Denver Broncos: Who made the best case for the roster vs. Cardinals?

Which Denver Broncos players fighting for a spot made the best case for the 53-man roster against the Arizona Cardinals? We take a look at every position.

Who did enough to make their case for the Denver Broncos’ final roster in the team’s final preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals?

Heading into this game, Vic Fangio said there were 10-15 roster spots potentially up for grabs for the Broncos.

That certainly feels like a lot, and it’s difficult to say that one preseason game out of five is going to make all the difference for some of these guys, but many of these players just needed some positive momentum in their favor.

Some needed to do anything positive whatsoever.

Others needed to merely put a cherry on top of what they had already done thus far in camp and preseason play.

One of the biggest question marks on the roster given Drew Lock’s thumb injury is whether or not the Broncos’ backup to open the season is currently on the roster.

The job felt like Kevin Hogan’s to lose as Brett Rypien was practice squad-bound barring an other-worldly performance.

Spoiler alert: That didn’t happen.

Kevin Hogan

When all was said and done, Kevin Hogan’s preseason line looked like this:

• 33-of-65 (50.8 percent)
• 311 yards
• 1 passing TD (1 rushing TD)
• 3 interceptions

Considering Hogan was going up against backups or fringe roster players, for him to complete just 50.8 percent of his passes is completely unacceptable.

With that said, he made some good throws in this game, but I don’t think it was enough to inspire confidence that the Broncos could rely on him if they needed him for an extended period of time.

They should be scouring the waiver wire, free agency, and trade options.

Speaking of trade options, the 49ers are the ideal party.

Hogan’s deep passing all preseason was abysmal, and it was perhaps the worst we’ve seen in this game. He missed two huge plays deep downfield in this one.

Hogan had two interceptions against the Cardinals, one on a tipped ball over the middle of the field and one on an end-of-half Hail Mary attempt.

Brett Rypien

Rypien completed 8-of-11 passes with an interception, no touchdowns. A couple of Rypien’s throws were behind receivers and had some of those throws been on the money, they could have gone for bigger gains.

His final preseason line:

• 27-of-44 (61.4 percent)
• 207 yards
• 1 passing TD
• 2 interceptions

Rypien had some moments in his rookie preseason, which is what you want to see.

Drew Lock (injured)

Just for reference, and so we can see them all stacked together, here are Drew Lock’s preseason numbers:

• 31-of-51 (60.8 percent)
• 254 yards
• 1 passing TD
• 1 interception

Nobody’s numbers are blowing anyone away, but the numbers the rookies put up prove Hogan is probably not worthy of a spot.

What about other position groups?