The Green Bay Packers lost their first preseason game to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a rather uninspiring 28-9 loss. The team will look to show off more as they head to Colorado to play the Denver Broncos.
While it's unlikely many of the starters will be playing much, the Packers' depth will be tested as they look to bounce back from a poor showing last week.
There'll also be a ton to watch out for in terms of positional battles, specific players taking the field, and more. With that in mind, here are five things to keep an eye out for when the Packers take on the Broncos.
Five things to watch in the Packers' preseason game vs. Broncos
1. Cornerback battle
There's probably no bigger thing to watch for on Friday night for the Packers than the team's cornerback room. With Keisean Nixon not guaranteed a starting role and Brandon Cisse making a case for starting the season atop the Packers' depth chart, it'll be interesting to see how things play out.
Outside of those two, though, there's still plenty to be on the lookout for, especially when it comes to the remaining players in the secondary.
While Cisse seems to have cemented himself, the rest of the Packers' cornerbacks have not. Players like Nixon, Benjamin St-Juste, and Carrington Valentine are in the mix. The question is, as the Packers look to fix what was an obvious issue last year, which of the three will step up into a bigger role? Nixon struggled last week, and after the drama surrounding him this week, he will no doubt be looking to remind people of his skill.
2. Which backup QB will come out on top?
The Packers' backup QB options didn't get to do a whole lot last week. Both Tyrod Taylor and Kyle McCord struggled and will need to do a lot better to give the team some confidence in either. With Jordan Love likely not playing for long and Kyron Drones no longer on the team, it'll fully be Taylor and McCord's game.
While Taylor struggled in the limited chances he got last week, he does still seem to be the de facto QB2 on the team. A couple of good preseason games are highly unlikely to supplant McCord over the longtime NFL vet. However, if McCord continues to perform, the Packers might be forced to have those conversations, or at the very least wonder if it's too risky to try to let McCord drop to the practice squad.
3. Will any other running back step up?
Although it hasn't been talked about too much, the Packers actually have a relatively thin running back room. Josh Jacobs is the starter and star, but he's been dealing with not only an injury but also some legal issues that are still up in the air. Behind him, MarShawn Lloyd has the skills and traits to be a factor in the NFL, but has been unable to stay healthy for the entirety of his short career so far.
That's where this week's game will come into play. Lloyd will likely get some more reps, and all eyes will be on him. However, the running backs behind them are where the real questions lie.
Undrafted free agent Damien Martinez got a lot of run last week, and Chris Brooks and Pierre Strong Jr. have not really made a strong case for themselves either. With Lloyd unable to be fully counted on yet, the RB3 competition could actually play a much larger role in the Packers' season than we think.
4. The left guard battle
After signing Aaron Banks to a lucrative contract last year, the Packers thought their issues at guard were over. That didn't turn out to be the case, though. Banks had a rough debut season with the Packers and has spent pretty much all of training camp out as he recovers from tendonitis in his knee. He's slowly ramped back up this week, though, and looks to be ready to maybe play some this week. However, his job is no longer as secure as it might have been.
In Banks' place, rookie fifth-round pick Jager Burton has kind of taken the reins and been practicing more with the starters, even with Banks back. Now, we'll see which of the two performs well in a real-life game.
Tackle Anthony Belton is also an option to play guard, but the Packers would most certainly rather have one of Burton or Banks doing it, making this one of the bigger highlights of the game.
5. Will Dani Dennis-Sutton make his NFL debut?
Dani Dennis-Sutton was selected in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, a place that many felt was too low for the talented pass-rusher from Penn State.
While he's had some highlights at training camp, Dennis-Sutton hasn't gotten to play in an NFL game yet, as he missed last week's game due to illness. Now, though, he should be back and will be a surprisingly key player to watch.
It's no secret that the Packers' edge-rushing room is not the best without Micah Parsons. Lukas Van Ness is a locked-in starter, but the rest of the Packers' rushing depth is made up of players like Dennis-Sutton, Barryn Sorrell, Brenton Cox Jr., and Collin Oliver, all of whom will be angling to make a name for themselves and lessen the blow of Parsons being out for at least a month of the regular season.
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