're only five away from getting from dodging that dreaded
historical mark of forty one wins on the season, and
one would expect they get there. There's likely forty games left,

(00:57):
thirty forty games left, you know, even if they reverted
back to the worst version of the Rockies we've seen
this season, you know, back what they were doing in April,
May June, that should be enough to get them across
that finish line. So fingers crossed they can keep it up.
It seems like Warren Schaffer's doing a little something. They're

(01:19):
just under five hundred since the All Star break, which
you know, there's obviously still a lot of room for
improvement with the club, but it at least is a
lot better than it was at the start of the
season when it was hard to find anything positive to
say about the club whatsoever. Lots of NFL happenings going on,

(01:43):
and you can really feel the start of the season
right around the corner.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
We've got trades going on.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
Preseason action is obviously wrapping up this weekend, and then
before you know it will be right into the thick
of it with all the games mattering and all the
craziness that we see ensue every nflc Today, we had
one of those big trades Commanders. The Washington Commanders traded
last year's top running back on their roster, Brian Robinson Junior,

(02:11):
to the San.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
Francisco forty nine Ers for a sixth round pick.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
It's interesting because the forty nine Ers got a sixth
round pick in return for Jordan Mason, who was previously
backing up Christian McCaffrey earlier this offseason.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
Now they have suffered a lot of injuries.

Speaker 1 (02:26):
At the position where now Christian McCaffrey is the only
healthy member of that room, So you know that kind
of changed things. Maybe now they feel good about investing
that pick in, but it also seems like it face value.
They maybe have a higher opinion of Brian Robinson than
they had of Jordan Mason, and we saw how good
Jordan Mason was in that offense last year.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
With McCaffrey missing so much of last season.

Speaker 1 (02:51):
As someone invested in Brian Robinson junior, IM optimistic about
the situation.

Speaker 2 (02:57):
I've got him on a fantasy team.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
You know, I'm not thrilled about him probably being the
number two, but I think that forty nine ers situation.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
Is very running back friendly.

Speaker 1 (03:07):
We've seen a lot of different running backs thrive in it,
even if not to the level of Christian McCaffrey, but
you know, it is still running back friendly. Comment for
Shanahan knows how to design a very productive, an efficient
ground game, and you know, there's a very good chance
Brian Robinson starts, you know, five plus games this year.

(03:30):
At least, it makes me wonder should the Broncos have
been in on a Brian Robinson junior trade when you
see how cheap it was and especially considering they just
picked up extra capital. You could kind of justify it, right,
you just found some money, especially with how really over

(03:53):
the top the compensation was for Devon Valet, right, I
was expecting like a sixth or a seventh, let alone
a fourth end a seventh. I think you could maybe justify, hey,
let's spend a sixth round pick. You know, as nice
as the day's been, and the Gloughlin has maybe looked

(04:14):
this preseason, and you know, Blake Watson, there's been some
mighty flashes.

Speaker 2 (04:18):
As nice as.

Speaker 1 (04:18):
That's all, Ben, what if we just make Brian Robinson
our third running back. He started off in Washington further
down the depth chart, He's done some of that dirty
work stuff before. You'd maybe ask of a third running
back then, just really solidify things considering, you know, JK.
Dobbins does have some injury problems. He started off the
season great for the Chargers last year, but really dropped off.

(04:40):
And if that happens again, all of a sudden, the
Broncos run game rests entirely in the hands of R. J.
Harvey and a bunch of udfas you know, which could
turn out just fine, but it's definitely a gamble. You
bring Brian Robinson Junior in, It's like, okay, even in

(05:02):
the worst case scenario, RJ. Harvey, you know the struggles
as a rookie.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
A JK. Dobbins, struggles to stay healthy.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
You've got Brian Robinson Junior there, who rushed for eight
hundred yards last year behind a pretty shaky offensive line.

Speaker 2 (05:18):
It is a solid starting running back in this league.

Speaker 1 (05:21):
Probably not a top definitely not a top ten guy,
probably not a top fifteen guy, but a functional starter.

Speaker 2 (05:26):
You could put plug.

Speaker 1 (05:27):
Behind this really impressive Broncos offensive line and have again
at least a respectable run game last year, which, as
Broncos Country knows, they were lacking.

Speaker 2 (05:40):
Now.

Speaker 1 (05:41):
Ultimately, I think it kinda I think I land on
the side of it's probably best they didn't. I think
if they had never signed JK. Dobbins then it would
be ideal. I think you want him kind of in
that JK. Dobbins role where he's kind of the primary
floor raizer, maybe.

Speaker 2 (05:59):
The one A or the one and be pairing with RJ. Harvey.

Speaker 1 (06:04):
Although he's done some of the dirty work stuff, he's not,
you know, your ideal like special teams back.

Speaker 2 (06:09):
I don't know how much of.

Speaker 1 (06:10):
A different element he would bring to the room in
there with you know, joining JK. Dobbins, he'd kind of
just be injury insurance for JK. Dobbins, maybe even compete
for a starting job, maybe even take some reps away
from RJ.

Speaker 2 (06:23):
Harvey.

Speaker 1 (06:24):
And as much as this is a push season for
the Denver Broncos and they are hoping to win a
Super Bowl, I think this is even more so still
a development season. They still have thirty million dollars of
Russell Wilson.

Speaker 2 (06:36):
Deadcap this year.

Speaker 1 (06:37):
This team has been building towards twenty twenty six and
twenty twenty seven and you know, twenty twenty eight and beyond.
But really through twenty twenty six and twenty twenty seven,
they'll still have O Nix on that cheap rookie contract,
they won't have any of the RUSS dead cap. A
lot of their young players will be kind of blossoming
into the prime of their career, those second year contract

(06:59):
player and that's when I think you'll see the team
go all in. Right now, you can afford to experiments
with r J. Harvey and work on developing him so
when it's time to go all in, you have your
back ready to go for that push. Elsewhere in the

(07:22):
NFC East, you have Jackson Dart lighting up the preseason
eighty percent adjusted completion percentage, hasn't had a turnover, throwing
a ton of touchdowns, including a few to former Denver
Bronco Greg Dolcich. Great to see Greg Dolcich getting back
in the mix. I really hope he can stay healthy.

