The Denver Broncos had themselves a pretty good first preseason game. On Saturday, the Broncos effectively beat the visiting Dallas Cowboys 17-7.

Both the offense and defense performed very well, almost dominating the Cowboys. In fact, the Broncos' defense kept the Cowboys' offense scoreless through the entirety of the first half.

With the preseason being a key “tryout” period for many players, there were some names that certainly made a case for themselves in terms of snagging an active roster spot. Let's take a look at the three players that impressed in the Broncos' preseason opener.

Broncos who impressed in preseason opener:

Baron Browning

During the offseason, Browning made the switch from inside linebacker to outside linebacker/edge rusher. So far, that move looks to be paying off.

Browning was a thorn in the Cowboys' side last night. Whenever he was on the field, he always seemed to be in the face of the quarterback. His stat line at the end of the night included one sack, one tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, and a pass breakup.

Browning was a third-round draft pick for the Broncos from the 2021 season. In his rookie season, he played a mix of inside linebacker and edge rusher. Despite having a new coaching staff in 2022, the new staff mutually agreed that Browning should move primarily to edge rusher moving forward. His move comes at an interesting time however, considering the Broncos are dangerously thin at inside linebacker. After Jonas Griffith suffered a dislocated elbow during the first preseason game, the position became even thinner.

If Browning is thriving at edge rusher, the team might as well keep him there. Yes, the team does need an inside linebacker or two, but they might have to find one via trade at this point.

Kendall Hinton

Hinton, the quarterback/wide receiver hybrid, had himself a game last night. Hinton hauled in three catches for 53 yards and made an insane touchdown grab as well.

Hinton is a fan favorite, so seeing him thrive early is welcome news to everyone in Broncos Country.

Before the injury to Tim Patrick, Hinton was considered to be the 4th or 5th string wide receiver. His position on the team was anything but solidified. Now that the team is down a receiver, Hinton has a golden opportunity to prove his worth.

Unfortunately for Hinton, he wasn't the only receiver to have a great night last night. Both Jalen Virgil and Seth Williams had themselves solid nights as well. These final two preseason games will be quite the battle to watch between all the receivers for the final few position spots.

Josh Johnson

Johnson has spent time with a myriad of teams over his 13-year career in the NFL. So battling for a roster spot is probably nothing new to him. Having spent time with 14 teams in 13 years, it seems like most of the time he wasn't given roster spots.

With the way Johnson played in the Broncos preseason game, you never would have guessed he was a journeyman quarterback. Johnson was poised, calm, and delivered a solid performance in the first half. The game started a bit slow, mostly due to Cowboys penalties, but the pace eventually picked up. Johnson would finish the night 11 of 17 passing, 116 pass yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions.

Johnson and Brett Rypien are battling for the backup roster gig. Both quarterbacks had themselves a solid game, with Johnson slightly outperforming Rypien. However because they performed well, it's still too early to call the winner of the backup battle. Look to the final preseason games for the two to really hone it in and prove they deserve a spot on the roster.