Midweek Musings: What We All Want To Know After The Preseason Opener

Here we are, two days away from the preseason opener, Bronco fans! We’ve talked a lot about what we might expect, and now that’s it almost here, we can talk specifically about what interests us the most. Let’s begin.

1. Of course, the offensive line has drawn the most interest. It started with Ben Garland, Gino Gradowski and Chris Clark in the starting lineup near the end of OTAs, and after a week of training camp, Max Garcia, Matt Paradis and Ryan Harris have moved to the first team. True, that means a younger offensive line, but I’m excited to see the likes of Garcia and Paradis work their way up the depth chart. I know some of you had high hopes about Paradis and what I read about Garcia told me he could be a starter one day, even if it took a little time to adjust to the NFL.

The preseason opener against Seattle will certainly be a good test for these young linemen, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them stay in the game a bit longer than some of the veterans, so the coaches get a better idea about how they measure up. That’s not to say they’ll play an entire first half, but more like, if Peyton Manning plays just one series, we could see Garcia and Paradis play two or three.

2. I would suspect what comes after that is how Brock Osweiler will fare in the new offense. He has fared well with the first team unit in training camp, even as you hear about him having the occassional interception (but keep in mind, when he plays with the first team offense, the first team defense is against him and there are no slouches in that group). It’s likely Osweiler will get a lot of work against Seattle, so we’ll find out quickly how he handles things, and if he can be the eventual replacement for Manning.

3. After that comes the question about how good the depth will be on defense this year. The depth was greatly tested last year, particularly at inside linebacker, and didn’t always lead to the best results. This year, we need to know who can be the best option behind Derek Wolfe, because he’ll miss the first four games with a suspension. We also need to know if our inside linebacker depth is better this year, and how Darian Stewart fares in taking over as the starting free safety.

4. There’s also the question about which of the young wide receivers who has impressed in training camp, can impress in the preseason. Solomon Patton has emerged ahead of others for a return man spot and Jordan Taylor had some impressive moments in camp. The question is which of these guys can carry that over into game time.

5. Finally, we’ll know more about who really has the lead for the kicking job. Has Connor Barth’s offseason work allowed him to get better at kickoffs, to the point where he can put the ball in the end zone often? Or will it be best to ride it out with Brandon McManus, even if he has hiccups with his accuracy?

I’ll close this with something on the lighter side. During training camp this morning, the Broncos were rolling out retro tunes as workouts progressed. Andrew Mason has some tidbits for you.


So what retro tunes do you think should be rolled out for future sessions? I have a few in mind.

The Safety Dance: Because I want to see Von Miller do the moves in a sack dance.

Wild Thing: Because Tone Loc, what else do you need to know?

Billie Jean: Because of this tweet Mason sent out.

You’ve Got Another Thing Coming: Because tell me it doesn’t sound like Peyton Manning telling Patriots fans to stick it.

You’ve heard enough from me. Let’s hear from you.

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Bob Morris

I'm a sports writer in real life, though I've always focused on smaller communities, but that hasn't stopped me from learning more about some of the ins and outs of the NFL. You can follow me on Twitter @BobMorrisSports if you can put up with updates on the high school sports teams I cover.

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