5 winners (and 2 losers) from Broncos' preseason blowout win vs. Vikings

The Denver Broncos bounced back in a big way after their uninspiring effort against the Green Bay Packers, capping off the preseason with a big win over the Minnesota Vikings.

And the roster depth was flexing once again in this one.

Most of the starters did not play in Denver's big preseason win over the Vikings, but the backups and roster hopefuls got opportunities to show what they can do with extended opportunities. And although there aren't many roster spots to go around, head coach Sean Payton said that this last game was a chance for players to make the team turn around it's chair like the judges do on The Voice.

Let's take a look at some of the biggest winners and unfortunate losers from this preseason win over the Vikings.

Biggest winners (and losers) from Broncos' preseason win vs. Vikings

Adam Prentice, fullback -- Winner

Nobody should be surprised by this, but the Denver Broncos are definitely still a fullback team under head coach Sean Payton.

Adam Prentice was picked up before the start of the 2025 season, and he hasn't looked back. He's only further entrenched himself as a huge piece of the offense. Of course, as a fullback, Prentice is capable of being a punishing lead blocker, but he's been a weapon as a runner in the 2026 preseason.

Prentice has been absolutely automatic in short-yardage situations, whether it's the tight red zone, 3rd-and-short, or 4th-and-short. He's converted all of his opportunities in this preseason and has all but guaranteed his roster spot for this upcoming season.

Nate Adkins, tight end -- Winner

Nate Adkins did a great job in the game against the Minnesota Vikings of proving himself as both a pass-catching weapon as well as a blocker.

He did a great job of sealing off a defender on one of the better runs of the first half by the Broncos, a run by Cody Schrader. He also added a 26-yard catch and run and another 10-yard reception with the "starters" in this game.

Adkins may only be the 3rd tight end on the depth chart right now, but the team obviously loves his versatility and ability to play special teams. He was hurt a lot last season, so we didn't get the chance to see a lot of him at full strength, but he's a weapon when healthy.

Jarrett Stidham, Quarterback -- Loser

To say this wasn't an impressive effort by the Broncos' backup quarterbacks would be an understatement. Let's start off by talking about Stidham, who started the game for the Broncos and just didn't look right from the start.

After getting outside the pocket to try and make a play, Stidham threw up a pass intended for Marvin Mims Jr. that was destined for failure from the start, but Mims tried to catch it anyway. Playing in his first preseason action of the year, Mims almost immediately hobbled off the field with a foot injury, slamming his helmet on the sideline in frustration.

The Broncos didn't test Stidham downfield anymore after that particular play, and you could argue it was Stidham's fault that Mims got hurt on that play. He should have just thrown the ball out of bounds and lived to play another down.

Nothing has looked easy for Stidham the last two weeks, which was a major difference from what we saw in Atlanta in the first preseason game.

Sam Ehlinger, Quarterback -- Ended a Winner

Sam Ehlinger came onto the field and immediately threw up one of the worst passes of the preseason:

Somehow, it feels like the second-best quarterback on the Denver Broncos is offensive coordinator Davis Webb.

I'm kidding...or am I?

Ehlinger bounced back with a nice two-minute drill to end the first half, but the downfield passing game was extremely limited for both quarterbacks until the Vikings put in the backups to the backups. There were a lot of dumpoffs to the running backs, but then Ehlinger made the most of some chances in the 2nd half on breakdowns from Minnesota's coverage.

Neither player inspired wide-opena whole lot of confidence in this game, but Ehlinger at least made some plays down the stretch, including a nice 4th-down touchdown to a wide-open Cody Schrader, capping off a long drive with 6 points, as well as an 88-yard touchdown to a wide-open Justin Joly.

Kolbe Katsis, KR/WR -- Winner

I'm not so sure Kolbe Katsis hasn't done enough to make the Broncos' final 53-man roster as a return specialist. He's had at least three or four really good kickoff returns in the preseason, and at least one in every game so far.

He has a really good feel for finding running lanes in the return game, and hitting the jets with elite level acceleration. He also did it in the punt return game, showing some really impressive elusiveness on a 13-yard return that felt like a much bigger play than that.

We would have loved to have seen more of Katsis offensively to complement what he did on special teams, but with Marvin Mims Jr. dealing with injuries in this game and throughout camp, Katsis has given them something to seriously consider.

Cameron Ross, KR/WR -- Loser

It wasn't a great night for Cameron Ross, a young undrafted player and roster hopeful who had built some momentum after the first preseason game.

Ross muffed a punt (but recovered it) and had a huge loss on a jet sweep play in the red zone early on. He's still very likely going to be one of the Broncos' top practice squad candidates, but this game proved that he needs a bit more development.

Cody Schrader, Running back -- Winner

Few individual players had a better overall game against the Vikings than running back Cody Schrader.

Schrader might be the 6th RB on the depth chart, but he's got some talent. He's arguably been one of the most consistently impressive offensive weapons for the Broncos all throughout the preseason. He was cut by all of the Rams, Jaguars, and Texans last season, so NFL teams know about this guy.

He led the Broncos both in rushing and receiving in this game and showed that he should probably be one of the top priorities for the practice squad if he can make it. He ran with some really impressive patience all throughout the preseason, caught passes, and ran with nice power and vision.

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