The third and final stock report of the preseason after the Broncos’ 41-0 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night.
Stock Up
Jarrett Stidham: The backup quarterback’s first drive was surgical. Maybe a work of art. He tore apart the Rams’ secondary, going 6 for 6 with 71 yards before running back Jaleel McLaughlin scored on a 1-yard rushing touchdown. He completed a 21-yard pass to wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey on third-and-long before hitting tight end Albert Okwuegbunam for a 17-yard completion.
Stidham didn’t stop there. He completed 50-yard pass to rookie wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr., while getting blasted by Rams defenders. Good news, he was OK. Stidham would later cement his legacy game with a 20-yard run, an 8-yard touchdown pass to Okwuegbunam and a 49-yard bomb to wide receiver Brandon Johnson.
If there was a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for preseason performances, Stidham’s jersey and helmet would be on display after throwing for 236 yards and a touchdown in the first half.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton was high on Stidham when the team signed him in March. After two shaky performances against Arizona and San Francisco, Stidham showed he might be worth his two-year, $10 million deal.
Marvin Mims Jr.: Ladies and gentleman, the Broncos might be able to overcome the injuries at wide receivers. Maybe thatap an overreaction, but Mims’ deep catch in tight coverage was enough to show he can make an impact. The former Oklahoma standout almost scored on a jet sweep if Rams defensive back Tre Tomlinson didn’t try to take his head off. All in all, a good night for the rookie — and one the Broncos sorely needed to see at the position.
Essang Bassey: The fourth-year cornerback has been the Jaleel McLaughlin of Denver’s defense. In the first quarter, Bassey jumped in front of Rams wide receiver Demarcus Robinson to snatch his third interception of preseason. If the preseason games are considered tests by Payton, Bassey has aced everyone one of them.
Bonus addition: Considered to be on the roster bubble, Albert O put together the greatest highlight reel of his three-plus seasons in apountry, hauling in seven passes for 109 yards. Enough to win him a spot on the roster? Unclear. But it certainly doesn’t hurt his chances of landing somewhere.
Stock Down
Offensive line depth: Broncos fans should be praying every night that the first-team offensive line can stay healthy throughout the season. With the projected starters sidelined Saturday, the reserves received the majority of the reps, and man, they had Stidham fighting for his life out there. He was hit four times, as he took a beating inside the pocket.
Tyler Badie and Tony Jones Jr.: In the race for the third running back spot, Badie and Jones are far from the finish line. With McLaughlin recording his fourth touchdown of the preseason, itap more than likely that the undrafted rookie will make the 53-man roster in front of both.
Tremon Smith: The veteran cornerback hasn’t done much throughout training camp to prove that he is worth his two-year deal. He hasn’t stood out on defense and didn’t get any reps as a kick returner, which was one of the reasons Denver signed him in the offseason. It will be interesting to see what the team does with Smith since they gave him $2.5 million of guaranteed money.
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