The Denver Broncos lost their first preseason game of 2023 in what ended up being a pretty exciting finish with the Arizona Cardinals. A little back and forth in the fourth quarter ultimately led to a game-winning drive for the Cardinals' 3rd offense, including a two-point conversion to win by one. But obviously, the preseason isn't necessarily about winning and losing (although you'd ideally still like to win) but about evaluating players and giving guys the opportunity to jockey for roster positioning.
And we saw plenty of that in this game, although to be honest, finding standout players or players who actually made some waves in this game actually required a bit of digging and maybe even a second watch of the game itself.
Which players can we say are "skyrocketing" or maybe just rising up the Denver Broncos depth chart right now? Let's look at five names.
5 Denver Broncos players rising up depth chart after first preseason game
1. Matt Henningsen, defensive line
The Denver Broncos' defensive line is a major question mark at this point with Mike Purcell still on the NFI (non-football injury) list, and a player who would be a first-year starter -- Jonathan Harris -- penciled into the starting lineup on the team's depth chart.
Then, against the Arizona Cardinals, starter DJ Jones had to leave the game with a concussion. A questionable area of the team is already being significantly tested but that presents an opportunity for young guys to step up. Second-year player Matt Henningsen got an extensive look in this game and was highly productive, racking up 3 total tackles, a QB hit, and 0.5 sacks.
Henningsen was noticably quick knifing through the line of scrimmage on a variety of occasions, including on the final two-point conversion from the Cardinals in which he did a great job bursting through the line of scrimmage, but the Cardinals were able to avoid him and push the back into the end zone anyway.
Henningsen might deserve a look with the top defense after what we saw from him on Friday night.
2. Jaleel McLaughlin, running back
Head coach Sean Payton made it a point after the game on Friday when he was asked about rookie running back Jaleel McLaughlin that the rookie did fumble the football on one of his bigger plays, and considering the Broncos have McLaughlin 5th on their depth chart right now, nothing is being handed to the rookie. Payton needed to note the fumble because otherwise, McLaughlin looked really good in this game for the Broncos.
He had four carries for 20 yards (including a touchdown) and one reception for 12 yards. McLaughlin has sort of been the talk of training camp for the Broncos but they're not crowning him with anything just yet. McLaughlin was buried on the initial depth chart. Payton pointed out his fumble (the ball popped out at the sideline) after the game.
It kind of feels like the Broncos are trying to make sure nothing goes to McLaughlin's head. Heck, he even had a misprinted jersey nameplate.
Looks like a little nameplate fail on Jaleel McLaughlin’s surname: pic.twitter.com/gBx9gAvMxn
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) August 12, 2023
To me, it looks like the Broncos are doing some subtle things to keep "McGlaughlin" humble, but maybe it's just all a coincidence.
3. Elijah Garcia, defensive line
Like I said before, this game presented a great opportunity for the defensive line, and a player like Elijah Garcia really benefits from the Broncos' current situation at that position group. Not only did he take advantage of his reps by knifing through the line of scrimmage, but he finished a couple of plays with impressive sacks.
He finished the game with three total tackles and the two sacks, but perhaps those splash plays will warrant throwing him in with the first or second defense. The Broncos are obviously getting a good look at Garcia in camp as well, but plays getting made in preseason games can ultimately be a catalyst for guys like this.
4. Montrell Washington, receiver/returner
One of the top players in need of a big training camp/preseason this year is Montrell Washington. The second-year receiver and former fifth-round pick got benched at the end of last season by interim head coach Jerry Rosburg, and even with a handful of open roster spots at receiver this year, it sort of has felt like Washington is facing long odds to make the team.
Lately, though, he's been making a lot of headlines -- for good reasons. Washington has been making plays offensively throughout the course of training camp, and he looked vastly improved as a punt returner in the preseason opener against the Cardinals. He had two returns for 29 yards (14.5 average) and let a couple of punts go, making the correct decision in both cases.
When you talk about finding "hidden yardage" on special teams, Washington's abilities as a punt returner definitely helped the team on Friday night. He got the opportunity to do most of the returning in this game with the guy listed ahead of him on the depth chart -- rookie Marvin Mims -- not playing.
5. Delarrin Turner-Yell, safety
Delarrin Turner-Yell played fast and free on Friday night both defensively and on special teams. He got the chance to play 33 defensive snaps in this game as well as eight snaps on special teams for the Broncos and I think we saw the type of value he can bring to the table.
Turner-Yell played quite a bit of special teams as a rookie as well, and his aggressive, head-hunting style of play certainly works well for that phase of the game. The question we need to be monitoring as the preseason rolls long is whther or not Turner-Yell can steal a roster spot from another safety or defensive back.
Maybe even Kareem Jackson?
Turner-Yell finished this game with a pair of tackles, but he stood out in a good way.