Broncos in the NFL: Former Boise State stars Rypien, Shakir shine as preseason continues

Two former Boise State stars stole the show Saturday in a preseason NFL game between the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills.

Former Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien didn’t disappoint in his most extensive action of the preseason, while one of the most productive wide receivers in Boise State history, Khalil Shakir, stayed hot in his second NFL game.

Rypien is in a battle with 36-year-old Josh Johnson to back up Broncos starter Russell Wilson this year. Johnson started Saturday and played the whole first half, completing 8-of-16 passes for 70 yards.

Rypien, 26, led the offense in the second half and delivered two scoring drives. One ended with a field goal and the other ended when Rypien threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Eric Saubert.

Rypien finished the game 22-of-26 for 191 yards and a touchdown, but the Broncos lost 42-15. He was sacked once. Neither quarterback threw an interception.

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Rypien looked especially good throwing deep passes. He finished the game with completions of more than 20 yards to four different receivers.

“When we get one-on-one, press coverage we expect our guys to go win that matchup every single time,” Rypien said after the game. “They’ve been doing a great job of it.”

Rypien, who was a four-year starter at Boise State from 2015 to 2018, needed a big performance Saturday after Johnson threw two touchdown passes in Denver’s preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys.

“When you get in a preseason game, especially with these young guys, you need to put up tape and approach it the same way,” Rypien said. “Every single rep you are trying to get better. You’re trying to do the best you possibly can. Whether we were down or we were up, you have the same mentality.”

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Through two preseason games, Rypien has completed 30-of-44 passes for 302 yards and one touchdown. Johnson has started both games and completed 24-of-39 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns.

First-year Denver coach Nathaniel Hackett wasn’t ready to name a front-runner for the job on Saturday.

“I would say both of those guys have done a really good job,” Hackett told reporters after the game. “Again, we’re looking for that consistency. There were some good things that Josh did today, and then there’s some opportunities that he missed.

“Ryp, I believe he had a pretty good day,” Hackett continued. “Both those guys are battling out. They support each other, (they’re) there for each other, they make each other better. We just want to keep that competition rolling.”

On the other side of Saturday’s game, Shakir was Buffalo’s leading receiver for the second week in a row, catching three passes for 59 yards.

Shakir, picked by the Bills in the fifth round of this year’s draft, didn’t have a catch in the first half. He made up for it on Buffalo’s first drive of the second half, snagging a pass in the middle of the field and making a defender miss to pick up 25 yards. It was his longest reception of the game.

Shakir caught a team-high five passes for 92 yards in Buffalo’s preseason opener against the Colts. He has been targeted eight times in the first two games, and he’s come up with a catch every time.

“It seems like he has a good feel, a knack for the position,” Bills coach Sean McDermott told reporters after the preseason opener.