Denver Post Broncos writer Ryan O’Halloran posts his Broncos Mailbag weekly during the season.
You can pose a Broncos- or NFL-related question for the Broncos Mailbag here. Follow Ryan for more daily updates on Twitter.
Why is Elijah Wilkinson still playing right tackle? He is a poor run blocker and pass blocker against any speed. Jake Rodgers played almost all of the last two games of last season and did a superb job. He continues to be the weak link on the offensive line while Rodgers sits on the practice squad. What is your opinion?
— Mike Deverich, Pueblo
Broncos fans can thank Ja’Wuan James for having Wilkinson at right tackle. When James opted out before training camp, Wilkinson went from back-up swing tackle to starting right tackle.
Rodgers did OK in last year’s final two games, but the Broncos obviously weren’t comfortable enough with him to be the back-up tackle so they kept Demar Dotson and Calvin Anderson.
The entire line broke down against Pittsburgh, not just Wilkinson, who I booked for 1 1/2 sacks, two pressures and one “bad” run block.
If the Broncos make a move at right tackle, it will be to Dotson, not Rodgers.
What bone-headed play-calling on third-and-2 against Pittsburgh! Two downs to run the ball and get two yards! Sheesh. Anybody with a half-working brain could have done better!
— Dale Trent, Satellite Beach, Fla.
Dale isn’t happy with offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur’s final two play calls. Trailing by five points with two minutes remaining, the Broncos had third-and-2 from the Steelers’ 15.
Third down: The Broncos had three receivers bunched right and Melvin Gordon next to Driskel. Pressure pushed Driskel back and he had to throw off his back foot to KJ Hamler (incomplete). The nitpick here is give Gordon a shot to run for the first down.
Fourth down: A no brainer to pass it here, in my opinion. Had Gordon rushed for a yard on third down, that would have opened up the playbook on fourth down. Driskel was sacked. Ballgame.
Is there any good reason not to run the ball two times when it’s third-and-2? I think two quarterback sneaks back to back would have been better than the pass plays called. Or maybe I’m just old.
— Daniel Sepp, New York
Daniel is also ticked off about the final sequence.
A quarterback sneak on third down would have been interesting and unorthodox.
But it is valid to ask why the Broncos didn’t use Gordon as a receiver in the flat to get the first down. They didn’t go back to the shovel pass well after it failed against Tennessee.
1. Another week, another blown game under the two-minute warning. Denver gave Melvin Gordon big money in big part because of his between-the-tackle running, pass catching and pass blocking, especially on third down. Third-and-2 with a chance to absolutely steal a game against a conference contender with Lock hurt. Instead, two Jeff Driskel drop-backs. Wasn’t that the exact situation this team gave Gordon such big money for?
2. Do you think Driskel showed enough Sunday to be the quarterback or can I offer an unpopular option? We could get Case Keenum for next to nothing from Cleveland. Better pedigree, had his best season with Pat Shurmur in Minnesota, his skill-set is much better than two years ago, he doesn’t have the pressure of being the high-priced guy and if he guides us through the injury and keeps us in contention while Lock heals, I don’t think it brews a QB controversy.
— Steve, Forks, Wash.
1. Add Steve to the chorus who disagreed with Shurmur.
Yes, Gordon was signed to be a crunch-time running back and I wouldn’t have argued with him getting a carry on third-and-2. I would have disagreed with him running it on fourth-and-2, though.
2. Reacquiring Keenum is out of the box and unlikely. Yes, he would probably have a seamless transition back to Shurmur’s playbook, but Cleveland likes having him around to be Baker Mayfield’s back-up.
Is it just me, or is the defense over-committing when they guess between a run or pass play?
— Andrew, Eastchester, N.Y.
Pretty subjective to say one way or the other if we don’t know the play call.
But one potential example was in the fourth quarter when the Steelers had fourth-and-2 from the Broncos’ 35.
At the snap, outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu charged up field toward quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, whose shovel pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster gained three yards. Had Attaochu stayed at home, Smith-Schuster may have run right into him.
Who would you take with our top-four draft pick in 2021? Perhaps a really mobile quarterback similar to Kyler Murray
— Iva, Columbus, Ohio
Draft talk! Any Broncos’ first-round discussion should begin at offensive tackle because Lock’s injury shouldn’t change the view that the Broncos feel they can move forward with him.
Left tackle Garett Bolles is in the final year of his contract. Oregon’s Penei Sewell will be a top pick and the other top tackles are Texas’ Samuel Cosmi, Stanford’s Walker Little and Iowa’s Alaric Jackson.
Why is DaeSean Hamilton still on this team? He runs more routes than anyone I have ever seen without being targeted. Why not give someone else a chance?
— Shay, Brigham City, Utah
Hamilton got chances in 2018-19 because of injuries and trades. The Broncos drafted Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler to push Hamilton down the depth chart, but he had a solid enough camp to not only stick on the roster, but be active.
In two games, Hamilton has played 81 snaps and has two catches. But he’s on a rookie deal (inexpensive) and the Broncos have had injury issues at receiver, most recently Courtland Sutton’s torn ACL. That’s why Hamilton is here.
It would be really cool if the Broncos piped in fans saying “in-com-plete,” similar to how the Rockies piped in fans saying “Tonight,” for Charlie Blackmon. Is there any way to suggest that to the Broncos?
— Wendi Agre, Golden
Wendi, from your email to this mailbag, consider the suggestion to the Broncos delivered.
Ryan, the Broncos suffered a lot of key injuries so far this year. Who do you think benefits most from their new opportunities? I could see Tim Patrick emerging as a key target moving forward.
— Miles, Parker
1. I agree on Patrick. He’ll be the guy to throw a 50-50 pass to so he can use his frame to win those in-the-air battles that are usually reserved for Sutton.
2. McTelvin Agim. The rookie defensive end was inactive for the first two games, but he’ll get a shot because of injuries to Dre’Mont Jones (knee) and DeMarcus Walker (calf).
3. Royce Freeman. As long as Phillip Lindsay is out (turf toe), Freeman will be the No. 2 behind Melvin Gordon.
4. Essang Bassey. He was the Broncos’ nickel back on Sunday and will continue in that role until A.J. Bouye (shoulder) returns from injured reserve.
Since we only carry two quarterbacks on the roster, who would’ve taken over under center if Jeff Driskel was knocked out of Sunday’s game?
— Mike S., Aurora
It would have been running back Royce Freeman and that offense would have been all kinds of fun to watch.
Denver Post Broncos writer Ryan O’Halloran posts his Broncos Mailbag weekly during the season.
You can pose a Broncos- or NFL-related question for the Broncos Mailbag here. Follow Ryan for more daily updates on Twitter.
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