(07:43):
You know, we all know the talent wasn't really the
problem for him in Broncos country. You just really could
not stay on the field. Right now, he's healthy in
the Big Apple and he is playing some good football
in the preseason. I hope it translates to the regular season.
It'd be nice to see him bounce back. But Jackson
Darts had a really nice run this preseason. He's already

(08:03):
claimed the number two job ahead of Tommy DeVito and
Jameis Winston, and he's outperformed for us in the preseason.
Now he's going up against number twos. But his performance
not only in preseason but in training camp has been
so good, to the point that Brian Dable had to
shoot down reporters this week when asked, Hey, I know

(08:27):
you said at the start of training camp Russell Wilson
was going to be the starting quarterback.

Speaker 2 (08:32):
Is that still the case?

Speaker 1 (08:33):
Could Jackson Dart maybe start Week one? And now Brian
Dabele did shoot that down. I do not think we're
going to see Dart start week one. I think they
probably promised to Russell Wilson that he would be the
week one starter if he were to sign in New
York instead of, you know, one of the other teams
that wanted him. But man, I think that leash is

(08:56):
going to be very short, and I wonder if Brian
Dabele is kicking himself a little bit now for making
that promise.

Speaker 2 (09:04):
You look at this New York Giants opening.

Speaker 1 (09:07):
Schedule, their first half of the season looks like this
at the Commanders at the Cowboys, home against the Chiefs,
home against the Chargers, home against the Saints, home against
the Eagles, bye week at the Broncos at the Eagles.

Speaker 2 (09:27):
I mean, that's a brutal schedule.

Speaker 1 (09:28):
Lots of playoff teams, lots of great defenses. You got
the Chiefs, Chargers, Eagles twice in the Broncos that you know,
so what that's maybe five games against what figure to
be top eight, you know, top quarter of the league defenses.
It's a brutal stretch. I get why you might want
to protect Jackson Dart from it. But the easy games

(09:49):
in that slate, probably the easiest are at Washington and
at Dallas. I mean, Washington's a great team, don't get
me wrong, but the defense looks very suspect this year.

Speaker 2 (10:00):
It's the unction.

Speaker 1 (10:01):
You know, it's a lot of players that you know,
if if this roster was put together in twenty twenty one,
you're cooking with gas, but in twenty twenty five.

Speaker 2 (10:09):
Maybe not so much.

Speaker 1 (10:11):
And the Cowboys reports out of Cowboys camp is it
has looked rough for the defense. We keep talking here
as the the Broncos defense contained it consistently as one
in camp that you know early on in camp especially,
it's kind of a time for the defense. You expect
the defense to win those matchups from the jump. The
Cowboys offense has been going up and down the field
on that defense. And if Micah Parsons is you know,

(10:35):
a not fully conditioned, not fully ready to go, you
figure that'll make that unit even worse. The on off
splits last year with Michaeh Parsons and that Cowboys defense
where Yokic esque in terms of that being elite with
him on the field and God awful with him often.

Speaker 2 (10:56):
So what what do you do?

Speaker 1 (10:58):
Do you try and get I mean again, I don't
think you can rug full Russell Wilson, but I could
kind of maybe justify starting him in Week two against
the Cowboys. Get him at least a little bit of
a confidence builder. You get those two home games against
the Chiefs and Chargers. If I had to bet though,
and now, granted I'm invested in this, people who've listened

(11:20):
to the show might have heard me make a bet
with our own Benjamin Albright. We have two bets, each
with a steak dinner on the line. I think Justin
Fields will score more touchdowns, not throw four. I want
to be clear on this, score more touchdowns than Russell
Wilson this season. I also think he will have more
wins as a starting quarterback than Russell Wilson.

Speaker 2 (11:40):
Will this year. My expectations aren't high for either. But
part of the reason I feel so good about that bet.

Speaker 1 (11:46):
Is I think Russell Wilson is going to be benched
pretty early in the season, and the week I'd be
circling you know, maybe it happens week two. I think
Week five is the week Washington's going to be a
brutal game. Almost certainly lose that on the road. Cowboys,
I think they probably lose that one too. It's winnable,
but I think they probably lose it home against the

(12:06):
Chiefs and Chargers. Those are good defenses, and the boo
birds are going to be out in East Rutherford, especially
as the team drops to zen four.

Speaker 2 (12:16):
It's another hopeless year for the Giants.

Speaker 1 (12:20):
You know, the offense having a poor performance against those
those high end defenses, and you look ahead, Hey, we've
got a game against a pretty downtrodden Saints team, a
pretty suspect defense. You know, let's let's if we're going
to make the switch, let's make it now.

Speaker 2 (12:36):
So we're not throwing him.

Speaker 1 (12:37):
To the Wolves against the Eagles or the Broncos in
his first start. Let's at least give him some form
of confidence builder. Sucks, he has to face the Eagles
the week after that, but then we get a bye
week and we can go back to the drawing board
and try and rebuild his confidence, you know, maybe tinker
with the offense, build him or around Jackson.

Speaker 2 (12:55):
I think that's the vision that as a.

Speaker 1 (12:57):
Result, I don't think the Broncos are going to get
to have their revenge game, if you want to call
it a Broncos revenge game against Russell Wilson. Russ, of course,
got his revenge last year with the Eagles beat or
excuse me, the Steelers beating the Broncos. I think a
lot of Broncos country was hoping the Broncos would even
the score this season, but I don't think that'll be

(13:19):
the case. And once Russ gets benched this year, I
feel like that might be it for him.

Speaker 2 (13:24):
He might right.

Speaker 1 (13:25):
Into the sunset with the painful Super Bowl forty eight
defeat hanging over the Broncos, the terrible trade hanging over
the Broncos, and then that one revenge victory hanging over
the Broncos.

Speaker 2 (13:42):
Coming out next.

Speaker 1 (13:43):
I want to talk about Jade barn that situation hanging
over the Broncos. When is he going to start for
the team? Could we see him start in Week one?
Where does Jay Kwan McMillan have that job locked down?
And also we're gonna see the starters play a few
snaps in this final preseason game for the Broncos. Who
are those snaps most important?

Speaker 2 (14:03):
For all that?

