Back
With the Denver Broncos on a bye week, we can examine how each player has performed through nine weeks of the season.
After each game, I analyze each player on a snap-by-snap basis to hand out individual grades, but the minimum snap requirement to qualify for a grade is 20 per game.
The Broncos' bye week this year came as close as it gets to the midway point of the season (with 17 games), offering an ideal opportunity to reflect on each player's grade so far. Among the players with at least 250 snaps who have appeared in the last three games, let's examine how each individual has graded out — from highest to lowest — starting with the offense.
Bolles is coming off his worst game of the season against the Carolina Panthers, where he had 13 bad blocks, his first game with more than eight bad blocks this season. He's been a stalwart at left tackle despite the Broncos' collective offensive line issues and has had multiple games without allowing any pressure on the quarterback.
Over the past few games, the Broncos have made a slight tweak to what they're doing up front, and it has negatively impacted Meinerz’s play, but not in a disastrous way. He has had a slight drop-off over the last few weeks, but he has still been one of the best guards in the NFL.
Meinerz had nine bad blocks and four whiffed blocks against the Panthers. Up to that point, he hadn't had more than five bad blocks and two whiffs in a game this season.
While Waddle hasn’t had the biggest impact on the stat sheet, with only 337 yards on 30 receptions so far this season, his impact goes beyond the numbers. He has forced teams to cover differently, opening the door to big opportunities, even when the offense has passed on some.
Sutton has also not had the impact on the stat sheet that many were expecting, and has had some hiccups as a blocker as well. The last three games have seen him improve each week — with three of his five highest-graded individual games this season.
Powers gets a lot more hate and vitriol than he deserves, but he's been one of the Broncos' two highest-graded offensive linemen in the last two games. His last three games have been his best this season.
McGlinchey's grade is strange because he has been among the lowest-graded players in an individual game four times this season and has as many games graded below the 50 average mark as he does above 60. However, his two best games keep his grade out of the low 40s.
It's been a roller coaster ride for Engram this season. He has stepped up in some big moments, but has struggled to make a consistent impact. His grade is okay, but the Broncos brought him in, hoping for far more than he's given them.
Some early-season showings drag down Nix’s grade, but his last three games have improved steadily. This has been a trend for Nix since arriving in the NFL, and there's every reason to expect he will continue to ascend after the bye.
Wattenberg is another who had some disastrous games earlier in the season, but he seems to have found solid footing. There are still major issues in the run game, but he has put together four straight games where his lowest individual game grade was 63.2.
If we could separate Franklin the blocker from Franklin the receiver, he would probably have the highest and lowest grades on the offense. His play as a blocker has been exceptional this season, and probably the best on the team, but his route running and effort as a receiver have been questionable.
Trautman has struggled to be the ‘great blocker’ that he was hyped up to be when the Broncos re-signed him, though we all knew better. He has some bright moments as a blocker, but they are too few and far between, and his role as a receiver is a glorified 'security blanket,' and that's putting it as positively as possible.
Remember, each player needs to have played in the last three games, plus have at least 250 snaps to qualify for a mid-season grade. That means Jonah Elliss and Talanoa Hufanga don’t qualify even though both have over 250 snaps; neither has played in the last three games.
With that said, let's get into the player grades on defense.
Not only has Allen been the Broncos' best defender, but he's also been one of the best in the NFL. Out of 51 qualifying defensive linemen, he leads the NFL in total pressures and win percentage, ranks third in pass-rush productivity, and ranks sixth in batted passes.
Allen has been exceptional this season, and with his conditioning, there is no reason to expect a drop-off.
Bonitto ranks second on the team in pressures with 30 and has done well as a run defender for most of the season. He's had a few bad moments as a run defender and has been caught badly in coverage, but his impact as a pass rusher is elite, even with a slower start to the season than was ideal.
Teams know how to attack Surtain, and they've done so with some success. But outside of three such routes, he's nearly impossible to attack through the air. His play as a run defender has also been the best I have seen in his NFL career.
Roach has had some big games this season and has found his footing to be a consistent threat and impact player on the defensive line. Not only is he tied for the third-most pressures on the team (behind Allen and Bonitto), but he also leads the team in batted passes.
Moss has some issues, and he gets targeted a lot due to playing opposite Surtain, but he has consistently played well. In eight games played this season, Moss has graded 60-plus in six and 70-plus in three.
Strnad has been the Broncos' coverage linebacker, and he has done quite well. His tackling, however, has been an issue, with 11 missed tackles and the second-highest missed-tackle rate among linebackers in the NFL. There's a reason the Broncos wanted Daiyan Henley, though the trade fell through.
Jones was a questionable presence in 2025, but he's closer to the 2024 version of himself this season. He's playing for a second contract, and the Broncos may reach out about an extension. Jones has four games where he graded in the 70s, and a fifth where he was at 69.3 (out of the eight games), though he was inactive in Week 9.
Jonathon Cooper doesn’t qualify for a grade, but with his legal issues and contract situation, the Broncos could part ways with him in the offseason. Robinson has excelled as a pass rusher with his explosiveness off the line and has mostly done well as a run defender, though the Panthers got some big wins against him.
McMillian is a nickel defender with size limitations, and teams have found ways to attack him, but he also plays bigger than he is and is very aggressive. The nickel corner has been vital to the Broncos' ability to generate takeaways this season and has shown his ability as a blitzer when called upon.
Singleton is a tackling machine, but also a missed tackle waiting to happen. He has the most tackles in the NFL and the sixth-highest missed-tackle rate, while leading NFL linebackers in raw missed tackles, with 40 more snaps this season than the next-highest linebacker. Teams have also found ways to target and isolate Singleton in coverage, which has always been his weak spot.
Jones is a solid player, and he has posted a slightly above-average grade through nine games. He does some things well and consistently, and there are areas he struggles with, like double teams.
The Barron experiment is likely to end soon. In his first start, he played relatively well, but outside of that, he's been a disaster on the field.
Barron plays stiff as a board, and his football awareness is lacking. The only good thing about his play has been his reliability as a tackler in space, as shown when he gets beaten in coverage and allows a catch.
The Broncos showed a lot of faith in Uwazurike, but he has largely been a letdown this year. There have been some excellent moments, but we're talking about two or three plays per game while he is playing an average of 38 snaps per game.
It was limited reps — only 10 snaps, to be precise — but rookie Tyler Onyedim was impactful on at least eight of them against the Panthers and forced a fumble.
Back
Top
| Privacy Statement Terms of Service Contact |
Refresh
|
All the best breaking news stories from Apex Football Lite. Optimised for feature phones and low end Android devices, Apex Football Lite helps users with legacy devices and poor network connectivity access the latest football news and live scores. Particularly relevant for breaking football news in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.