Denver Broncos 4 stock up, 3 stock down following loss to 49ers
By Amir Farrell
Denver Broncos Stock Down after preseason Week 2:
CB Tremon Smith
While the Broncos are widely known for their elite secondary, it isn't particularly as pleasing from top to bottom as you would think. Former Texans CB Tremon Smith has been a big surprise this offseason, to say the least, and not in a good way. Smith played most of the game against the 49ers following the debut of Patrick Surtain ll and did not play to any standards of an NFL corner's expectations. Not receiving any reps in return game over the course of the offseason has led most to believe that the signing of Smith was one to provide serviceable depth behind Damarri Mathis and others however, has simply not panned out GM George Paton's expectations.
In fact, when out on the field, Smith has almost always been a liability and is quickly becoming a quarterback's favorite target. The 27-year-old allowed multiple first-down receptions in coverage to third-stringers who are most likely not going to make San Francisco's active roster. The two-year, $5M contract grows more concerning by the day for Smith and appears to be one of the more confusing additions in recent history for the team. There is a strong possibility the team cuts ties with Smith in the coming weeks or even days after just one offseason.
WR Kendall Hinton
Trust me, it hurts putting the hall-of-fame quarterback himself on this list, but his preseason showing against the 49ers was simply not the prettiest. Battling for one of the final spots on the WR depth chart heading into the season, Kendall Hinton has struggled in the first two preseason games to separate himself in any form or fashion in the receiving game. And to make matters worse, the 26-year-old got into penalty trouble during Saturday's matchup with a holding call and offensive pass interference that set the team back.
Additionally, Hinton dropped two Ben DiNucci passes (not exactly the best throws) and looked off all night. It's difficult to paint a picture where Hinton realistically makes the team with WRs such as Lil'Jordan Humphrey, Jalen Virgil, and even Taylor Grimes who have outperformed him this offseason.