Broncos @Texans Backup Preview

Brock Osweiler played well against Seattle and proved to me that he can be the QB after Manning calls it quits. He at least has the potential of Jake Plummer and he lead the Broncos to an AFC championship game. He should be able to handle Houston's second team well. I am more interested in seeing if Siemian or Dysert receive third team reps. Siemian clearly outplayed him in Seattle, but I am not sure if he has convinced coaches to keep him on the final 53. He seemed very poised against Seattle, which is something he should carry over into Houston. Dysert might not see any playing time considering his struggles and that Manning could be playing the entire first half.

Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman are firmly number two and three on the depth chart and are not fighting for a roster spot. However, if Hillman has another good game and Ball struggles, he could find himself receiving more touches than Ball in the regular season. Hillman ran very well in the first game and I would love to watch him repeat that performance in Houston. Montee had some decent runs, but did not have a great game overall. Hopefully he is able to string together some quality runs in this game. Juwan Thompson did not run well, but he did not get any help from an offensive line that struggled to give him lanes. He is still likely to make the roster considering Jeremy Stewart and Kapri Bibbs have not done anything spectacular. I hope the line can block at least semi decently so he at least has a chance to run well.

Cody Latimer is the third receiver when everyone is healthy, but he will get a lot of playing time in this game since Sanders is not going to play. Bennie Fowler will also get a lot of playing time because he has had a great camp along with a productive first game. With another excellent showing, he could solidify a roster spot for himself. Jordan Norwood also has a chance to make the roster, but he needs to do better on special teams to give him a boost. Jordan Taylor and Solomon Patton also have a shot, but Andre Caldwell stands in their way because of his relationship with Manning and his veteran leadership. The coaching staff probably would like to see more out of Dominique Jones. He only had one catch in the first game and I am sure the coaching staff would like to keep a third tight end on the roster even though James Casey will play fullback and tight end. Hopefully he is able stand out on Saturday.

The backup offensive line was not any good against Seattle. They struggled to produce holes in the running game and also had some trouble pass blocking. Ben Garland, Michael Schofield and Gino Gradkowski all had bad games. Each of them had a chance to start this season and it is a relief to know that they aren't likely to anymore. However, they really need to show improvement just in case one of the current starters is lost due to injury.

Darius Kilgo played very well against Seattle and demonstrated to fans why he has jumped up the depth chart. He should have a good follow up game and should prove to be a good rotational player during his rookie season. Marvin Austin was placed on IR, which means Sione Fua likely makes the team. Kenny Anunike will miss this game, which means Antonio Smith will see plenty of snaps. Chuka Ndulue and Josh Watson will also get chances, but their hopes lie in a spot on the practice squad.

Shaq Barrett looks to dominate much like he did in the first game. I go to CSU so I have been a fan of him, but his game against Seattle opened the eyes of many fans. If he lives in the backfield against the Texans, he could start earning himself some decent rotational time during the regular season. Unfortunately, Lerentee McCray will not see any action this week because he is still in the process of returning from multiple injuries. Chase Vaughn had a pretty good first game, but his chances of getting on the 53 man roster are slim, but he will be fighting for a spot on the practice squad. Lamin Barrow, Steven Johnson and Corey Nelson are all looking to make an impact in this game because one of them could find themselves off of the roster. Lamin Barrow has struggled on defense, but seems to be a good special teams player, which significantly help his chances to make the roster. My guess is that if the decision had to be made today, Corey Nelson would be the odd man out, but there are still three games left for players to prove their worth.

As I have mentioned before, the battle for the last corner spot on the roster will be important for the coaches to watch. I would rather Curtis Marsh and Lorenzo Doss win the job than Tony Carter. Fans know what they will be getting from him and to be honest, he is a solid player, but he gambles too much for the fifth corner on the depth chart. I want to see Omar Bolden playing safety. He missed the first game, but if he proves himself against Houston, I can rest easier about the safety situation after Ward and Stewart. Hopefully Josh Bush or Ross Madison stand out in this game, but for a safety that deep in the depth chart, they need to show coaches that they can make plays on special teams.

