5 biggest takeaways from Broncos preseason win over Bears

The Denver Broncos kicked off their 2016 preseason the right way. They posted their ninth preseason shutout with a 22-0 win over the Chicago Bears.

The offense came out of the gate firing passes through the air and opened with a touchdown on their first drive. They weren’t the only unit to score, as both the defense and special teams put points on the board.

Overall, it was a good way to get things started. The Broncos are the Super Bowl champions, but they’re not just defending their title in 2016. The team wants to go for another one this season, and beginning the preseason like this is a good indication that they are still in a Super Bowl window.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak is proud of what his team did on Thursday night.

“Obviously we came out, threw the ball around. It’s something we wanted to do. I wanted to watch how they handled things, their decision making,” Kubiak said. “I thought Mark (Sanchez) did really good. Just had the one mistake with the football that we’re continuing to try and correct, he knows that. I thought Trevor (Siemian) was good, put some deep balls in some good places, some plays we should have made for him.

“Then Paxton (Lynch) for the first time out, I thought it was very solid. His reactions were good. Obviously he got sacked a few times, but as a group I thought it was a good step. I think they went out and played how they’ve been practicing. They’ve been pretty solid so we just have to keep moving forward.”

Here are the five biggest takeaways from the Broncos win over the Bears:

5. They have a lot of depth on defense

The Broncos have arguably the league’s best defense. Their starters are some of the best in the game and feature multiple Pro Bowlers and All-Pro defenders. However, it was apparent their backup players on defense have plenty of game.

Second-year linebacker Zaire Anderson isn’t a lock to make the 53-man roster, but his play on Thursday night should help that cause. He was everywhere on the field as a tackler, and he did a good job in coverage as well. Anderson capped off his night with a blocked punt by wide receiver Bennie Fowler that he recovered in the end zone.

Rookie safety Will Parks is a player with great upside. He can patrol the field from many angles, but some of his best plays come when Parks is lined up in the box. The rookie from Arizona has a good nose for the ball, and he arrives at the play with nasty intention. He finished the game against the Bears with two tackles and one sack.

Undrafted rookie Eddie Yarbrough looks like a player to keep an eye on. Coming out of Wyoming, Yarbrough was known as a coachable player with sound technique. So far in training camp, Yarbrough has impressed with his motor and hustle in drills. He led the Broncos with five tackles in the first preseason game. He also added one tackle for a loss and one quarterback hit on Thursday night. This defensive line is jam packed with talent, so Yarbrough may have to spend his first season on the team’s practice squad.

These young defenders carry on the tradition of swagger the veterans have established on this team. It gives great hope for the future that this defense will continue to dominate for years to come.

According to strong safety T.J. Ward, the defense is playing with plenty of attitude.

“It’s definitely the same attitude. It may be a little bit better as far as wanting to dominate the opponent,” Ward said. “We’re clicking. It felt good to get that win today.”

4. Cody Latimer plays big

In the second round of the 2014 NFL draft, the Broncos moved up to select wide receiver Cody Latimer out of Indiana. In two seasons as a pro, Latimer hasn’t done much and only has eight career catches. While some may paint Latimer as a bust, lacking talent is not the case with the young receiver.

For years Latimer has flashed potential in practice and through training camp. He has never been able to duplicate the success he has in practice on the playing field –– mainly because of bad chemistry with former quarterback Peyton Manning. With Manning retired, Latimer is taking full advantage of his new quarterback situation.

On Thursday against the Bears, Latimer had a team-high seven catches for 82 yards. It was a great start and a sign that he’s more comfortable this season.

Kubiak appreciates Latimer’s play in the game –– and in practice.

“You know what is interesting? Guys that are having good camps come out and play good in preseason. Cody has had a great camp,” Kubiak said. “Those things tend to carry over. Our receiver competition is very strong, and we need to continue to look at those young guys. I just see carry over is all I see.”

Latimer now has an even larger opportunity as it was revealed on Saturday that wide receiver Bennie Fowler has a small fracture in his elbow after going down hard covering a punt against the Bears. While Fowler is out, Latimer will have time to further showcase what he can do.

3. Kapri Bibbs doesn’t do enough

For two years, running back Kapri Bibbs has been waiting patiently to make the 53-man roster on the Broncos practice squad. After one year at Colorado State, Bibbs entered the league as an undrafted free agent. He’s a proven runner and has showed well as a receiver out of the backfield when given the opportunity.

However, Bibbs needs to show that he’s good in pass protection if he wants a job on the final roster. So far, Bibbs continues to struggle in that area.

The Broncos are giving him every opportunity to win a job. In training camp, Bibbs gets plenty of reps –– some even with the second team. In the game against the Bears, Bibbs had 15 carries for 53 yards on the ground. His 3.5 yards per carry isn’t good enough to impress.

Kubiak explained why the team leaned so heavily on Bibbs in the second half.

“Paxton (Lynch) plays the second half, and I wish I would have thrown a little more with him, but Kapri (Bibbs) having a great camp really deserves those carries. I think we have a lot of tape to look at,” Kubiak said.

Bibbs is going to get more opportunities with the Broncos in camp and the preseason, and he’ll have to do more with that time.

2. Virgil Green should be used more

There are many fans in Broncos Country who want to see more from tight end Virgil Green as a receiver, and it looks like that wish may come true. In the first drive against the Bears, Green had three catches for 26 yards. He was finding the soft spot in the defense, and Green showed the ability to make tough catches in critical times to move the chains.

Using more of Green is something the Broncos should have done last year. Coming out of Nevada as a seventh-round pick in 2011, Green was known as a fine outlet receiver but a poor blocker. During his time in the NFL, Green has worked diligently to improve his blocking ability –– but he’s improved so much in that department that now his receiving ability is somewhat forgotten about.

With second-year pro Jeff Heuerman struggling to impress, Green could be the best answer for the Broncos at tight end. In the Kubiak offense, the position is critical for the offense to run on all cylinders. Perhaps Green will get his long-deserved chance as the team’s lead tight end this year.

Sanchez loves the way his targets came through against the Bears.

“Emmanuel (Sanders) made some great catches for me. Bennie (Fowler) was out there making catches. Virgil Green over the middle. We had plenty of targets out there,” Sanchez said. “Those guys did a great job of wiggling free and getting open for me.”

Last year, Green had a career-high 12 catches. This season, he could easily triple that number (or more) if used properly.

1. Paxton Lynch flashes his potential

The Broncos don’t know who their starting quarterback is going to be for Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers. It’s likely to come down to Mark Sanchez or Trevor Siemian, but in the background we’re seeing the first stages of a potential franchise quarterback for the Broncos.

First-round pick Paxton Lynch looked good in limited opportunities against the Bears on Thursday night. He played the entire second half of the contest and finished the game with 6 completions on 7 attempts for 74 yards and a QB Rating of 110.7. The young quarterback looked calm and in control against his first pro opponent, and the state was certainly not too big for Lynch.

Lynch felt good after his first NFL game.

“It felt good to go out there and play against a real defense and be live and get hit and move around in the pocket and make some throws. It felt good to go against a live defense and get those reps,” Lynch said.

The rookie has struggled at times during training camp, but that is to be expected. He’s a first-year player and a quarterback who is coming from a spread system in college. In the toughest position to play in all of sports, and Lynch is making a big transition from Memphis to the NFL.

Some of the little things like working from under center, calling plays from the huddle and making reads while dropping back are not natural for Lynch yet. However, as he showed against the Bears, it’s his ability to keep plays alive and stay cool under fire that gives him amazing upside in the NFL.

It may not be that long before Lynch is one of the best young quarterbacks in the league.