DENVER — It’s game day again in the Mile High city.
And while a majority of the Broncos’ starters aren’t expected to play against the Cardinals on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. MT, 9NEWS/NFL Network), there’s still plenty that matters in the prime-time matchup.
In the Broncos’ lone home preseason game, a slew of players could continue to build their cases for roster spots.
“Those are invaluable snaps,” Head Coach Sean Payton said Thursday. “… Most importantly, is [gaining] more information, more data that can help us to the right decisions.”
As we near kickoff, here’s a look at what to watch for in Saturday night’s matchup:
HOW DOES THE RUNNING BACK COMPETITION UNFOLD?
The competition continues on.
As the Broncos take on Arizona, they’re still in the midst of determining who will earn roster spots at the running back position. And with two preseason games remaining, every snap and carry could matter.
“Here’s the deal: You’re right where I’m at, and we don’t know yet,” Payton said of the competition. “If you recall, at the start of training camp I said, ‘We’re all going to know,’ and I hopefully am going to be right. But we all don’t know [yet], and it’s still a very competitive spot.
“… We’re not there yet. The good news is we still have 10, 11 days, and hopefully we can get there and we will all know.”
Payton highlighted Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie, Audric Estime and Blake Watson as the players they’re wanting to get “a ton more exposure” of during the game.
“That’s one of those position groups of like, ‘Let’s find the argument for Tyler,'” Payton said. “‘Let’s find the argument for Audric, let’s find it for Jaleel.’ You’re rooting for all of them.”
If the competition is too tight to call, Payton also mentioned the contributions on special teams could play a factor.
