Broncos Stock Report: DE Zach Allen’s strong encouraging sign for Denver defense
Denver Post
Here’s a look at which players improved their stock or watched it decline after the Broncos’ 13-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at home on Sunday afternoon.
Stock Up
DE Zach Allen: The Broncos defensive end gave Steelers quarterback Justin Fields problems on Sunday. There were multiple times in the first quarter when he nearly sacked Fields, who managed to slip away. It wasn’t until the two-minute mark of the second quarter that Allen sacked Fields for a 1-yard loss. During Pittsburgh’s first drive of the third quarter, Allen delivered a hit on Fields to force an incomplete pass. Allen finished with a career-high eight pressures and a sack on 28 pass rushes against the Steelers, according to Next Gen Stats. No other Broncos pass rusher had more than two pressures.
WR Josh Reynolds: Through two weeks, Reynolds has emerged as Denver’s best pass-catcher. He has nine catches for 138 yards on 13 targets. Against the Steelers, the former Lions wideout totaled four catches for 93 yards — the most by a Broncos pass-catcher in a game since Courtland Sutton totaled 91 yards against the Dolphins in Week 3 of last season.
Punter Riley Dixon: The veteran punter was one of the few bright spots in the Broncos’ ugly loss to Pittsburgh. Dixon had six punts for 315 yards and averaged 48 net yards per attempt. He leads the league in punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line (seven) after recording three on Sunday. Dixon is also averaging 46.2 net yards — sixth-best in the NFL.
OLB Jonah Elliss: The rookie edge rusher has been fun to watch since training camp. In the first quarter, Pittsburgh was at Denver’s 4-yard line when Elliss pushed off offensive tackle Dan Moore Jr. to take down quarterback Justin Fields for his first career sack. Elliss, a third-round pick from Utah, was a menace during the preseason. Denver’s pass rush is a lot better if he can translate that play throughout the fall.
Stock Down
RT Mike McGlinchey: The Broncos’ starting right tackle had a hard time against the Steelers’ pass rush. In the second quarter, Watt overpowered McGlinchey before tripping up quarterback Bo Nix for a sack. McGlinchey gave up a couple of pressures and was penalized for offensive holding in the second half.
LT Garett Bolles: Bolles looked outmatched on the other end of the Broncos’ offensive line. With 1:56 to go in the first quarter, Denver’s starting left tackle struggled to hold off Steelers edge rusher Alex Highsmith, who sacked Nix for a 7-yard loss. Bolles gave up a sack and two pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. He was also penalized three times.
TE Greg Dulcich: The return of Dulcich hasn’t provided the spark the Broncos were hoping for. He’s had five catches for 28 yards, including 16 against the Steelers. The UCLA product had a pair of costly drops in the fourth quarter on Sunday. With 13:39 to go in regulation, he was uncovered on a crossing route but failed to secure Nix’s pass attempt. Later in the quarter, Dulcich watched another easy catch slip through his fingertips.
WR Marvin Mims Jr.: Broncos head coach Sean Payton expected Mims to get extended playing time after seeing just 12 offensive snaps in Week 1. Instead, Mims played a career-low nine offensive snaps against the Steelers, totaling one catch for 10 yards on two targets. The departure of former Broncos wideout Jerry Jeudy was meant to open the door for Mims to take on a larger role on offense. But Denver continues to struggle to find ways to get him on the field.
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