With the Denver Broncos’ first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, they selected pass rusher Nik Bonitto. Looking at his performance in his professional debut, Nik Bonitto had an OK day against the Dallas Cowboys.
One of his better pash rushes came on Baron Browning’s sack with just over 1:00 to play in the first half. Bonitto was lined up outside the tackle on the short side of the field as a 6-technique and hit the tackle and back releasing with a nice spin move inside that forced Cooper Rush to bail out of the pocket.
Once Rush started to scramble out, although Bonitto went inside, Rush went outside and lost contain in a way but Baron Browning closed from the other side so quickly it actually worked out well.
Denver Broncos rookie Nik Bonitto shows his potential against the Dallas Cowboys
His bend was there, he has a nice spin move too. If there is something he needs to work on, it would be his versatility as a pass rusher. It seemed as if the tackles were prepared for his spin move, so it never really set up well.
Maybe that was due to the extensive work they had during camp practices, but if Nik Bonitto could strengthen up his bull rush or rip technique it would benefit him exponentially.
Just because Nik Bonitto was the Denver Broncos’ top draft pick, fans and media expect him to have the biggest impact immediately, which would be great if he did, but his transition could take some time.
Third-round pick Greg Dulcich was inactive and did not play against the Dallas Cowboys. Broncos Country still awaits the debut of a player that Coach Hackett blushes about.
Damarri Mathis had a fine outing. Coming up with three tackles, Damarri Mathis showed that his physicality would translate to the professional game. Mathis is not scared to be physical. In fact, that is the best part of his game.
There were a few plays I saw from Mathis where he mirrored the wide receiver without getting handsy. It was good to see he can mirror without the physicality along with the ability of a good punch, Mathis looked good Saturday night.
There were not any massive rookie blunders from Mathis, he was not picked on by either Cooper Rush or Ben DiNucci. His footwork remained fluid, he continued to flow when the play was away and he kept everything in front of him.
Eyioma Uwazurike, second of the Denver Broncos’ fourth-round picks, had a solid outing. He had a good pass rush stunt early in the fourth quarter. On an outside rush, he was attempting to chase down Ben DiNucci, but he was just a tick too slow.
His presence was still enough to force DiNucci into a no-no ball that hit Jamar Johnson in the bread basket, but Johnson did not come up with the interception. Along with that pressure, Eyioma Uwazurike added two tackles.
Denver Broncos rookie recap vs. Cowboys: Rounds 5-7
Fifth-round safety Delarrrin Turner-Yell played a nice game.
Turner-Yell came up in run support and did not give anything up big behind him. He did his job. When the runningbacks did break free, he was the first to fly up and disrupt his momentum enough to where the calvary would arrive if he did not make the tackle.
Nothing too extensive on his play from Saturday, it was fine, but nothing that sways an opinion on his expectations.
Montrell Washington contributed in a way that was expected, in the return game. While there was an attempt to get him involved with the Denver Broncos offense, there was no overwhelming production.
Although Washington had an average night from a wide receiver standpoint catching just two passes for eight yards, he had two impactful punt returns for 45 yards. His first return was for 18-yards, a return that most missed due to a poor camera angle.
On his second punt return, Washington helped jumpstart a touchdown scoring drive by the Denver Broncos offense with a 27-yard return. Starting from their own 37-yard line, Josh Johnson led the offense down the field capped off with a beautiful catch and throw to Kendall Hinton.
Washington not only made great decisions on when to return the punts, but he made great production out of them also.
Luke Wattenberg got the start for the Denver Broncos at the center.
With Lloyd Cushenberry III sitting out with the majority of the starters, Wattenberg was gifted the chance. No one from the offensive line got too much of a push in the run game against the Dallas Cowboys.
One play that stood out was the 4th & 2 play when Josh Johnson was crushed, Wattenberg looked a tad late on his reach and did not get much of a push. That said, nobody on the offensive line blocked that play particularly well, but the ability to get out and block horizontally will be important for this offensive scheme.
On a play that does not stand out on the stat sheet for Matt Henningsen, he had what was the most impactful play from a rookie defender. With a great inside pass rush, he forced Cooper Rush into a throw that was left inside on an out-breaking route, which lead to a P.J. Locke interception.
Along with an interception causing pressure, Henningsen stood strong in the run game and did have a tackle.
Faion Hicks had a rough night. He was targeted often, resulting in positive plays for the Dallas Cowboys. He was in coverage on what was the lone touchdown by the Dallas Cowboys last night. Hicks was also beat on a deep ball on Ben DiNucci’s first pass attempt of the game down the sideline when the Cowboys were backed up on their own 1-yard line.
Hicks might have had one of the toughest nights out there out of the Denver Broncos rookie class.
Undrafted free agents against the Dallas Cowboys
With question marks surrounding the back end of the Denver Broncos wide receiver room, there was plenty of opportunity at Empower Field. Multiple wide receivers answered the call, a few of them being rookies.
Two rookie wide receivers actually led the Denver Broncos in receiving yards, Brandon Johnson and Jalen Virgil. What makes the debut of these two players even more special, they were both undrafted free agents that were nabbed by George Paton after the draft was completed.
Jalen Virgil, a rookie from the Appalachian State, sure did make Yosef (Appalachian State’s mascot) happy with his performance Saturday. In the small town of Boone, North Carolina, the Mountaineers’ have an incredibly successful program and seem to have a guy climb his way into the league every single year.
Most remember their takedown of the juggernaut MIchgain Wolverines a few years ago, but it is time to start recognizing their ability to grow players into true NFL talents. Jalen Virgil is next up. On five targets Saturday, Virgil hauled in three of them for 82 yards. Virgil showed his playmaking ability in a true game that camp goers have seen all camp.
Jalen Virgil hauled in two receptions for 30+ yards including one for 42 yards when the Denver Broncos were backed up inside their own one-yard line. While eyes were set on a different rookie undrafted wide receiver at the beginning of the game, Jalen Virgil closed the night out with an incredible outing.
That other undrafted wide receiver who got out to a hot start was Brandon Johnson from the University of Central Florida.
Johnson, like Jalen Virgil, showed an ability to be a big-time playmaker for the Denver Broncos. Targeted six times, Johnson hauled in four of them for 64 yards. His biggest play of the night came on a juggling act as he had a defender interfering with him gunning down the sidelines.
While there was a penalty on the play, Johson was still able to corral the pass in and proved himself a strong wide receiver, even in his rookie campaign. This would be a huge gain for the Denver Broncos offense as it was a gain of 40 yards.
Grading the rookies’ performances, there was a lot to like. There still were some great teaching moments that you get from a young player’s debut, but overall, the guys on offense definitely showed potential.
If we are asking the question of which rookies had the best outing, it would go to the young trio of wide receivers, Montrell Washington, Jalen Virgil, and Brandon Johnson.
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P.S., Tim Patrick will surely be missed, but Brandon Johson had a great third-down reception on the two-minute drive that was capped off with a Brandon McManus field goal. That sure-handed reception is one that the coaches will love looking back on this game.