Speaker 1 (14:04):
And then even some general NFL stuff Shad Doors Sanders,
the dynamic kickoff actually being dynamic this year, some more
post Rockies, Broncos Country Tonight, Zach Segers joining You just

(14:25):
talked about Jackson Dart and you know the Russell Wilson
quarterback situation, Brian Robinson junior trade.

Speaker 2 (14:33):
How that you know, maybe should the Broncos have been
in on that?

Speaker 1 (14:37):
But how about one thing that hasn't gotten any attention
that I've seen this offseason.

Speaker 2 (14:43):
And I'm kind of surprised because it.

Speaker 1 (14:44):
Got so much attention last offseason, the dynamic kickoff. And
I know you might be rolling your eyes right now
because it was a bore last year, and I understand that.
I'm I'm with you, but I don't think it will
be this year. Last year it was a bore because
coaches are inherently conservative people, and you tell them, hey,

(15:08):
there's this weird new kickoff thing you don't understand and
it's hypothetically going to lead to more explosive returns and
return touchdowns and everything. All these coaches preach that stat
about when you know, what is it seventy percent of
a time, if you get a defensive or special team
touch on, you win the game.

Speaker 2 (15:28):
They've got that.

Speaker 1 (15:29):
Figure ingrained in all of their heads. How they're going
to handle that premise is just kick a touchback. Fine,
we'll give them the five extra yards. It's not ideal,
but at least we're not giving them a return touchdown.
We're not having to deal with this thing we don't
fully understand yet. That's why the NFL adapted and changed

(15:51):
the touchback.

Speaker 2 (15:52):
With a non return touch back.

Speaker 1 (15:54):
A touchback if you don't kick it into the designated
safe zone whatever as a that goes automatically out to
the thirty five yard line. You can't kick the ball
out the back of the end zone anymore. It's only
five yards less damaging than if you kick it directly
out of bounds. You the kicking game is going to

(16:14):
be integral this year. Last year it really wasn't. You
could look it over. Teams this year are not going
to just willingly give teams a start all the way
at the thirty five where you know you look at
this against the Jaguars, you do that they're a first.

Speaker 2 (16:30):
Down away from scoring three points.

Speaker 1 (16:33):
You know you don't want to against the Cowboys too,
with Brandon Aubrey man like, I just don't think you're
going to want to mess with that, and so I
think that creates a few interesting questions for the Broncos.

Speaker 2 (16:49):
Of course, there's the kicking element of it.

Speaker 1 (16:53):
How good are Will Lutz and Jeremy Crosshaw at placing
a kickoff into this designated safe zone. Accuracy in the
kickoff game is a factor like it really has never
been before. You know, there was never a demand to
I mean, you know there's some of that late in

(17:14):
the game, I guess, but now it's a necessity on
every kick to put it into a pretty specific part
of the field that if you can't do it consistently, again,
it's a massive penalty every single time you screw it up.

Speaker 2 (17:29):
Of course, the kick coverage guys like j L.

Speaker 1 (17:31):
Skinner Trent Sherfield Junior are all the more important this season.
I think the more interesting element, though, unsurprisingly, is the
return question for the Broncos. You know, you've got maybe
the best return man in the league, or at least
of his era, of his generation of NFL players, with

(17:53):
Marvin Mims Junior. Going back to back, we are getting
back to back all Pro nods, I should say back
to back Pro Bowl nods. Now do you lean further
into that understanding that, hey, now the kickoff game is
more important. This is a way to give him designed
touches here where one, he's a very explosive player and

(18:15):
can create touchdowns for us with a great field position
for us, you know, an easy way to get him
the ball too. However, with extra touches, especially on kickoff,
when you have these guys flying downfield at twenty twenty
two miles an hour, there is an increased risk of injury.
There's a reason why Tyreek killed. Despite I mean, we've

(18:38):
seen great returners in the NFL, Devin Hester, Cordero Patterson.
I don't know if anyone's been as good that I've
seen as Tyreek killed that year or year and a half.

Speaker 2 (18:48):
He did it for the Chiefs.

Speaker 1 (18:49):
It was terrifying to kick the ball near that man.
And then he was just such a good receiver. They went,
we can't risk him on special teams anymore. How do
the Broncos weigh that dynamic? On one hand, I think
they've got pretty good depth two through five at receiver
right now. You know they might even have a sixth

(19:10):
option they really like, depending on what happens with Courtney
Jackson or Joaquin Davis. But you know, Marvin Mint still
figures to be, at least as of now, that the
fairly clear number two option in the wide receiver room.
But also, you know, provides the offense with a unique

(19:34):
element with his ability to thrive on those gadget plays
and screenplays and you know different, you know, operating out
of the backfield as a running back.

Speaker 2 (19:43):
Even so, how do you.

Speaker 1 (19:48):
Weigh that value against again, him being maybe the most
valuable return man in the league. I'm very curious to
see how that plays out. I don't think we'll get
a good answer in theseason. I don't think we'll know.
And really, you know, this is going to be a
new thing for the whole NFL. I think there's going
to be a fair bit of experimenting. I don't think
we'll know for certain what the Broncos long term plan

(20:10):
is there until you know, midway through October. So I'm
very curious to see how that develops throughout the season.

Speaker 2 (20:19):
A couple more bits of Broncos news.

Speaker 1 (20:24):
Jah d Baron has been missing practice some this week.
Sean Payton downplayed that issue, said it was just a
soft tissue concern and they were holding him out to
as a precaution, but that they are expecting him to
play in the Broncos final preseason game. Jahd Baron is

(20:45):
one I'm interested to watch not only in the preseason
but as the regular season unfolds, because right now it
feels like his placement on the depth chart is more
than just Sean Payton's ricky hazing for lack of a
better word, like, I don't think I think we can
all see that r. J. Harvey is, you know, running

(21:05):
back one A or one B on the roster. No
matter what Peyton does with the depth chart. Right now,
it feels like Jodd A.

Speaker 2 (21:12):
Barron is pretty clearly the second option at nickel and
that's fine. I don't think it's calamitous.

Speaker 1 (21:20):
I think it's mildly disappointing relative to expectation, and I
think that's a fair acknowledgment. I think if you asked
any Broncos fan what Johd A. Baron would be doing
part way for this late in August, they probably would
have expected he'd be running with the first team.

