(by Ross Jacobs)
I’m not one to make sweeping conclusions based on a smattering of preseason plays with a lot of backups in the game…but it’s safe to say the Broncos are one of the leading Super Bowl contenders from the AFC (maybe the favorite?) and the Falcons are not. I’d go so far as to say the Falcons are getting close to being a bottom feeder with some of the worst teams in the league. They looked completely disjointed and low energy. Now it’s one preseason game, but this was not at all a good first look for the team with a new HC in the building. We’ll see if they show any more fire next week. But I have a feeling the Falcons are going to be sitting at the bottom of the NFC South at the end of the year.
The Broncos, by contrast, looked like they knew what they were doing, everything was crisp and smooth, they played with good enthusiasm. I wanted to believe last year was somewhat of a fluke partially due to a weak schedule, but this is just a really good team, and this year they should be even better on offense with the addition of Jaylen Waddle. They are legit Superbowl contenders.
-- Both teams played their starters for a series or two, sans Bo Nix. Even still you would have thought that Jarrett Stidham was a better QB than Tua Tagovailoa. Stidham was controlled and methodical for the most part and Tua looked extremely nervous and timid. There’s no way that Tua and Michael Penix both don’t play at some point this year.
Is Sam Ehlinger making a move on Stidham for the backup job? No. He’s not at that level yet, but he definitely looks improved overall. He’s become pretty checkdown-happy, but he’s playing with composure and accuracy. He’d be a better backup than half the #2s in the league.
On the Falcons side Cooper Rush doesn’t even look like the same player from his time in Dallas where he sometimes appeared to be a borderline starting caliber player. He was atrocious here, jumpy, inaccurate, etc. The entire Atlanta operation is making me more and more nervous about Bijan Robinson and Drake London. Can they overcome this potential pending dumpster fire?
-- With no London in, all of Tua’s passes were going to Kyle Pitts. He’s going to see a ton of volume this year for Stefanski. David Njoku was TE4 in ppg in 2024 and Harold Fannin was TE8 in ppg last year. Pitts is being drafted as TE8. It’s not sexy, but it’s probably a fair price.
-- Let’s talk Falcons rookie and future star receiver Zachariah Branch, king of the downfield pass…oh that’s right, he’s actually not good down the field, and that’s why 70% of his college yards were within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. He caught two passes in this game, a 5 yard out and a simple flat route from behind the line on play action. He was also running solidly with the 2nd team, so there’s that too. Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus are the other two starters alongside London.
Frankly, for my money, Chris Blair looked like a better actual receiver than Branch did.
-- One interesting development from this game is that Denver rookie RB Jonah Coleman definitely proved he belonged and that the speed concerns were unfounded. Now he’s not going to be a workhorse, especially in a Sean Payton offense, but he can play a role in the future. I stress “in the future” because right now JK Dobbins and RJ Harvey both have defined roles, and Coleman is not so good that he’s going to just blow by either of them. Yes, he has good hands for the passing game, but he’s not a dynamic receiver, he doesn’t offer the explosive potential that Harvey does, so I don’t foresee him infringing in that department.
Coleman’s most likely path to seeing the field early is another Dobbins injury. Harvey is not a high volume interior runner. Coleman is, and he would be the most likely candidate to take over the early down duties from Dobbins. Visually he reminded me of a young Mark Ingram here, someone Sean Payton knows well. Ingram was also a two-down grinder that occasionally caught a pass or two until late in his career when injuries and lesser personnel forced him into a larger pass catching role. That’s the upside for Coleman someday.
-- RJ Harvey continues to remain very undervalued in redraft. He’s got a set role and a very valuable one at that, pass catching RB in a Payton offense, a role that has produced numerous RB1 and 2s over the years. Harvey was the rookie leader in TDs scored last year, put up more ppg than both TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins and yet is being drafted 10-15 picks behind them, and he has a much more valuable and defined role. Pass catching ability is the single most valuable skill for RBs in ppr leagues, the same way rushing is the most valuable skill for QBs in 4 pt passing TD leagues. Harvey is going to catch a ton of passes this year, many of them downfield on wheel routes which he is excellent at. There’s simply no reason not to take him as late as he is going.
-- Pat Bryant still does not look special to me in any way. He’s solid but just another good player. Cortland Sutton may be old, but he’s still better than Bryant.
-- None of the interesting young Denver TEs look like they are making a move. Justin Joly, Dallen Bentley, and Caleb Lohner were all barely noticeable.
I don’t see any great new push to use Evan Engram either, no matter what his past connection is with David Webb. This passing game is going to run through Waddle, Sutton, and Harvey until further notice.
-- My final note doesn’t matter for fantasy much because it’s about a defensive player, but 2025 1st round pick Jahdae Barron was playing solidly with the 2nd team defense. Good on Sean Payton for not forcing him in over the much better player, Ja’Quan McMillian. Of course, that begs the question: why in the world did you draft Barron then? There were a ton of analysts that pushed him as a top 10-15 pick last year, the same people that claimed Matthew Golden was better than Tetairoa McMillan. So much for that.