Brandon McManus, in my mind, has a legitimate shot of supplanting Barth if he is able to keep making field goals. I would like to see him kick some new extra points to prove that he has the consistency to be the only kicker on the roster. Some might think this is crazy considering the bad position the Broncos were in last season because of their confidence in him, but kickers do improve. Matt Prater also had accuracy issues at the beginning of his career and he ironed those out. Another reason to keep him over Barth is that he can boot it into the end-zone at a higher angle, which gives the kick team more time to get downfield and they could obviously use that. Spencer Lanning was signed right before the Seattle game, which he was not able to play in. He has a legitimate shot at supplanting Colquitt because he struggled at Seattle and during the 2014 season. If Lanning is able to have a net yardage in the 40's, he will likely make the team. The return team needs to perform better. They muffed two punts against Seattle and nobody really stood out to supplant Omar Bolden. Patton, Norwood, Burse, Fowler and Caldwell will all likely get shots to return. All of them need to do a lot better than they did against Seattle to catch the coaches eye.

There are many roster spots to be won, which is what makes preseason football watchable. I am excited to see which backups are able to make a name for themselves and get on the coaches radar.

Broncos @ Texans Starter Preview

The Broncos and the Texans kickoff in Houston at 6:00 mountain standard time. Peyton Manning and Demaryius Thomas will be making their 2015 preseason debuts so it will be great to see those two work together again even if it is only preseason. Kubiak stated that Manning and Thomas will likely play one and half quarters or into halftime depending on how it is going. This will be a good test for the line because they will have to accommodate  for JJ Watt.

The offensive line needs to show improvement from last game. They struggled against Seattle, but they improved throughout the game, which gives me some hope. However, they still need to prove themselves early in the game. Playing against JJ Watt and the rest of Houston's starters will be a big test even though it is preseason. Ty Sambrailo needs to show that he can handle the Houston pass rush. Having Manning back there makes it a little more high stakes than Brock. I believe he has the ability to be really good and will likely show positive steps during this game. Max Garcia and Paradis need to show consistency after they both had good first games.

Virgil Green showed that he will be a formidable receiving option against Seattle. He is not as talented as Julius Thomas, but he is still able to create matchup problems. He will likely be targeted often again as the new offense will give him plenty of opportunities. Owen Daniels will see his first action as well and it will be nice to see him and Green in two tight end sets.

Demaryius and Emmanuel will see the field together for the first time. Hopefully Manning will be able to connect on one long ball to either of the two. We could see some three wide sets with Cody Latimer which adds another dimension to the number one offense.

The starters on the defensive line performed well in the first game, but I would like to see continued growth from Sylvester Williams at nose tackle. Keep and eye on Vance Walker because he will be starting for Wolfe during the first four games. He was solid against Seattle and that is all Denver needs him to be since he will be backing up Wolfe for most of the Season. I am not worried about Wolfe or Jackson this game, they have proved that they will be effective.

Brandon Marshall will see his first action this season, but Trevathan will miss this game. I love Marshall and am ready to see him work in the new defense. Todd Davis will be lining up next to him. As I have said, I want to see him play much better than he did in Seattle. He needs show that he can stop the run after only having one tackle last week. Von Miller and Shane Ray are going to start again. Both of them were fantastic last week. Miller obviously had the strip sack, but Shane was in the backfield consistently as well. Expect to see more of the same on Saturday.

TJ Ward most likely will play after being excused from practice. If he plays, I hope that he gets more work covering players one on one. If he is able to be serviceable in that area this season, this defense will be dangerous. Darien Stewart will start and hopefully play well again. Rahim Moore plays for Houston so Bronco fans can get a glimpse of how Stewart and Moore compare.

Connar Barth and Britton Colquitt are still the starters ay kicker and punter, but they could both lose their jobs. They cannot afford to make any major mistakes in these upcoming games because of the competition.

I cant wait to see how all of the starters perform against Houston. It's only preseason, but it can be an indicator of how a team will play in the regular season.


Update: I now know that Sanders will not be playing in this game. Hopefully we will see Demayius and Emmanuel on the field at the same time in the third game.