The Denver Broncos beat the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 of the preseason, and it was a rather dominant performance. A ton of players made notable plays, and even the backups held their own against an inferior Falcons bunch.
The Falcons really won't win a ton this year, and with how loaded the Broncos are, this result was not much of a surprise. With that being said, not everyone had a stellar game here, and it could be to a point where they could be plummeting down the roster as we speak.
Which players could see their stocks plummet following the team's first preseason action against the Falcons?
Denver Broncos players whose stocks are plummeting following Week 1 preseason action
Luke Basso, LS
Not only did long-snapper Luke Basso have a bad snap during practice earlier in the week, but he had another bad snap on a field goal attempt in the third quarter:
Luke Basso had a mishap on a FG hold earlier this week in practice. Those types of mistakes aren't something Darren Rizzi is going to stand for.
— Cody Roark (@CodyRoarkNFL) August 15, 2026
Not good when you hear the name of the longsnapper on a botch.
While it's hard for a backup long-snapper to plummet down a depth chart, this could be it for the 23-year-old. Veteran Mitchell Fraboni has played 55 games with the Broncos and has been the team's long-snapper full-time since the 2023 season. Any chance of Basso making things interesting just disappeared.
Jaleel McLaughlin, RB
Jaleel McLaughlin had a fine day on the ground, but he fumbled in the second half, and while fumbles is simply something that every running back deals with, these are also the type of errors that simply cannot happen in the preseason.
McLaughlin's spot on the roster may have already been in jeopardy when the Broncos re-signed J.K. Dobbins and drafted Jonah Coleman in April's NFL Draft, but it could now be an even tougher hill to climb. It doesn't feel likely that the Broncos would keep four running backs and a fullback, but there is always a chance that McLaughlin could run his way onto the roster.
But something as small as a fumble in the second half of a preseason game might end those hopes.
Matt Peart, OT
It was not the best game for Matt Peart:
Matt Peart will be lucky to make it on the flight home at this point.
— Sayre Bedinger (@SayreBedinger) August 15, 2026
He had a false start that forced the Broncos to try a long FG instead of going for 4th-and-3, and the snap was botched.
Just had an issue getting on the field for FG, which was then a rushed operation, missed
He agreed to a revised contract this offseason as well after appearing in just six games for the team last year due to an injury. With the Broncos having invested into the offensive line this offseason in re-signing Alex Palczewski and drafting Kage Casey, Peart's spot on the roster seems to be getting shakier by the day.
And small errors like this just do not do him any favors. Ideally, the Broncos don't need to tap into their offensive line reserves in the event that starters go down, but you also expect those depth players to take care of business, and Peart struggled to do that on Friday.
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