5 Denver Broncos players we’re desperate for more of after the bye

Coming out of the bye week, the Denver Broncos have plenty to prove after a come-from-behind victory in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars. To say the least. It’s been a rather eventful bye week for the orange and blue as Bradley Chubb was traded to the Miami Dolphins in arguably the biggest deal of the 2022 NFL trade deadline, and running back Chase Edmonds was brought in along with outside linebacker Jacob Martin.

So what do we need to see after the bye? Specifically, which players need more playing time and reps on the field? Who should be getting the ball more? Let’s take a look through some players on the roster who deserve more of an opportunity with the bye week almost in the rearview.

5 Denver Broncos players who should play more after bye week

1. Albert Okwuegbunam, TE

The Denver Broncos really put Albert Okwuegbunam in the proverbial doghouse. After struggling a little bit early on in the season, Okwuegbunam was effectively benched and hasn’t been on the active gameday roster for three weeks. His inactive streak has coincided with Greg Dulcich coming off of injured reserve (and playing quite well), but the Broncos can’t simply let Okwuegbunam rot on the bench.

The trade deadline passed without a deal involving Albert O. It felt like pretty much every indication was that he was going to be traded somewhere, but the Broncos didn’t make a deal and didn’t just give him away. In fact, George Paton came out and stated after the passing of the trade deadline that the team was going to be relying on Okwuegbunam to contribute in the second half of the season.

Perhaps Paton is going to exercise his sovereignty as general manager in this case, even though he didn’t draft Okwuegbunam in 2020. This guy is 6-foot-6, 260 pounds, and runs a 4.49. The fact that the Broncos don’t have him out there running these same wheel routes that we’re seeing from Greg Dulcich is mind-boggling and much more of an indictment on the coaching staff than it is on Albert.

This guy needs more reps going forward, period.

2. Nik Bonitto, EDGE

After trading away Bradley Chubb, it seems obvious that we would talk about the remainder of the EDGE group for the Denver Broncos as having an increased role here after the bye week.

Although it’s obvious, it’s worth discussing anyway. Over the last handful of weeks, Nik Bonitto has started getting a little bit more run, and we saw him get a strip-sack on Trevor Lawrence in London. In weeks 5-8, Bonitto has started to play more extensively for the Broncos and he’s starting to hit a little bit of a groove.

In weeks 7-8, Bonitto racked up 1.5 sacks and the aforementioned forced fumble against the Jaguars, and he’s also got one of the highest pass rush win rates of any edge player in the league right now.

It’s obviously tremendous to see Bonitto playing well with the opportunities he’s been given, and after the bye week, he should be playing a substantial role for this Broncos defense. In fact, against the Tennessee Titans, he may end up starting or playing starter snaps depending on who is healthy.

We know part of the motivation for the Denver Broncos to trade Bradley Chubb was the emergence of Baron Browning, who will start alongside Randy Gregory when both players are healthy. Gregory, however, may not be likely to be on the field right after the bye week. That leaves Browning (who is also dealing with an injury) and Bonitto as the next guys up, along with Jonathon Cooper.

With the way he’s played lately, expect to see a lot more of Bonitto going forward.

3. Tom Compton, OL

Coming out of the bye week, we could see some substantial reshuffling on the Denver Broncos offensive line. The team is already dealing with a season-ending injury to left tackle Garett Bolles, and Calvin Anderson did a really nice job in his stead against Jacksonville, though he wasn’t exactly the Broncos’ first option there.

At center, the team is now dealing with an injury to center Lloyd Cushenberry III, and Cushenberry was replaced in the team’s most recent game against the Jaguars by Graham Glasgow. Glasgow seemingly stabilized the interior line and could be an upgrade for the Broncos going forward.

Another player whose role could soon come into question is starting left guard Dalton Risner. Although it felt as though the Broncos had gotten themselves a long-term starter at that spot as of the 2019 season, it’s now a question of whether the team should look into alternatives. It just so happens, they may have one coming back from an injury soon enough.

While the team was practicing in London, free agent acquisition Tom Compton made his way back to the practice field. Compton started the season on the PUP list and if he’s healthy enough to play, perhaps the Broncos could try out a combination that looks like this coming out of the bye week:

• LT: Calvin Anderson
• LG: Tom Compton
• C: Graham Glasgow
• RG: Quinn Meinerz
• RT: Billy Turner

It’s not exactly how the Broncos would have drawn things up before the season, but it’s perhaps their best combination moving forward depending on how Compton looks coming off of that injury.

4. Latavius Murray, RB

As we progress into the second half of the season, one of the most interesting things to monitor is going to be what the Denver Broncos’ running back rotation looks like. The team did not move on from Melvin Gordon as many had expected after Gordon fumbled four times in four games and nearly had a fifth against the Colts a handful of weeks ago. Although the Broncos did “bench” Gordon against his former team, the Chargers, the Broncos then vowed to have Gordon in the starting lineup against the Jets and that’s exactly what we saw.

After Javonte Williams’ injury, the Broncos acted quickly to get Latavius Murray into the fold and so far, he’s been exactly as advertised. Although perhaps not spectacular, Murray has run hard, he’s given the Broncos a back who simply doesn’t fumble, he falls forward, and he’s helped the team’s red zone numbers. He’s got three touchdowns in his last four games (including a game as a member of the New Orleans Saints) and Murray has been consistent if nothing else.

The arrival of Chase Edmonds has added another wrinkle to the Denver Broncos’ running back stable, but there’s no doubt that we need to continue to see more of Murray after the bye week. As he continues to acclimate to the offense, he can help the Broncos extend drives, stay ahead of the chains on first down, and most importantly — hold onto the ball.

It will also be great to see the Broncos get Marlon Mack involved. Mack was an underrated addition for Denver off of the 49ers’ practice squad and although he was inactive against the Jaguars in London, we should see him play relatively soon.

5. KJ Hamler, WR

We need to see more productivity from the Denver Broncos offense, in general, after the bye week, but one specific player on that side of the ball whose role needs to increase substantially is wide receiver KJ Hamler.

The Broncos have playmakers and weapons in their arsenal offensively. The issue this season has been whether or not Russell Wilson can find those receivers, and whether the Broncos are even really scheming these guys touches. At this point — eight games into the season, mind you — Hamler has a whopping total of nine touches. One touch per week for one of your most explosive playmakers? I get that Hamler is coming off of a devastating knee injury a year ago, but my goodness.

That is malpractice if I’ve ever seen it. KJ Hamler has proven in recent weeks that his speed has not gone anywhere. He’s getting behind the defense, and he’s able to make plays deep downfield. The Broncos finally got him involved more against the Jaguars but we need more than that.

Hamler’s development this season could be crucial to the overall success of the offense, because his ability to take the top off the defense and his ability to create after the catch or in space as a runner could create offense where there is none for the Broncos.

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It’s not that Hamler needs to come out of the bye week as the Denver Broncos WR1, but the fact that he has just nine touches this year says everything you need to know. He doesn’t get the ball enough, and that’s got to change.