Speaker 2 (21:38):
And again, it's fine, He's not Jayqwan mcgillan's a quality starter.

Speaker 1 (21:41):
It's going to be hard to wrench that job from him.
But it is mildly disappointing because Baron was sold as
this top ten caliber player in this draft, this guy
who was such a great talent that in spite of
the lack of of maybe positional value or the fact

(22:02):
that you were maybe overstalking at already stacked position, it
was worth it because of just how.

Speaker 2 (22:07):
Talented Baron is.

Speaker 1 (22:11):
You know, when, especially now that he's dealing with an injury,
when does he start for the Broncos Right now, I'd
say it's not going to be weak one and again
I think that's fine. I don't think it's a big problem.
I think it's a mild concern, a mild disappointment.

Speaker 2 (22:26):
But if not now, when is that time?

Speaker 1 (22:31):
I think if I'm circling, I think the Jets game,
I think it's October twelfth would.

Speaker 2 (22:37):
Make a good bit of sense.

Speaker 1 (22:38):
It's going to be a weaker receiver room, you know,
kind of the same mindsets we've talked about with Jackson
dark last segment. You're not going to be throwing him
to the wolves, and you might have the fan base
and maybe even the coaching staff calling for him after
the defense faces the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles and

(22:58):
back to back weeks, not only because they have great
receiver rooms and really dynamic passing games.

Speaker 2 (23:05):
That's gonna test Jaquon McMillan.

Speaker 1 (23:07):
You know, maybe he doesn't have his best game one
of those weeks, and all of a sudden, the fan
base is demanding we see Jade Baron.

Speaker 2 (23:15):
I think that's very possible. But also.

Speaker 1 (23:20):
Right after that Eagles game, that is a very physical
rushing attack and one that thrives on these outside zone
looks with Saquon Barkley. One of the reasons they drafted
like Jehde, Baron was a super valued player, not only
because he's a very instinctive and smart coverage player, but because,
you know, for a defensive back, he lays the wood

(23:40):
in the run game too. He is a physical player
in the run game, and it can bring an element
that you know, Jade, Sorry, Jaquon McMillan is happy to
make tackles in the ground game, but he doesn't bring
the physical presence that Baron does.

Speaker 2 (23:56):
And I think coming.

Speaker 1 (23:57):
Off an Eagles game where you're looking at a Jets
run game that could also be pretty good this year.
That offensive line's up and coming young dangerous if Justin
Fields is still starting for them at that point. He
makes the run game that much more dangerous just because
of the secondary option he offers. And then Bryce Hall
and braylent Allen is a very exciting tandem in the backfield.

Speaker 2 (24:20):
I think that could be a time.

Speaker 1 (24:22):
When we see jahde Baron enter the lineup and try
and solve that problem for the Broncos.

Speaker 2 (24:34):
Last little bit of preseason news I'll hit on. We
got word from Sean Pagon.

Speaker 1 (24:40):
He already told us last week the starters would play
in the third preseason game. This week, we found out
that we're going to see them for somewhere between eight
to ten snaps.

Speaker 2 (24:53):
That must be the number.

Speaker 1 (24:54):
Event's talked about how they have some sort of analytical
data that you know, playing them in the first game
the third game is the best way to go about
it in terms of preventing injury. The eight snap number
must be part of that too, because we saw Sean
Payton reference that when talking about how much Evan Ingram

(25:14):
was going to play last week for the Broncos, and
now it's preseason and there aren't that many, you know,
battles up in the air. So outside those obvious battles,
you know what, what should we be looking for? You
know what what am I most excited to watch for

(25:34):
in this preseason game?

Speaker 2 (25:39):
Number one bow Knicks. You know, I'm not worried about
what we saw.

Speaker 1 (25:45):
In the first preseason game. I think worry is too
strong a word because it is preseason, but I think
it's fair to acknowledge that, you know, he did look
little uncomfortable. It didn't look like what I think we've
been seeing out in training camp. You know, I know,

(26:06):
Ryan's really all of us. I think it's a fairly
universal opinion on the Broncos beat that you know what
looks different with bo Nix in year two is he
looks so much more comfortable, so much more confident in
this offense, so much more intentional with his decision making.
And I don't think that was super present in the

(26:26):
forty nine Ers game. I'm not really hung up on
the safety. Yes, it wasn't a great play, but even
beyond that, like I think, you know, he had a
ball to Sutton that could have been a touchdown, that
was a little underthrown.

Speaker 2 (26:39):
He had a ball to.

Speaker 1 (26:41):
You know, Franklin that could have been a big play,
if not a touchdown, that was underthrown. The fourth down
conversion that I think was a good play and a
good throw, Like even on that one, it's high and
Franklin had to make a more difficult catch than he
should have had to make, you know, and like these
are nitty gritty details. But Bo's not a rookie anymore.
It's not about hey, do you belong in the NFL?

(27:03):
It's can you become a top fifteen NFL quarterback?

Speaker 2 (27:09):
Because if I tell you right now, you have.

Speaker 1 (27:11):
A top three defense, a truly elite defense, a difference
making defense, a top three offensive line, one of the
best offensive lines in the league, and top fifteen quarterback play.

Speaker 2 (27:25):
I mean is that?

Speaker 1 (27:26):
I mean, you don't have aj Brown and DeVonta Smith,
you don't have Saquon Barkley. But outside those really high
end weapons, it's not a different case really than what
the Eagles had this past season to win a Super Bowl,
you know, and the Broncos are still ways off from that.
But that's I mean, that's soon going to be the
conversation we're having about Bo Nix. You know, can he
start to excel at these finer details. And we've only

(27:50):
gotten one glimpse of it in any sort of game
like setting this season, and that was the forty nine
Ers game, and we all know how underwhelming that was.
Excited to see him and hope he can bolster the
confidence we've had in him this summer and the reinforce
you know what we've seen throughout training camp, practice, and that,

(28:11):
you know that is substantive. I'm not worried yet because
I keep hammering this drum, but I think the defining
element of bo Nicks as a football player has been
continuous growth and improvement.

Speaker 2 (28:23):
And you know, he's.

