Best rookie: Drew Lock

Some consideration should be given to Dalton Risner for this award as he started in every game as a rookie, but in the game of football, if the quarterback plays well, the quarterback usually wins the award.

Lock played well.

He completed 64 percent of his passes for 1,020 yards and seven touchdown passes in five games. Most importantly, he won four of the five games he started. That ties John Elway for the most wins in team history by a rookie quarterback.

Lock is far from a finished product and has more to do to prove all of his doubters wrong, but it’s hard to imagine his first five games going any better than they did.

Comeback Player of the Year: Alexander Johnson

Unlike some of these categories, where picking a winner was tough, this decision was easy.

Johnson was fabulous this year and that was something almost nobody expected. His high level of play also came at a time when the Broncos desperately needed someone to step up at one of the inside linebacker positions.

Johnson made the team last season but was waived in November and then re-signed to the practice squad, where he remained until season’s end. He was given no guarantee coming into this season.

He finished tied for second on the team with 93 tackles and also had 1.5 sacks, seven tackles for losse, one interception, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

The Broncos found a lot of players who should be a big part of the team’s future this season and Johnson was definitely one of them.