Denver Broncos: 3 changes Rich Scangarello made that worked

3. Diontae Spencer’s involvement

Diontae Spencer has slowly but surely been getting more and more acclimated to the Broncos’ offense, and two games without Emmanuel Sanders, he finally saw his most substantial work of the 2019 season.

Spencer played a season-high 25 offensive snaps against the Browns, and although his one catch in this game turned into the only Broncos’ turnover, it’s undeniable what Spencer’s long speed did to impact the overall outcome of this game for the Broncos.

Spencer is only 5-foot-8, 170 pounds, but he is fast and elusive, and commands the respect of a defense.

Although the Broncos made some big plays in this game, none was specifically designed to be a home run play except for this deep shot to Spencer.

This is so close to being an 80-yard touchdown for the Broncos and was probably Brandon Allen’s best throw of the day, but Spencer just can’t quite track the ball properly through some contact downfield.

But with the Browns (and likely other teams) expecting a heavy dose of the run game from the Broncos, more of these opportunities will come for Spencer, despite his fumble on yet another manufactured touch, a screen play.

The Broncos want to get this guy the ball in space, and rightfully so. Spencer is a tremendous athlete and has shown his explosiveness in the return game.

We saw so much pre-snap dressing in this game involving Spencer going in motion, and the defense has to respect it because the Broncos have proven they are attempting to get him the ball.

There’s no doubt we’re in the early stages of Spencer showing us all what he’s capable of, but it’s obvious that there’s a ripple effect to having him on the field.

He can stretch a defense vertically, he’s a threat after the catch, and when he’s running in motion, he’s a constant threat to take a jet sweep and challenge a defense horizontally.

Spencer is not an elite player, by any means, but he’s a smart enough player with big-time speed who is capable of affecting the game with or without the ball, and that was on display against Cleveland.