Speaker 1 (28:25):
Started off rough in OTA's last year, was great by
the end.

Speaker 2 (28:29):
Of practices, started off rough in preseasons.

Speaker 1 (28:31):
Last year, was great at by the end of preseason,
rough at the start of the regular season. Last year
really promising by the end of the regular season. So
I just I'm okay that it looks a little bumpy
at first. I kind of even expected it, but I
would like.

Speaker 2 (28:46):
To get the reassurance sooner rather than later.

Speaker 1 (28:50):
R J. Harvey, you know, of course, there's the competition
element of that one, and you know can definitely dive
more into that, but once in particular detail.

Speaker 2 (29:02):
That I want to zero in on with r J.

Speaker 1 (29:04):
Harvey in this game, and it's a boring one, but
what does he do in past protection? Because despite him
playing the first two preseason preseason games, the answer right
now is not.

Speaker 2 (29:16):
A nothing is zilch.

Speaker 1 (29:21):
He's played zero pass protection snaps, hasn't been asked to
pass block ones. He's been in there for passing downs
every time he's gone.

Speaker 2 (29:28):
Out for a rep.

Speaker 1 (29:33):
Which is interesting because every other running back on the roster,
even guys like Julia McLoughlin Blake Watson who you wouldn't
expect to maybe be in those past protection situations, have
been asked to do it. In fact, only Julia McLoughlin
has less than two.

Speaker 2 (29:54):
Pass protection snaps.

Speaker 1 (29:55):
Everyone in the room has two, three, four, multiple except
for Jaleel with one and then r J har with zero.

Speaker 2 (30:03):
Obviously, r J.

Speaker 1 (30:04):
Harvey is in danger of, you know, not making the
roster or anything. But if he's going to become the
one A back in this one A one B pairing
he's currently a part of with JK. Dobbins, he has
to prove to be a reliable option in pass protection.
Dobbins isn't a super exciting option in any facet, but
he is reliable as a pass protector. He's a fine

(30:27):
enough pass catcher, better than what Javonte Williams offered last year,
and the Broncos through Javonte Williams a billion balls. Not
the most exciting runner, but again offers a higher floor
than what Javonte was offering as that floor razer. But
you have to respect Dobbin's ability to do any of
those three things on any down. Harvey, you definitely have

(30:52):
to respect his ability to run the ball. He is
a dangerous runner of the football. You it seems you
have to respect him a receiver. Want to see a
little more of that. But you know, he's got a
lot of juice. I think he was a pretty solid
rout runner in college. I think he's got soft hands,
supple hands. He's the Dave Logan line. But to truly

(31:16):
take over the one a job, and I don't think
he's that far from doing it. I think he's a
much more dynamic option than Dobbins, But the last thing
holding him back is proving himself as a pass protector,
and the fact the Broncos haven't asked him to do
that at all in the preseason. It's a little bit
of a canary in the coal mine for me right now.
I just I would love to see it in this

(31:37):
preseason game and see him execute it fine, you know,
look like not Philip Lindsay out there, look like.

Speaker 2 (31:46):
He can hold his own and you know, you can
be fine.

Speaker 1 (31:50):
He can be below average, he can be a four
out of ten, a three out of ten pass protector.
It just has to be respectable. And so I am
I'm really hoping we can to see some reps of
that against the Saints. Last big, big thing on offense
I'm keying in on in this preseason game. That isn't

(32:11):
you know, roster spot or position battle related with these starters.
Evan Ingram, How is the chemistry with Bownecks in a
game setting, because my goodness, it has looked awesome in
training camp and then his one target with the Broncos

(32:31):
so far, you know, it comes from Jared Sidham takes it,
you know, sixty yards or whatever, and much of that
coming after the catch. He looked, you know, like d
Varius Thomas ESQ. With that incredible size and strength and
speed combo. You know, I think he's going to be

(32:51):
a massive part of this offense. I think there's a
lot of questions about, you know, who is who gets
a lot of production this offense, who gets fed the most.

Speaker 2 (33:04):
Outside of the top two.

Speaker 1 (33:05):
I think there's a very clear top two Sudden Nit
one and Evan Ingram at two. Those guys are going
to eat like crazy. I think Ingram's going to see
a lot of work in the screen game even He's
going to be a dynamic red zone threat. But I'm
basing that off of you know, some training camp snaps
with Bo and now between drills, between you know, seven

(33:26):
on seven periods or whatever, he's made a purpose of
pulling bow aside and getting some extra you know, throws
in with him, catches in with him, and I think
it's to build that chemistry. Will it pay off? Are
they going to still be feeling themselves out through September
and October or you know, are they going to hit
the ground running against the Titans. And it's like, okay,

(33:48):
there's that joker element that Sean Payton's been dying for
and Evan Ingram's providing it from day one. You know,
it's preseason, so it still has to be taken with
a grain of salt, but I think we'll start to
get an idea of that and how large Evan Ingram's
role will be this week. I could see Evan Ingram.

(34:11):
Most people have already drafted for Fantasy yet, but man,
if if you haven't yet, I would maybe overdraft to
Evan Ingram. It's hard if you've got a lot of
Broncos fans in your leagues. I haven't been able to
get him yet because I don't want to pay quite
the high tax I've.

Speaker 2 (34:24):
Been seeing with my Broncos friends. But if you're.

Speaker 1 (34:28):
You know, got some from some friends from around the nation,
you know you're not worried about paying such a ridiculous
tax on Broncos players. I think Evan Ingram is one
of the best values in fantasy right now. He's going
like tight end seven, tight end eight, you know, I
think around pick one hundred or something, I think he's

(34:48):
going to be. You know, there's that few bunch of
elite tight ends. Trey McBride, Brock Bauers, George Kittle, and
Travis Kelsey might still be in that bunch. Mark Andrews
and after that it's just a who's who is swordman.
I could easily see Evan Ingram being right in that
mix or just outside of it, but would like to

(35:09):
see that solidified with a strong performance tomorrow. Nick Benito,
I'm hoping we see him. I kind of think we won't,
but if we do, I'm just I cannot wait for
the next opportunity we have to se Nick Benito, If
we have to wait for the Titans game, fine, I'm
hoping it's tomorrow. Is he as much of a monster

(35:34):
as he was against the San Francisco forty nine ers.
He played five snaps in that first preseason game against
dropbacks past dropbacks, He created four pressures. It was ridiculous.
Four out of five, got two sacks, had a past

(35:55):
rush win rate. I guess one of the pressures came
later in the down so didn't qualify as a pass
rush win. It has to be within two and a
half seconds of the snap. But sixty percent pass rush
win rate, that's absurd. That's just good crazy time. Miles
Garrett and Micah Parsons in a great year will have
like twenty five percent. Twenty percent will typically lead the league,

(36:19):
and he was at sixty and yes, tiny sample size.
We're talking about five snaps and we're talking about what
he did against backups.

