Denver Broncos: 5 players soaring up depth chart after Vikings win

The Denver Broncos had a great game as a team against the Minnesota Vikings. Which players find themselves soaring up the depth chart?

The Denver Broncos had an extremely impressive victory over the Minnesota Vikings in the team’s first preseason game of 2021. Of course, the primary focus for just about everybody was the quarterback battle, which seemed to go pretty decisively Drew Lock’s way even though Teddy Bridgewater was solid.

Considering what we’ve been reading and seeing coming out of training camp, the Denver Broncos’ defense was as advertised, flying all over the field regardless of what personnel was out there. The Broncos’ defense is deep and the talent beyond just the starting unit is tremendous.

Offensively, training camp has certainly brought a mixed bag of reviews with some struggles against the stellar defense as well as some big plays.

The Broncos’ offense, led by Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater, was bordering on unstoppable against the Vikings in the first preseason game. It really doesn’t matter in the least that the Vikings didn’t have their entire starting defense out there. The Broncos didn’t either.

This game was a sign of great progress made by so many different players, and it was also fantastic to see so many guys who have performed well throughout training camp come into a game situation and play well.

And that’s what we’re here to discuss. Which players could find themselves soaring on the Denver Broncos’ depth chart after big performances against the Minnesota Vikings?

We already took a look at some guys who might be taking a tumble down the depth chart as well.

Which players are going in the opposite direction?

1. Trinity Benson, WR

Heading into training camp, there were maybe two positions on the entire Denver Broncos roster that looked like they were going to be nearly impossible for the “underdog” to make it at.

Those two positions were wide receiver and cornerback.

As training camp and now one week of the preseason have progressed, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that the Denver Broncos have some really tough decisions on their hands at receiver.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, of course.

So long as everyone is kept and no one is traded, the top four at the position are locked in with Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, and KJ Hamler. The fifth spot was presumed to be in the hands of Tyrie Cleveland, who has had a few disappointing weeks in a row now.

The Broncos undoubtedly see the forest through the trees with Cleveland, who could be a big-time contributor on special teams, but what about behind him?

Sixth-round pick Seth Williams has made some splashes, but no player has made more plays throughout training camp and now week one of the preseason than former undrafted free agent Trinity Benson.

Benson appears to be head and shoulders above the other receivers on the roster beyond the top four at this point, and it would be a shock at this point if he didn’t make the final roster. He has kick and punt return value as well as big-play potential for the offense.

It looks like Benson will go from relative obscurity to becoming the Denver Broncos’ version of “TB12”.

2. Jonathon Cooper, EDGE

Another position where snaps may be hard to come by in the regular season is off the edge, but the Denver Broncos have certainly been banking on youth for depth.

The team has Malik Reed as an essential starter coming off the sideline in 2021 with both Von Miller and Bradley Chubb healthy and ready to go.

Behind those three guys?

There has been a battle brewing.

So far, nobody has made more of a case for the roster than seventh-round pick Jonathon Cooper, a former Ohio State Buckeyes defender.

Cooper came to the Denver Broncos with a reputation as being a hard worker who brings energy every single snap he plays. That has certainly proven to be true in his time with the Broncos, which began with a lot of mental reps as Cooper had to have a heart procedure earlier in the offseason.

He’s been really explosive throughout training camp and preseason play, and even the Denver Broncos’ first “unofficial” depth chart reflected the work he has done on the field. He was listed as the fourth edge behind Miller, Chubb, and Reed, and it looks like the question will now be about how much playing time he gets in the regular season.

3. Netane Muti, OG

The Denver Broncos came into training camp with a seemingly solidified couple of starting guard positions.

Dalton Risner is expected to take another step forward in year three at left guard and former big-money free agent pickup Graham Glasgow is expected to be a Pro Bowl-caliber player at the right guard position with his hefty contract.

With that all being said, Netane Muti has been working in with the top offensive line unit far too much to ignore throughout training camp.

Muti showed off his ability to absolutely dominate in his rookie season when he got the chance to start against the Carolina Panthers. It was a truly outstanding debut considering Muti barely played in his final season at Fresno State, and frankly, he hadn’t played much in college in general.

It wasn’t all that long ago that Muti turned in his marching band uniform for the football pads (seriously, Google it), and he’s now looking like he’s ready for a full-time starting role at the NFL level.

At this point, it’s really tough to ignore how many 1st-team reps the Broncos are giving to Muti. The idea of trading Graham Glasgow has certainly crossed my mind, even though he carries a dead cap hit of $9 million if traded.

To be very clear, however, that $9 million in dead money would be split between 2021 ($3 million) and 2022 ($6 million) with plenty of cap savings in addition to taking on those dead cap hits.

If you have a long-term solution at the guard position in Muti, why would you not do everything you could to get that future plan in motion?

If Glasgow is playing great, there’s no reason to trade him and move on to the future. As with many other positions, though, if the younger player is playing as good or better than the incumbent?

You might consider making the bold move.

4. Nate Hairston, CB

It’s really tough, at this particular point in time, to say that a cornerback is really rapidly ascending up the depth chart.

However, the Denver Broncos did go into camp with a pretty open competition for the CB6 spot and maybe even Michael Ojemudia’s CB5 spot.

I think Ojemudia has probably solidified himself as CB5 for right now, but the CB6 spot previously held by Parnell Motley seems to be changing hands of late.

At this particular point in time, I think Nate Hairston may be making the strongest case.

Hairston had an interception in the joint practices against the Vikings and then got some extensive playing time in the preseason game as well.

Hairston was a fifth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, and he’s actually started 17 games throughout his NFL career.

With Essang Bassey on the shelf, Duke Dawson’s status unknown, Motley struggling in camp, and Kary Vincent Jr. perhaps being a better practice squad candidate, we could be seeing Nate Hairston rise up the depth chart into that sixth cornerback spot.

5. Justin Strnad, LB

The Denver Broncos’ inside linebacker position has been such an intriguing topic since Vic Fangio has been brought on as the head coach.

The team nearly used the 10th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Michigan’s Devin Bush before trading that chance to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Broncos also nearly traded up in the 2020 NFL Draft to take LSU linebacker Patrick Queen.

They finally drafted a stellar talent at linebacker in Baron Browning this past offseason, but the team seems relatively comfortable with the incumbent starters Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell.

Jewell has been out for a good chunk of camp nursing a groin injury, but he’s finally worked his way back.

Since he’s been out, Justin Strnad has been making his case to start sooner rather than later.

Strnad looked really good against the Vikings in preseason action, and the more training camp and the preseason roll along, you can’t help but wonder whether the team might like Strnad over one of Jewell or Johnson.

Both Jewell and Johnson are slated for free agency in 2022, and the Broncos might just prefer to get on with the future if Strnad is ready. What would be the point of wasting another year of his development if he’s ready when you already had to put him on IR in 2020?

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There is a case to be made that Strnad has become a viable option to start for the Denver Broncos’ defense this offseason, which could lead to one of Johnson or Jewell being a casualty at some point.