5 winners (and 2 losers) for Broncos in preseason win over Packers

Broncos loser: Alex Forsyth, Center

Unfortunately, it's probably safe to say that center Alex Forsyth has officially lost the center battle to Luke Wattenberg. The 2023 7th-round pick and 2022 5th-round pick have been duking it out for depth chart positioning this offseason but Wattenberg has been the steadier option.

Forsyth had a couple of ugly holding penalties called against him in this game against the Packers, and when he got into the game, pressure started getting to the quarterbacks from all angles. It wasn't a good showing for Forsyth, who will likely assume a role as a backup center/guard on the 53-man roster this season.

Broncos winner: Keidron Smith, safety

The Denver Broncos made the tough decision early in the offseason to cut safety Justin Simmons. More recently, they made the decision to cut former fifth-round pick Caden Sterns. They have such a young safety group right now, but Sean Payton and his staff obviously really like these guys and we're starting to see why.

Keidron Smith now has an interception in back-to-back games to open the preseason, and he added three total tackles on top of it in this one. He looked solid on special teams as well, which will be key to making this roster potentially. A second-year player out of Kentucky, Smith could be one of the top players to watch in Week 3 of the preseason.

Broncos winner: Jonah Elliss, EDGE

Denver Broncos rookie pass rusher Jonah Elliss is just a flat-out stud. The third-round pick out of Utah plays hard, but he just looks advanced for a typical third-round pick. You can see his football bloodlines in the way he plays the game. Not only as a pass rusher, either, but as a run stopper as well.

Elliss can get to the quarterback in a hurry and is undoubtedly going to factor into the Broncos' rotation at the edge position this year.