Speaker 2 (36:26):
But still it was bonkers.

Speaker 1 (36:29):
Even if you and again we should all expect it
to dramatically come back to earth. He's not going to
be boasting a pass rush win rate of fifty percent
this year.

Speaker 2 (36:38):
But man, could he be.

Speaker 1 (36:41):
One of those guys, you know, being the fifteen to
twenty twenty five realm where he is at the very
very top of the league. He's been top six, top
seven each of these past two seasons in that metric.
You know, does he continue to solidify himself as.

Speaker 2 (36:57):
Hey, I maybe I.

Speaker 1 (36:59):
Am a subpar run defender, but I am one of
the three four best pass rushing edge defenders in the league.
And at that point, you pay the man whatever he wants.
That might Cliss report during the last preseason game that
they they're close on a contract and the nick Benito
coming from the players and the very next day or
a couple days later, just to confirm it say.

Speaker 2 (37:21):
Yeah, no, it's it's coming along.

Speaker 1 (37:23):
I expect that deal to get done before the season starts.
I would circle that weird kind of bye week between
the preseason and regular season. As you know the day
I'll be checking my phone. But man, that would be sweet.
I think Benito goes off and if he even if
he takes a step back from last year, if he
has another double digit, double digit sack season, it's going

(37:47):
to be thirty five million at least the Broncos.

Speaker 2 (37:49):
Will And they're not going to let him walk for nothing.
That's the other thing. He's too good to be let
walk for nothing.

Speaker 1 (37:54):
If they don't sign him next year, it's going to
be a franchise tag and then you know, maybe they
figure out a trade or who knows what. Signing him
now I feel so confident in this. Signing him now
is only going to save them money. If they sign him,
even if it's a number that surprises Bronco's country, like
thirty two to thirty three million, they should celebrate. They
should celebrate. That would be right in line with the

(38:20):
Brian Burns and Montese Sweat contracts, as I talked about
earlier in this week. I think that would be a
tremendous deal for the Broncos. I really hope they get
it done last starter. I'm going to be paying close
attention to in this preseason game it's it's kind of
a tandem here the linebackers. I hope we really get
to see the lion the starting linebackers Singleton and green

(38:41):
Law in this game because I want to. I want
to see the element that green Law brings to this defense.
I'm not worried about how good he will be once
he does play. It's more about will he stay healthy.
But I think he could really be, you know, a
difference maker on this defense who doesn't only you know,
add his own talents, but it helps elevate everyone else

(39:05):
around him by adding a physicality and an attitude to
the defense that you know, as good as they were
last year, I don't think they quite had. And then Singleton.
Singleton's a very important player in this defense. Is he
fully back to pre toward Aco form or not. That's
something I'm very curious to watch. I think it's going

(39:25):
to be a huge X factor for the Broncos this season,
even if they have some young appealing options up and coming.

Speaker 2 (39:34):
Next segment, gonna talk more about.

Speaker 1 (39:36):
This preseason game, who has the most at stake, Who
has the most to gain in the wake of the
Devon Valet trade. All that and more coming up next
on Broncos Country tonight and welcome back in Broncos Country.
Last segment for now before we wrap it up a

(40:00):
little more Broncos countured. I got Ben dropping by a
few interviews to get to you, and then tomorrow morning
we'll be right back at you with some more Broncos action.
Will be here at eight am. Starting tomorrow doing some
Broncos pregame. You have countdown to kickoff starting off at
nine am, and then you've got the game at eleven

(40:22):
am Broncos React afterwards. It's going to be a whole
day of Denver Broncos football over on KOA. And if
that's not enough for you, you can go down to
the Burndown. I know Benjamin Albright and Nick Ferguson are
going to be down there hanging out with y'all for
that Broncos preseason game, and make sure you go there.

(40:43):
Because Ben was sharing a rumor, you know, and I'm
not wise to this, so I've heard from Ben. I
should say, there's allegations that there might even be some
ticket giveaways, so definitely make sure you are checking that
out at the Burndown tomorrow. Can find more information over
on the KOA Twitter or Facebook page two.

Speaker 2 (41:05):
I assume you know, we talked about.

Speaker 1 (41:12):
The starters playing in this preseason game and what we
maybe want to see from them, but a lot of
those starters don't have a whole lot at stake in
this game.

Speaker 2 (41:24):
You know, if r J.

Speaker 1 (41:25):
Harvey can prove some stuff as a past protector, maybe
he sees some more snaps in the season. You know,
if Nick Benito really tears it up, maybe that helps
motivate the Broncos to finish up a contract. But really
they've earned their roster spots. The coaching staff knows what
their respective roles are going to be. The players with

(41:50):
the most at stake are further down the roster most notably,
I think you got to start, man, I think you
actually got to start a way.

Speaker 2 (42:00):
I was going to say running backs, and they're right there.

Speaker 1 (42:02):
But I think right now, in the wake of the
massive devond Delay trade, I think the wide receivers have
the most at stake now. They probably aren't battling for
a roster spot though Courtney Jackson and Joaquin Davis, they've
got a lot at stake in regards to are they
going to be on the practice water, are they going
to be on the Broncos fifty three or a fifty

(42:23):
three man roster elsewhere in the NFL, you know there's
a good chance they're rostered by some team, even if
it's not the Broncos. With Courtney Jackson's special teams ability,
then joking, Davis is just a rare athlete. You know,
Guys like that don't grow on trees. But beyond that,
you know, Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant, Marvin Mims, They're all

(42:46):
going to be jockeying to proof who deserves the most
snaps in light of the Devon delay deal, and Mims
I think, understandably probably should be the favorite, But I
don't think he's got a vice grip on that by
any means. You know, he turned it on down the
stretch last year, but it was a lot of go

(43:09):
routes and then a lot more simplistic gadget stuff, And
even then, a lot of his production came out of
the slot. This year, at least in the one preseason
game we've seen Nim's, his work came exclusively on the outside.

