Denver Broncos: Observations and reaction to win over Falcons

Defensive rookies shine bright

Two of the best players in this game, on either side of the ball, were Broncos pass rusher Malik Reed and interior defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones.

Reed is an undrafted free agent out of Nevada, and Jones was the team’s third-round pick out of Ohio State.

Reed had a beautiful sack bending around the edge against a tight end who had (checks notes) absolutely no chance.

Reed was consistently making plays throughout this game and also had a nice tackle for loss in addition to that sack right there.

Jones was the closer for the Broncos in this one, and he absolutely wrecked the game in the second half with four pressures, a monster tackle for loss, and a hit on the quarterback resulting in an interception.

Reed is looking to take someone’s roster spot while Dre’Mont Jones is unquestionably assured one as a third-round pick.

It was good to see these guys making plays on the field in an actual game.

For Reed, this type of play was a continuation of what he’d been doing in training camp day in and day out.

For Jones, we haven’t heard much about him at all. That doesn’t mean he’s not been putting in good work, but in practices where full contact is not necessarily permitted, it’s hard for interior linemen to really stand out. We see Jones’ burst on full display in this clip.