After five weeks of the season, it’s clear that there are several players on the Denver Broncos who need to see the field more. Changes should be made, because it’s clear that what the Denver Broncos are putting on the field, especially on offense, is not working.
Nathaniel Hackett and the rest of the offensive staff have a bit of time between their Thursday night stinker against the Indianapolis Colts, and their Monday night showdown against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Perhaps it might be time for the team to consider simply trying something different with the personnel, rather than the play-calling.
Which Denver Broncos should see the field more?
Denver Broncos who deserve more snaps
Montrell Washington, WR
According to fantasypros.com, Montrell Washington has just 29 snaps on the season. He has shown his ability as a return man and is already one of the better specialists in the league. He’s got nice speed and is so incredibly shifty and agile.
He’s made NFL veterans completely miss during some of his returns. To me, he needs to see the field on offense more, especially since there doesn’t appear to be anything of note with the receivers outside of Courtland Sutton.
What if Montrell Washington can give the Broncos a nice spark on offense? His athleticism likely lets you use him as a receiver and out of the backfield.
They haven’t tried to give him a heavy workload yet, but perhaps they should consider it.
Denver Broncos who deserve more snaps
Netane Muti, G
Netane Muti was a 6th-round pick back in the 2020 NFL Draft. He was much more talented than his draft spot indicates, but injuries destroyed his draft stock. Muti appeared in four games in 2020 and 15 in 2021, starting four total.
In his limited appearances, he looked rather strong. Oh, by the way, he’s also one of the most strongest men in the entire NFL, putting up over 44 reps on the bench press during the combine, which is one of the highest marks ever.
Another reason why he needs to see more snaps is because of how poorly the offensive line has played. The interior is getting absolutely destroyed. Both Graham Glasgow and Dalton Risner are simply not cutting it, and with Quinn Meinerz apparently not healthy yet, why not give Muti the nod over one of those players?
Could the offensive line play genuinely get much worse than what we’ve seen? I’m not sure it can. There has to be a reason why Muti has stuck around since being drafted by John Elway’s team back in 2020.
Denver Broncos who deserve more snaps
Caden Sterns, S
Since Justin Simmons went out with an injury a few weeks, ago, Sterns has gotten the majority of the snaps in his place. I guess I am moreso writing this for when Simmons is ready to come back, which is likely going to be on Monday night against the Chargers.
Sterns has two interceptions on the season, both coming against Matt Ryan. He’s been nothing short of excellent on the field in 2022 and was very good in 2021 during his rookie season. With Kareem Jackson falling off a bit likely because of age, how can you justify taking Sterns out of the lineup when Simmons comes back?
At this point, I’d love to see what a Sterns + Simmons backend would look like, because Jackson has also struggled a bit in coverage. Sterns is younger, faster, and more athletic. This isn’t to knock on Kareem Jackson, who has been very good for the Broncos, but moreso to give credit to Caden Sterns, who has played very well.
He could also play on other parts of the field as well and not just as a safety.