Speaker 2 (43:24):
How does that transition go for him?

Speaker 1 (43:25):
If he struggles with it early on, maybe he's not
the clear number two that many expect him to be.
You know, Troy Franklin is on fire right now and
has he might have the most talent of anyone in
the receiver room, Like he's got so much athletic ability,

(43:47):
really great row runner, natural separator where he could be
a number one receiver in the NFL, absolutely a top
option in a quality passing game. He's not there yet,
but that potential was absolutely on the table. Is he
able to maybe demonstrate that he should be the number

(44:09):
two guy? Again, it's preseason, but if Marvin Minn struggles
to take that necessary leap, and you know, Troy Franklin
does it without a problem, he'll become the number two
option in this passing game very quickly. And then Pat Bryant,
I mean, if anyone looks the part of a Devon
Valet on this roster when you consider I know Ryan
brought this up the other day on KOA Sports.

Speaker 2 (44:33):
From a tweet.

Speaker 1 (44:34):
I think the Henry Chisholm with the NVR put out,
but so much of Valet's production last year came on
third downs. I think he had like twelve catches on
third down and eleven of them moved the sticks, which
is like about a quarter of his production last season
a little more.

Speaker 2 (44:53):
Who will be that new clutch target.

Speaker 1 (44:55):
You know, obviously you've got Corland Sutton, but who else
can Bo rely.

Speaker 2 (44:59):
On on third downs?

Speaker 1 (45:02):
You know, as Troy Frankly made that big of a league.
Maybe not, but Pap Bryant looks that part. He's got
six targets this preseason, six first downs, and a lot
of those targets have come on the downs where the
yardage was ten plus yards. Three of those six conversions
are from ten plus yards out, you know, And some

(45:26):
of that's circumstantial, but I think a lot of it
is also the role he's playing in this offense. He's
playing a role very similar to what they were asking
for La to do. He's also got incredibly reliable hands.
I did not drop many balls at all. I think
he had, man I remember digging up the stat at
like a bottom five drop rate, a bottom three drop

(45:47):
rate in college football last year.

Speaker 2 (45:49):
He just did not drop the ball.

Speaker 1 (45:51):
And I know Broncos Country was so frustrated after that
Buffalo Bill's playoff game and all the drops in that one.
Pat Bryant not have that problem there. Next, we of course,
do have to talk about the running backs. I think
they have so much at stake, but particularly on the
back end of that room. I actually wouldn't include out

(46:14):
our guests to make you know. If I wanted to
take the easy way out, I would just say all
the running backs, But if I had to name some,
I would say Tyler Beday, Julia McLoughlin, and Blake Watson
have the most at stake. Not all three of those
guys are making the roster. I would bet at least
one of them does, but it'll be somewhere between one

(46:36):
and two. And I think we really don't know. We
don't know if the Broncos will keep three or four
running backs. I think either is pretty likely. I would
lean towards four, but you know that is a little atypical,
especially if they're also keeping a fullback on the roster.
You might see them only keep three, in which case
those three guys are battling for one spot.

Speaker 2 (46:58):
And I'm curious who minds up winning the day. I
think is a guy who Sean Payton trusts.

Speaker 1 (47:07):
He is a you know, kind of do it all
back that can fill in for Dobbins if Dobbins starts
to fade down the stretch. Or if injuries become a
problem for him again, but they can be trusted. As
a pass protector, He's a good receiver. He's a quality
ball carrier, you know, not the most exciting option and
any of those facets, but he is of a fine

(47:29):
option in all of those areas. Julia McLoughlin, who's maybe
the best pure runner of the bunch, but very limited
as a pass protector, subpar even as a receiver, but
also a Sean Payton guy. Sean Payton gushes about him
as a practice player and as a guy in the
running back room. And so does that veteran know how

(47:53):
that doing things the right way get Julia McLoughlin that
top job. They're not top shot, but that that roster spot.
And then Blake Watson. He brings something unique to the room.
You know.

Speaker 2 (48:08):
He is a.

Speaker 1 (48:09):
Better pass catcher than any running back the Broncos have
on the roster right now. He is a better route
runner than any of the running backs on the roster.
Of anyone on the roster, he is most at running back.
He is most suited for the quote unquote joker role.

(48:34):
Is that enough to unsee at least one of McLoughlin
and Orbidet, who are clearly Sean Payton guys.

Speaker 2 (48:46):
I'm very curious to watch that.

Speaker 1 (48:48):
I'm rooting for Watson, admittedly, I love what he brings
as a receiver. I think it would be such a
welcome presence for the Broncos. Even maybe has some special
teams ability. He took some snaps in punt and kick
coverage last year for the Broncos during the regular season.

Speaker 2 (49:06):
And then you know, I think he's.

Speaker 1 (49:08):
A pretty good ballcarrier too. I would just that would
be more exciting to be than McLaughlin. And he has
the most past protection reps of any Broncos running back.
This preseason has yet to allow a pressure how about
that despite him being a littler guy. So I'm rude

(49:28):
and hard for Blake Watson, but just excited to see
how that battle plays out.

Speaker 2 (49:33):
It's such a hotly contested one.

Speaker 1 (49:36):
And then the back end of the tight end room too,
you know, it kind of even mixes with fullback. The
nebulous injury situations with Nate Adkins and Michael Burton make
it so it's kind of hard to figure out how
many tight ends and fullbacks will make it. Are Burden
and Adkins guys that get put on IR and then
you maybe are carrying a fullback on the roster like

(49:59):
Adam Prent and four tight ends because you need a
guy like Cayden pre Scorn to fill in for Nate
Adkins Or do they feel like they don't have to
do that because they now have that apprentice.

Speaker 2 (50:09):
I think it is.

Speaker 1 (50:11):
Honestly, for me, it's probably the hardest part of the
roster to figure out right now. Like there's more interesting
battles like nickel and running back and even wide receiver,
But I feel like I have a better idea of
who's the front runner in those battles or how they'll
they'll ultimately resolve.

