Duds No. 2 – Evan Mathis & Vernon Davis
John Elway has been widely praised for his ability to land impactful veteran free agents. Guys with big names like Peyton Manning and DeMarcus Ware – even guys like Emmanuel Sanders and T.J. Ward. The two biggest names added this year (one in preseason and one a midseason trade) were Evan Mathis and Vernon Davis, both Pro Bowlers who were supposed to shore up positions of limited depth.
On Monday night it was a rookie and another free agent veteran who filled their shoes, as Mathis and Davis watched from the sideline. Together, Mathis and Davis combined for 11 snaps, with six going to Mathis. Rookie Max Garcia got the start ahead of him, while Davis lost his snaps to veteran Virgil Green.
Gary Kubiak was diplomatic about why Mathis was benched, saying, “I think Max has been playing well and he deserved the opportunity to start. Really we’re watching his growth as a player. When he’s playing well and doing things well, he’s going to continue to play. It’s nothing Evan has done wrong. He’s been nicked up. He played on one foot for us for about a month, and we’re going to need them all before it’s said and done.” But Mathis was a full participant in practice this week for the first time since mid-November, a sign his health was less a factor than his play.
Kubiak said Davis’ limited snaps were a result of the uptempo style they were running, which he hasn’t been practicing enough due to his short tenure with the team. But after consecutive weeks with critical drops, it’s no surprise he wasn’t on the field in crunch time.
Elway is allowed a miss or two, but with such limited depth at both guard and tight end, the Broncos can’t afford for Mathis and Davis to disappear completely like they did against the Bengals.
