4 Denver Broncos depth chart risers after preseason win vs. Cowboys

One preseason game down, two to go. The Denver Broncos opened up the preseason with a decisive win against the Dallas Cowboys, and even though the final score doesn’t matter, everything within the four quarters does matter. Some players are fighting for their roster lives and others are fighting for positioning on the depth chart or a higher percentage of snaps in the regular season.

Preseason games can be an opportunity for guys to do all of the above, which is why they are so much fun to watch. Against the Dallas Cowboys, the Broncos showed well in every phase — offense, defense, and special teams. Which players stood out the most?

Which players may be getting bumped up the depth chart a bit after this game? Who might have earned a little trust from the coaches for more snaps in the regular season? Let’s take a look at some of the top depth chart risers after Week 1 of the preseason.

Denver Broncos depth chart riser no. 1: Baron Browning, EDGE

There’s absolutely no question after the first preseason game that Baron Browning is going to be seeing a lot more of the field in his second NFL season. Browning has been transitioning from off-ball linebacker to the edge, and you can’t help but get the feeling this was the plan the front office and general manager George Paton had for him all along.

The Broncos made a sacrifice at the off-ball linebacker position by moving Browning to the edge, and are even making new contingency plans after the injury to Jonas Griffith by signing veteran Joe Schobert. Browning is an edge, and it’s not likely we’re going to see him at inside linebacker unless something devastating happens to the team’s depth there.

Browning’s explosiveness off the edge is notable, but he doesn’t just play with speed out there and get blown off the ball by strong offensive linemen in the running game. He’s more than capable of setting the edge and playing the run as well.

It’s interesting to see Browning coming primarily off the right side of the line, where Bradley Chubb typically lines up. Whenever Chubb needs a breather, you can likely expect Browning to be the first man up even though Malik Reed is technically listed as a starter right now along with Gregory.

It’s just very hard to see how the Broncos could justify putting Reed out there over Browning at this point with the great things Browning has shown day in and day out at camp, leading up to being arguably the most impressive overall player in the team’s preseason win against Dallas.