Speaker 2 (50:28):
Themselves this full back tight end position.

Speaker 1 (50:32):
I don't know who will be on the fifty three,
that initial fifty three from that bunch.

Speaker 2 (50:37):
You know, Lucas Kroll has a lot to play for here.

Speaker 1 (50:40):
Caleb Loner, I think has been really frustrating Sean Payton.
Can he hold onto the roster spot that you would
hope he could get from that after investing that draft
capital in him. Is Cayden pre Scorn going to be
the guy who comes out of nowhere and steals Nate
Adkins's job, like we were talking about prior to tadkins injury,
I I'm very curious to see how it plays out.

Speaker 2 (51:03):
On defense. I think there's a few of these two.

Speaker 1 (51:07):
Of course, that aforementioned battle at nickel cornerback. I think
both those players have a lot at stake. You know,
Jakwon McMillan, this is his chance to be a starter
in the league, and I'm pretty confident he would get
one again very quickly. But you know, the man like,

(51:30):
nothing's promised in this league, especially when you're a UDFA
like Jaquon McMillan, you don't know how many opportunities you
are going to get. And the meanwhile, you've got John
ay Barron, who you know, probably less at stake for him.

Speaker 2 (51:41):
He's going to be on the roster.

Speaker 1 (51:43):
Even if he doesn't start at any point this year.
He's almost certainly going to be the starter next year.
But you know, if he doesn't start Week one right
or wrong, you know there are going to be some
outlets in town that start calling him a bust. You know,

(52:04):
at least that element of his reputation a short term
I think is on the line. But really, McMillan, man,
how where do you fall in this cornerback room, Because
the other thing is if he falls behind Baron, it
probably would only be a Barn injury that gets him

(52:26):
back in the starting lineup.

Speaker 2 (52:27):
You'll see some snaps in.

Speaker 1 (52:28):
Dime probably though with more and more defenses playing these
three safety looks, not even that is guaranteed, but he'd
probably see some work in dime. But to get onto
the field as the you know, one of the top
three corners, it.

Speaker 2 (52:45):
Would probably take an injury to Baron.

Speaker 1 (52:48):
Now. McMillan has played some outside in camp end preseason,
but I really think they view him as maybe not
a slot only corner. I think he could go outside
in a pinch, but I think they'd prefer Chris Abrams
Drain get those snaps. If Riley Moss or you know,
if Heaven forbid Cirtain goes down.

Speaker 2 (53:08):
So if McMillan loses it now, and.

Speaker 1 (53:11):
Also they're not going to bench their first round pick,
they'll let him go through whatever crowing pains. So if
McMillan loses the job now. Also, this is a contract
year for him. This is his chance to audition not
only for the Broncos. Yes, his time in Denver's probably
done after this year, but to audition for the rest
of the league, you know, that's a that's a lot

(53:31):
on the line for him there, and then the defensive
version of that kind of messy tight end line verg
tight end full back room is linebacker.

Speaker 2 (53:47):
We know the top two starters, of course, Dre green.

Speaker 1 (53:49):
Law, Alex Singleton, but after them, it really feels very
very open.

Speaker 2 (53:57):
You know, Drew Sanders, is he on Does he get
a roster spot?

Speaker 1 (54:02):
If he gets a roster spot, man that probably not
even probably It almost definitely squeezes a guy like Jordan
Turner off the roster. But if he's on IR maybe
Jordan Turner UDFA has been very impressive this preseason, maybe
he is able to stick around. You know, Lavell Bailey
and Justin Surnaud. Who's that next man up? Because it

(54:22):
probably comes into play. Singleton has consistently missed time here
and there while being with the Broncos. You know last
year's ACL was an extreme example. But you know he's
probably gonna miss a couple of games. Drake Greenlaw, very
good chance he misses a game or two or three.
Is Justin Surnad the next man up? Like he was

(54:44):
last year. We saw him do a pretty good job
as a as a backup linebacker. Wasn't outstanding, but held
down the fort. But lavel Bailey, another guy who's had
a great summer, can he challenge for that responsibility Jordan
Turner maybe even challenge for that respec onsibility. You know,
I think it's clear they like what Turner showing, maybe
even what kareeine Reid have have shown. Because they cut,

(55:10):
you know, when they made the signing on the defensive
line the other day, their cut was another ud fat guy.
A lot of people had high expectations coming into camp
for JB.

Speaker 2 (55:20):
Brown, So that's I'm very curious to watch that.

Speaker 1 (55:27):
And I think another element of all this could one
of them maybe bolster their trade market. You know, if
you've got Jordan Turner and Lavelle Bailey coming out of nowhere,
you really only need to carry four linebackers. Does the
idea across the Broncos mind of hey, maybe we could
trade Singleton for something.

Speaker 2 (55:46):
He's in the last year of the zeal He's getting
up there.

Speaker 1 (55:49):
If you've got and then of course you've got Drew Sanders,
who if you've got four young options you like to go,
you know, Sanders or not Bailey and Turner to go
along with Dre green Law.

Speaker 2 (56:01):
Maybe you're okay trading Singleton.

Speaker 1 (56:05):
Right Also, even if you don't want to get that
ridiculous with it, maybe all of a sudden a guy
like excuse me, justin Sirona becomes expendable. I don't know
if anyone would trade something for him there, but that's
something to watch for Themari Mathis, You know, auditioning probably

(56:25):
doesn't make the Broncos fifty three, but can he make
someone else's fifty three? Could the Broncos even entice someone
to trade something for him?

Speaker 2 (56:34):
Like then?

Speaker 1 (56:34):
Albright was saying yesterday, I wouldn't expect it, but I
didn't expect them to get a fourth.

Speaker 2 (56:40):
Round picture Devondoli. So what do I know?

Speaker 1 (56:43):
All Right, everybody that'll do it for me? Tonight come
back here at eight am. Can I have some more
Broncos preview action getting into the nitty gritty of this
final preseason game with Benjamin Albright. Stay tuned, We've got
more Broncos country tonight coming up after the break too.
Benjamin Albright with some great interviews from earlier in the week.

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