Going into the Denver Broncos’ win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, there was plenty of noise about the lack of production from Denver’s 2025 rookie class. During the game, the noise was even louder, but not because they were absent.

After a blip of an interception on the first drive and a subsequent interception, Dallas took its only lead of the game. The Broncos scored on the next drive of the game, and it was all Denver from there. What stood out most during the blowout 44-24 win, though, was how the most recent draft class looked. Throughout the season, the rookies had struggled to make an impact.

Before the game, cornerback Jahdae Barron had yet to pick off his opponent, running back RJ Harvey hadn’t found the end zone for a rushing touchdown and receiver Pat Bryant was looking for his first touchdown, but that all changed Sunday.

Harvey had three touchdowns in what could be considered his breakout game. While he played well against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4, he didn’t score a rushing touchdown this week and had easily the best performance of his short NFL career.

His first score came on a 40-yard run. The blocking was great, so there was little doubt he was going to score, but he got some help from a fellow rookie on his way to the end zone. Bryant got a piece of the Dallas edge rusher. If he didn’t, Harvey could have been brought down in the backfield, but the block got Harvey in space and allowed the blocks to develop for him.

The score gave Denver a lead that they never relinquished, but the win over Dallas was never particularly stressful. With the Broncos ahead for the rest of the game, coach Sean Payton had the opportunity to throw his rookies into action against a bad yet still pro-level defense.

Harvey was the next rookie to make another big play. With Denver already ahead 14-10, he got the ball in wildcat formation and punched it in for a one-yard touchdown. His second touchdown of the game wasn’t overly impressive, but it showed Payton feels comfortable simply allowing Harvey to make a play. Harvey has been behind J.K. Dobbins all year, and rightfully so, but it was nice to see Payton believe in Harvey to go and make a play.

Then it was Bryant’s turn to get his first game ball. Bryant’s route wasn’t overly elaborate, but it was a great throw and catch between quarterback Bo Nix and Bryant, who haven’t done much together this season. As Harvey’s 40-yard touchdown and the rest of the season proved, Bryant is a great blocker, but seeing him get a ball in the corner of the end zone and make a play was a welcome sight.

Payton makes it known that he loves Bryant’s blocking, and he’s seen plenty of chances to run the slant route that he perfected in college, but he showed up when allowed to add something else to his route tree.

Bryant’s two catches against Dallas were both 10 or more air yards down the field, according to Pro Football Focus. Bryant’s other five receptions this season were all within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. This may not be a sign that Bryant’s route tree is expanding in the immediate future, but it is proof that he is capable of more than shallow crossers.

Just three plays later, Barron reminded Broncos fans he was the first pick in this year’s draft class. Barron picked off Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott right before halftime to prevent the Cowboys from putting more points on the board before the break. The throw definitely was a poor decision by Prescott, but Barron undoubtedly won the rep against tight end Jake Ferguson, who has had a great season.

The interception marked Barron’s only target of the game on just 15 total snaps. Barron hasn’t been on the field much this season, and he often doesn’t need to be, but seeing him make a play was a nice reminder that the first-round pick is a playmaker.

By the time Harvey found the end zone again, Denver was up by 20 points. Payton designed a nice play for the rookie to get an easy score that capped the highest-scoring performance of the Broncos’ season. Frankly, the rookies don’t need to be on the field much.

Barron is usually behind Ja’Quan McMillian in the depth chart, but if Denver wanted to try him on the outside, he would still be behind Pat Surtain II and Riley Moss. Dobbins is having a stellar season, so Harvey probably should not be taking reps from him, and Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims Jr. have made Bryant a luxury, but it’s nice to see that when the time comes, Payton has trust in the 2025 rookie class to fill in and make plays.