Mile High Sports

Broncos depth draws mixed results in first half of final preseason game

Aug 30, 2018; Glendale, AZ, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Su'a Cravens (21) prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals during a pre season game at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Broncos depth got their opportunity to showcase their skills, not only for Denver but for 31 other teams as the fourth preseason game unfolded in Arizona against the Cardinals Thursday night.

Starting off with a bang, the Broncos took the field and immediately drove the field off the back of bubble running back De’Angelo Henderson.

Henderson immediately made an impact on the drive, rushing for 21 yards with a 5.3 YPC average in the first quarter. Henderson would finish the half with seven carries for 28 yards.

The starting job for the fourth preseason game at quarterback went to Chad Kelly. The seventh-round selection has impressed in the first three preseason opportunities, but came out flat early in his final chance at solidifying the No. 2 spot on the depth chart.

Kelly would finish the first quarter 3/5 for 22 yards.

But after shaking off the interception, Kelly drove the field with nice passes to Jordan Leslie and Mark Chapman, finishing the half with 12/19 for 126 yards, one interception and no touchdowns. The Broncos did notch 10 first downs in the first half, but went 1-6 on third down.

The Broncos defense certainly impressed early. Su’a Cravens, the safety acquired in a trade in the offseason finally was healthy enough to hit the field and hit he did. Cravens made a standout early play, which featured his helmet flying off.

The Broncos also saw strong play from another safety in Will Parks. Parks is playing with a heavy heart, just days after posting on his social media accounts the death of his Uncle in Philadelphia this week.

With his Uncle smiling down on him, Parks brought strong play to the final preseason game, snagging a couple tackles and drawing a lot of praise on social media.

The Broncos special teams under the microscope saw a strong return from Isaiah McKenzie, who returned a punt 30+ yards but unfortunately was called back because of a penalty.

https://twitter.com/MikeKlis/status/1035359071707181057

Kelly and the offense got one more shot for a two-minute drill to score, but never crossed midfield. The Broncos go into halftime trailing 7-3.

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