Denver Broncos 8 stock up, 3 stock down following massive shutout win over Rams

Denver Broncos Stock Down:

WR Marquez Callaway

Despite having high hopes at the time of signing and reuniting with head coach Sean Payton who he played for in New Orleans, veteran WR Marquez Callaway has not lived up to expectations. In fact, the initial expectation was that Callaway would step into an offense he is already familiar with and immediately serve as the backup to Denver's top receivers. However, all throughout training camp and especially during Saturday's preseason finale, Callaway has been completely outperformed on several occasions by WRs Brandon Johnson, Lil'Jordan Humphrey, and even Marvin Mims Jr.

Despite playing multiple snaps, Callaway was targeted just one time due to lack of separation. His lone target was a beautifully placed ball from QB Jarrett Stidham in the back corner of the endzone that he simply could not haul in. Unless Sean Payton is waiting to scheme up different plays for him in the regular season, it is hard to picture Callaway having much of a role at all in the receiving game in 2023. There's also a slight chance the team may choose to look elsewhere for their WR depth chart with roster cuts around the NFL soon gaining more steam.

WR Montrell Washington

Unfortunately for the former Broncos fifth round pick, it has not worked out for him in at returner. WR Montrell Washington caught one pass for 13 yards during the win over the Rams however, was not involved at all in the return game due to lack of opportunity. All of his fielded punts were either fair catches or went straight out of bounds. Washington's last hope of making the roster was beating out rookie Marvin Mims Jr. for the starting returner role however, Mims Jr. returned a punt for 19 yards and further solidified his spot as the starter heading into the regular season. It is highly likely Washington will be on a different NFL team next week. Wishing him nothing but the best.

RB Tyler Badie

Despite having a solid lead in the competition for third-string RB at the beginning of training camp, Tyler Badie has since then been outperformed by a mile from both Jaleel McLaughlin and Tony Jones Jr. and it continued during the preseason finale. Badie finished the game with eight carries for 15 yards on a poor 1.9 yards per attempt, but did score a goal-line touchdown late in the game. He did also add two receptions for seven yards but was less than what both McLaughlin (13 yards) and Jones Jr. (11 yards) had produced. Despite the poor showing against the Rams, it was a brilliant start to camp for the second-year RB Tyler Badie and because of that, once he is waived off the 90-man roster, he will almost immediately be snatched up by a team in need of a speedy, dynamic RB.