Denver Broncos: Young players must prove themselves Sunday
The Denver Broncos aren’t playing for playoff positioning, but their young players have a lot to prove in the final game of the 2016 regular season…
There are a lot of people saying the final game of the regular season means nothing for the Denver Broncos, but that simply isn’t true.
It’s not only a chance to beat the Oakland Raiders (even if they have a backup QB in the game…), but it’s also potentially a game we could see the Broncos continue to ascend in the draft order (should they lose).
It’s a chance to go into the season with some serious confidence about your future, or a potential head-scratching finale to an otherwise disappointing year. There’s definitely a lot at stake in this game, both good and bad, but it’s an opportunity for the young core of this very young Broncos team to prove itself.
Players under contract for the Broncos in 2017 are just over 26 years of age on average. It’s the seventh lowest average age in the NFL and there will certainly be moves to add veterans to the mix next season. That said, the Broncos’ young group can show this front office and coaching staff that they are either a building block, or a replaceable asset on Sunday.
It starts with quarterback Paxton Lynch, who is certainly a building block at least when it comes to the massive investment the Broncos made of a first and third round draft pick last year. Lynch will play likely the entire second half, perhaps more. His last outing against Jacksonville was not good at all, as Lynch was missing throws downfield and the Broncos set a world record for three-and-outs.
Okay, that last part was a bit of exaggeration, but you get the point. It’s not like the Broncos haven’t been able to go three-and-out without Lynch taking snaps anyway…
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The development of Lynch is going to be interesting to monitor not only on Sunday, but all offseason. Joining Lynch in the backfield is running back Devontae Booker, who has been disappointing this season, even as a fourth round pick.
There were many who felt like Booker had a chance to be the second best back coming out of this year’s draft class, but that hasn’t proven to be the case on the field. Is he proving himself to be replaceable, or an asset the Broncos must build around?
There are a number of players offensively that I’ll be watching closely, namely wide receivers Bennie Fowler, Jordan Taylor, Kalif Raymond, and tight ends Jeff Heuerman and Henry Krieger-Coble. What these guys put on film on Sunday is important, and could help shape decisions moving forward.
Will the Broncos give any more opportunities to Ty Sambrailo? How will Billy Turner factor in to this team’s future on the offensive line?
Defensively, there will be ample opportunities for young players to step up and get some film out there. The Broncos could activate edge rusher Vontarrius Dora for the first time since bringing him up off the practice squad, and see what kind of depth he can provide off the edge with DeMarcus Ware now on injured reserve.
We’ll also get a chance to see nose tackle Kyle Peko, who was also recently brought up off the practice squad. Can he be a factor next year in the nose tackle discussion? What about second round pick Adam Gotsis playing in relief of Derek Wolfe?
The Broncos have young players at literally every position they’ll be interested to look at for next season, especially their young safety duo of Justin Simmons and Will Parks. Simmons just played his best game as a pro in really his most extensive action against Kansas City. Parks has been playing a pretty big role all year, and has shown great signs of growth.
Sunday might feel like a preseason game for the Broncos both in the overall meaning of the outcome as well as the number of young players seeing action, but it’s much more important than that.