5 Denver Broncos players we can’t wait to see against the Dallas Cowboys

The Denver Broncos play a preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday. Here are five players we can’t wait to see in that game.

It’s finally almost time for the Denver Broncos to kick off their preseason slate, this year with a matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

The preseason is a tremendous opportunity to watch players who are fighting for roster spots go out and compete, to see how they do in individual matchups, and really get a sense for which players are showing the most progress or improving the most.

Win or lose, watching player development is what makes the preseason such a joy for so many NFL fans

For the time being, the Denver Broncos — and every other NFL team — have 90 players on the roster. Many of those players are going to have the chance to go out and make an impression against the Dallas Cowboys.

Which ones are we most excited about heading into this game? Let’s take a look at the top five.

Denver Broncos player to watch vs. Cowboys no. 5: Eric Saubert, TE

After a really hot start to training camp, things have quieted down a bit for tight end Eric Saubert. Saubert was making headlines the first few days of camp, catching touchdowns from Russell Wilson and looking like he might contend for the TE1 position.

Unfortunately, Saubert was buried on the team’s first unofficial depth chart. It’s certainly nothing to overreact to for the time being, but it was interesting to see Saubert as the fifth tight end behind Albert Okwuegbunam, Greg Dulcich, Andrew Beck, and Eric Tomlinson, to be sure. Saubert is a big, athletic player with special teams abilities as well as some intriguing potential as a weapon in the passing game.

Not to mention, Saubert is well-rounded and is one of the better blockers the Broncos have at tight end.

It will be great to get the chance to see if Saubert is featured a bit in the Broncos’ first preseason game, but perhaps our excitement should also be ramping up for guys like Andrew Beck and Eric Tomlinson, who have had relatively quiet training camps compared to their peers at the position.

Saubert, as surprising as it may seem given the first few days of camp, is truly fighting for a roster spot at this point. He’s not guaranteed anything right now but the Broncos must love their overall depth at the tight end position.

Denver Broncos player to watch vs. Cowboys no. 4: Damarri Mathis, CB

I’m not sure we’re going to see a lot of Pat Surtain II or Ronald Darby in the preseason for the Denver Broncos. Who we could see a lot of is rookie Damarri Mathis, one of the team’s standout players so far in training camp.

Mathis, a fourth-round pick out of Pittsburgh, is an absolute freak of an athlete. He ran a sub-4.4 in the 40-yard dash and had a 43.5-inch vertical jump. When the pads came on at Broncos camp, Mathis was one of the guys who really started to show out and stack together some outstanding practices.

The Broncos’ pecking order at the cornerback position seems pretty clear at this point. The team wants to have Surtain, Darby, and K’Waun Williams in the starting lineup ideally, but as we’ve seen in recent years, you can’t guarantee anyone is going to be able to stay healthy throughout the course of the regular season.

You’ve got to have strong depth at the cornerback position and the Broncos clearly have faith in their younger players. Specifically, they appear to have quite a bit of faith in Michael Ojemudia and Damarri Mathis.

Both Ojemudia and Mathis will be worth watching as closely as possible throughout the preseason because, the unfortunate reality is that you’re likely to see one or both have to step up at some point in the regular season.

Mathis and his outstanding athleticism combined with his physicality will be fun to watch throughout preseason play, starting with this game against Dallas where we could see him playing on the outside and in the slot.

Denver Broncos player to watch vs. Cowboys no. 3: UDFA/rookie receivers

How can you not be excited about the Denver Broncos’ collection of undrafted receivers at this point? I’m still wondering if we should really be excited enough to the point that you count on some of these guys for actual regular season snaps, but two players in particular are really going to be worth watching here as the preseason approaches.

First of all, Brandon Johnson, the rookie out of UCF who scored 11 touchdowns this past season. The hype surrounding Johnson has grown substantially in recent days. Johnson was recruited out of the same high school Pat Surtain II attended by Broncos wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni back when Azzanni was an assistant for the Tennessee Volunteers program.

Johnson committed to play for the Vols and Azzanni and is now getting the chance to work with him in Denver years later. He’s been getting some run lately with the first-team offense as Tim Patrick has gone down with an injury and other players like Tyrie Cleveland, Kendall Hinton, and now Courtland Sutton have been banged up at some point or another.

Most importantly, perhaps, is the fact that Johnson could be gaining the favor of Russell Wilson. His development over the course of the preseason will be fascinating.

The same could be said of Jalen Virgil, another absolute freak of an athlete on this roster who has speed for days. Virgil is a receiver built like a running back who offers an option in the return game as well as an explosive threat in the passing game.

Slowly but surely, the former Appalachian State star has been making waves. One of the biggest advantages Virgil may have in his favor in the preseason is the fact that teams like to get a feel for their kickoff and punt coverage units, so they kick the ball accordingly.

Virgil will almost undoubtedly get the chance to return some kicks and he was very good at that in college, averaging over 30 yards per return.

Denver Broncos player to watch vs. Cowboys no. 2: Baron Browning, EDGE

I think it goes without saying that defensively, no player is going to be more highly anticipated in the preseason for the Denver Broncos than Baron Browning. Browning made the transition from off-ball linebacker to the edge on a full-time basis this offseason, and the early returns have been outstanding.

Browning has been exploding off the ball, getting after the quarterback, and setting the edge well all throughout training camp. The coaches and players can’t seem to say enough good things about Browning at this point and the hype is real.

The Broncos used a third-round pick on Browning in 2021 and we saw him do a lot of fascinating things as a rookie, including covering Ja’Marr Chase and CeeDee Lamb in the slot on a couple of occasions. What we didn’t see a lot of was Browning rushing the passer.

That was a mistake, and although it may seem like an overcorrection to some, I think the Broncos are making the right call here.

Browning is one of the most special athletes on this roster even considering the number of “freaks” the team has added to improve team speed and athleticism since George Paton came aboard as general manager. Browning is truly a freak among the freaks and putting that athleticism at a premium position like edge just makes the most sense.

We’re going to get the chance to see Browning play plenty of snaps along with rookie Nik Bonitto, the team’s top pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Denver Broncos player to watch vs. Cowboys no. 1: Montrell Washington, WR

Nobody’s debut in the preseason will be more highly anticipated than Montrell Washington, the rookie receiver out of Samford who has taken Broncos training camp by storm.

Every single day, there’s a highlight or an update regarding Washington, a fifth-round pick who was originally just expected to come in and be the team’s primary kickoff and punt return specialist.

Washington apparently had other plans and has been making more of a mark on the offense than anyone could have dreamed. It may sound like preseason fluff or hyperbole, but Washington has truly been spectacular.

We’re not likely going to see a lot of Courtland Sutton or KJ Hamler in the Broncos’ preseason opener against the Cowboys, and I’m not really sure how much Jerry Jeudy we’re going to see, either.

With Tim Patrick out for the season, Montrell Washington is going to get plenty of run and might even establish himself as the WR4 of this team if he hasn’t done so already.

The Broncos seem very excited about Washington not just for the plays he’s making on the field but the impression he’s making off the field with his work ethic and ability to understand the offense. He’s quickly earning some trust from Russell Wilson and has the potential to be arguably the team’s most impactful rookie for the 2022 season.