After Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Denver Broncos could see an influx in reps for a handful of their younger players. As Sean Payton and the Broncos offense continue to struggle with slow starts, they could look at bringing some of their young offensive playmakers along more.
Sean Payton, Denver Broncos young players could be featured more going forward
The Denver Broncos offense had a frustrating performance for three quarters in Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. While Sean Payton didn’t come out and say directly that the team is going to give more reps to their younger players, he mentioned that he wants to see them more offensively.
“We have to see these guys,” Payton said. “We are a young team. I want to see this runner as well. I want to see [RB Audric] Estime. We are going to see [WR Devaughn] Vele and we are going to see [WR Troy] Franklin. We are not waiting to redshirt these guys. We will continue to see each week their involvement in the plan and how they fit. That is how you get confidence and get experience.”
Those young guys weren’t as heavily featured in the first half but stood out in the second half. Franklin hauled in his first career touchdown from Bo Nix as part of Denver’s fourth-quarter rally. Estime had only two carries but rattled off an 11-yard run that saw him run through contact. Vele caught four passes for 78 yards, excelling in the scramble drill and making plays with yards after the catch.
“Let’s be honest, it picked up when we started going up tempo and you are behind,” Payton said. “You are getting a different coverage look. We played with some tempo. Early in the first half, we had a false start. We played with tempo early in the second quarter and fumbled the football. Those were all up tempo plays, but I think towards the fourth quarter we were able to make some plays down the field. The game was in a different position at that point. We fought to get back in it.”
More involvement doesn’t guarantee that Denver’s offensive issues on third down, slow starts, and inconsistencies will be fixed, but you have to try. Nix got off to a slow start, throwing for only 22 yards on three-of-ten passing. He went on to finish 19-of-33 for 216 yards, two passing touchdowns, and six rushing attempts for a team-high 65 yards on the ground.
While Nix has a share of accountability for how the offense is performing, Payton has made it very clear that the picture around him has to be made cleaner, too. Now, the team has to face a quick turnaround for Thursday’s game against the New Orleans Saints.
There could be a chance we see more of Estime, Franklin, and Vele as Payton tries to decipher how the offensive picture becomes more clear going forward.
