Broncos risers and fallers after preseason win against Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos riser vs. Cowboys no. 3: Young wide receivers

This group was, dare I say stunning in this game against the Dallas Cowboys. Wow.

The Broncos’ group of young receivers could not have been more impressive in this game, so kudos to the coaching staff and quarterbacks for putting them in position to make some plays and get some good things on tape.

Let’s roll through the list.

Montrell Washington

The rookie fifth-round pick was sensational on punt returns. He had two opportunities and had returns of 18 and 27 yards. Offensively, the Broncos tried to force-feed the ball to Washington on one particular drive and the Cowboys weren’t really having it. It doesn’t matter though, because Washington’s contributions in the return game were outstanding and he’s going to get going offensively as we’ve seen in camp.

Brandon Johnson

The undrafted rookie out of UCF has had an outstanding training camp for the Broncos, and he continued to put on a show in the preseason with four receptions for 64 yards, both of which led the team (or tied for it, in the case of the four receptions) by the time Johnson left the game.

Johnson is well-built and he has strong hands. He runs good routes and he showed some savvy out there making a really tough catch deep downfield from Josh Johnson:

Kendall Hinton

My goodness, Kendall Hinton. That’s Hall of Famer Kendall Hinton, actually.

Hinton was sensational in this game, coming up with a huge touchdown reception showing off his ability to highpoint the ball and make a big play in contested coverage.

Hinton has consistently been impressive for the Broncos dating back to last season and he’s drawn rave reviews from the coaching staff and Russell Wilson throughout the offseason. Hinton has a place on this team and he showed out with three catches for 54 yards and that gorgeous touchdown.

Seth Williams

Seth Williams was also out there making plays. The 2021 sixth-round pick out of Auburn had a nice 19-yard reception early in the game, a sliding catch on a ball that was underthrown by Josh Johnson. He followed that up by showing off his ability to use that 6-foot-3 frame in the red zone for a nice touchdown grab.

Williams caught all four passes thrown his direction in this game for 29 yards and this really nice touchdown. With Tim Patrick out for the season, Williams is someone that can really give you a size advantage and he’s obviously someone the Broncos liked a lot in last year’s draft process.

He’s been showing some nice things just about every chance he’s had on the field.

Jalen Virgil

You didn’t think we were done highlighting the young receivers, did you? The Broncos had yet another young player out there making big plays — undrafted rookie Jalen Virgil, a standout return specialist from Appalachian State. Virgil has freakish athleticism and he really showed it on a number of his targets in this game.

Virgil had a route late in the game where he could have capped off this night with a touchdown, but it appeared he wasn’t running the route at full speed and he was badly overthrown by Brett Rypien. One way or another, at the back end of the route, Virgil created ridiculous separation from the defensive back with a burst of speed.

This guy is a freakish athlete and one among a number of really impressive athletes at the receiver position for the Broncos.

The roster decisions are sure to be brutal.