Top 5 Broncos players to watch against Bills in preseason Week 2

The Denver Broncos travel to Buffalo this weekend to take on the Bills in Week 2 of preseason action, and it seems like the Bills are going to be playing their starters while the Broncos will be keeping their starters on ice. Although it hasn’t been officially stated by head coach Nathaniel Hackett, the Broncos appear content with the practice reps their starters are getting without subjecting them to the unpredictable outcome of a preseason game.

So, don’t expect to see Russell Wilson and company, but you also never know. More likely, it’s going to be the Josh Johnson and Brett Rypien show, and there’s plenty of reason to tune in regardless of what’s decided with the starting lineup. The Broncos have a variety of roster spots yet to be decided along with some really fascinating position battles on both sides of the ball.

Which wide receivers will the team be keeping? How many will they keep? What about tight end? Who is going to step up on special teams? Which pass rushers are going to show out against the Bills’ top offensive line unit?

With all of these questions — and more — in mind, what players are we keeping the closest eyes on in this preseason matchup?

Denver Broncos player to watch vs. Bills: JR Reed, safety

Alright, the fifth safety spot is maybe not the most enticing roster battle going on right now, but JR Reed is coming off of a really solid game in the first week of the preseason and has been impressive so far for the Broncos at training camp. This coaching staff has familiarity with Reed from his time in Los Angeles with the Rams, and Reed came through with one of the highest PFF grades of any Broncos defender against the Cowboys last week.

Reed’s ability to contribute as a dime linebacker and deep safety will certainly help him in his quest to make the team over fifth-round pick Delarrin Turner-Yell, who might be destined for the practice squad if we see more from Reed what we saw against the Cowboys.

He had a pair of tackles and a pass broken up on fourth down, showing some nice range and closing speed as well as just a very clean hit to break up the pass.

Reed will be a fun player to watch against the Bills, especially if he gets some action out there when the Bills’ starting lineup is on the field offensively.