5 Broncos players who should be benched during the bye week

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Oct 31, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos outside linebacker Malik Reed (59) celebrates his fourth quarter sack against the Washington Football Team at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

5 Broncos players who should be benched during the bye week

3. Malik Reed, EDGE

As far as undrafted success stories go, Malik Reed should be considered a huge success.

The Broncos have been able to rely on Reed to play some significant snaps since he came on board in 2019, and he’s been mostly solid for the team.

With that being said, his lack of twitch was an issue against the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Broncos’ decision to play Reed (who was on the injury report) over Stephen Weatherly was an obvious mistake.

Reed played 57 snaps against the Eagles compared to just 25 snaps for Weatherly, and the Broncos apparently decided to go away from the hot hand off the edge. It proved to be costly.

Again, Reed has been very solid for this team, but especially against a mobile quarterback like Jalen Hurts, the burst and explosiveness of Weatherly was an element clearly missing. That’s a tough assignment for anyone, but it’s fair to wonder if Weatherly would have done better based on how well he played against Washington and Dallas.

Beyond the bye week, Reed should be the backup to Weatherly if Bradley Chubb is not healthy.

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