Bronco's Backfield Situtation

CJ Anderson is the number one back and nothing will change that in the preseason. He has run well, but I just hope they don't run him too much before the season even starts. During the regular season, he will receive a majority of the carries and should not have any problem doing so as he demonstrated last year. CJ has not received many touches in the first two games of the preseason, but fans know what he is capable of doing.

The surprise of preseason is Ronnie Hillman because many people including myself wrote him off before camp even began. He had a really good training camp and it translated into the preseason where he won the starting job over Montee. Has a ran hard in both games, is finding the holes well and bursting through them. Al long as he continues to hold onto the ball there is no reason for him not be the #2 back. In theory, he will be a great change of pace back to have behind Anderson. I hope that we get a glimpse in the next game of what the touch distribution will look like.

What happened to Montee Ball? He played well during his rookie season in relief of Knowshon, but struggled during his very short sophomore campaign. Now he is getting third string reps behind CJ Anderson and Ronnie Hillman, two players Bronco fans never thought they would see ahead of Ball in at this point in 2014. That is not an indictment on those two because Hillman has run hard in the preseason and fans should already know what CJ can do. Montee is not hitting the hole hard and looks very hesitant. He is very clearly the fourth most talented back in this backfield at this moment.

Montee Ball does not have much of a future on this team past his rookie deal if he does not improve immensely this season. I believe Juwan Thompson is a better running back than Ball. He has done nothing this preseason to prove otherwise. He runs harder, looks quicker and just looks like an overall better back than Montee. Jeremy Stewart and Kapri Bibbs are not making any waves and Bibbs will likely be cut on September 1st.

Bronco's Special Teams Review

The Broncos return coverage was under scrutiny after allowing a touchdown and two other long returns against the Seahawks. They responded very well. The only kick off was returned 22 yards and the held them to a 6.4 yard average on 5 punt returns. This gives me a lot of home because I was very down on this unit entering the game.

The competition in the punting game was a highlight after Lanning was brought in and Colquitt struggled against Seattle. Colquitt averaged 43.8 yards per punt on 5 punts and had a long of 53 yards. He also had a punt that he should have put inside the 10, but he only got to the 15. It is the type of thing he needs to work on in order to win the job. He needs to perform better because Lanning averaged 50 yards per punt on 2 punts with a long of 56 yards. This battle will likely go into the fourth preseason game, but I think and hope that Lanning will win the job.

Nobody stood out on punt returns besides Omar Bolden, but that was for the wrong reasons. He had one return where he went in reverse 6 yards. Luckily for him, no one impressed enough to justify overtaking him. Corbin Louks returned two kickoffs for 26 yards each. This could help propel him onto the team after making the game winning touchdown catch as well. I hope he gets plenty of chances to return kicks next week.

Brandon McManus demonstrated why I believe he will win the starting kicking job. He was able to kickoff the ball well, which helped the kick return team. He also kicked the first extra point, which is notable because some thought that would be a sticking point to the Broncos only keeping him on the roster.

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.