The Broncos came out of last Friday night’s preseason opener in Atlanta with one major concern and a lot to like. The concern was linebacker Levelle Bailey, whose season-ending broken leg was the lone injury to sour a 27-7 win over the Falcons. Everything else, though, pointed in the direction Denver wanted, especially the way running back Jonah Coleman handled himself.
Coleman’s late first-quarter run was the kind of play that gets a sideline buzzing. He spun, stayed upright through contact and kept churning for 13 yards, helping set up a field goal. More than the points, it confirmed what the Broncos had been seeing in practice all summer.
“I think after that one run, we all said on the headset, ‘We’re good,'” offensive coordinator Davis Webb said.
“He did what we needed to do, and he’s been great the last three weeks, just like Sean (Payton) said. He’s been consistent, and we’ve been throwing a lot of installs at him, and he’s been great.”
Webb also said the Broncos were “satisfied with the entire (running-back) room, but the other runners are known commodities at this level, to varying degrees. Coleman is the rookie who’s already demonstrated that this level shouldn’t be too large for him going forward.
Even so, Coleman isn’t the only player worth tracking when Denver hosts Green Bay on Friday night in the preseason home opener.
Bo Nix is the obvious headliner. The Broncos kept him out of last week’s game, with Jarrett Stidham taking the first-half snaps and Sam Ehlinger handling the second half. Sean Payton said Nix should get somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 snaps, which would give him his first game action of the year.
At tight end, Justin Joly is another name to keep an eye on. The fifth-round pick has had some uneven moments in practice, including a late Wednesday rep against Ehlinger that would have gone for a catch before a flag erased it after he pushed off.
Denver has room to be patient there, with Evan Engram lined up for a major role and Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins handling the “Y” tight-end work. Lucas Krull could still hang around as a practice-squad depth option if he doesn’t make the 53-player roster, but the Broncos would still benefit from a glimpse of what Joly can become.
There’s also the possibility that Jaylen Waddle makes his game-time debut Friday night, and that would instantly change the focus. He returned to practice Monday and quickly got involved in the offense.
By Wednesday, he was beating Pat Surtain II deep for a touchdown. Denver may choose to ease him in, though, after the muscle strain that had kept him out.
Waddle wore a compression sleeve on his leg this week.
The rookie receivers deserve attention too. Cam Ross picked up 28 yards on a sweep last week, Joseph Manjack tied Courtland Sutton for the team lead with three catches, and those grabs came in the second half for 40 yards on three targets. Kolbe Katsis also had a catch, though he dropped another pass.
On the defensive side, Red Murdock stands out as another player the Broncos want to see more from. The final pick of the Broncos’ draft class - and the final pick of the entire 2026 NFL Draft class - led the team with eight tackles against Atlanta. But Vance Joseph wants more than just clean communication and sound alignment from the University at Buffalo product.
“I thought Red did a great job of controlling the huddle, making the calls, making the checks,” Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said. That’s his strength, man. I mean, he is super smart.”
However …
“I want him to turn it loose more often than not,” Joseph added. “I thought (Taurean) York ran through gaps and made some plays.
I think Week 2 here, you’ll see more playmaking from Red. But he’s super smart, man.
I mean, the checks, things move, we’re in the right fronts, we’re in the right coverages. So, that’s his strength right now.
The playmaking will come with time.”
Joseph has already put a lot on Murdock’s plate, including relaying the defensive calls in the huddle and helping set the front seven before the snap. That kind of responsibility says plenty about the trust Denver has in him.
Now the bigger picture is starting to take shape. Murdock, second-year players Karene Reid and Jordan Turner, and undrafted rookie Taurean York appear to be fighting for two or three roster spots behind starters Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton. And at least one of them may need to show he can beat out a veteran the Broncos could still bring in, much like the team did Thursday when it added Taylor Rapp to bolster safety depth.
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