DENVER -- The hat/visor guy will be busy Thursday night along the Denver Broncos sideline since virtually none of the team’s starters will play against the Arizona Cardinals and will instead be sporting the team’s headware.

But with a smattering of roster decisions for the Broncos to make, here’s a little W2W4 against the Cardinals:

The last look: The “developmental’’ phase of the football year largely ends with this game. Once the preseason finale is in the books, the week-to-week focus for teams becomes the next opponent and playing the guys to help beat the next opponent rather than nuts-and-bolts work on somebody’s skills. Sure, they work on skills, and young players can improve, but that’s a side dish compared to the week-to-week preparations for the upcoming foe. So Thursday is the night for a handful of Broncos to step forward and show they deserve to be along for the ride for a Super Bowl hopeful. Look especially hard at who shines on special teams, both in coverage and in the return game, because those players will earn the final spots on the roster.

Seeking happy returns: The biggest unanswered question on the Broncos’ depth chart at the moment is at punt returner. The Broncos like Omar Bolden as a kickoff returner and have tried Bolden as a punt return candidate as well. But none of the potential returners has handled the ball all that well in the punt-return game, so the Broncos still are looking for someone, anyone, to step forward. The fall-back plan for the regular season is to potentially use wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders for the job, but that’s not optimal given Sanders missed most of the preseason with a hamstring injury and using a front-row player in the return game carries an injury risk that ripples into the offense. Corbin Louks and Isaiah Burse are expected to see plenty of return opportunities in this game. Broncos coach Gary Kubiak has said he’d be willing to keep five, six or even seven receivers on the roster if it means the team has the right people in the return game.

Sort it out: Even with the first round of roster cuts, the Broncos still have crowds at both linebacker and running back. Even if the Broncos keep nine or 10 linebackers, they’ll still have to send three, or four, on their way. And some of those players are good enough to end up elsewhere before the weekend is out. Zaire Anderson is an undrafted rookie who has done enough to have made the roster in years past, but this year is a different deal given it just might be the toughest part of the depth chart to crack this time around. At running back, things are crowded enough that Montee Ball, the starter when the 2014 season opened, finds himself at No. 4 on the depth chart. Ball and Kapri Bibbs, who just may be battling for the final roster spot at the position, will split most of the carries against the Cardinals.

It’s been nice: Because Peyton Manning has been given the occasional practice off, with several other veteran players, and the fact Manning played in just two preseason games, Brock Osweiler has spent a great deal of time with the first-string offense in recent weeks and months. While Kubiak has said he’d like to give Manning some practices off in the regular season, Thursday’s game likely will be Osweiler’s last significant action with the starters if things go as planned in the coming season. And the Broncos have been evaluating how Osweiler handles himself in his time with the starters, and will be taking another close look at how he operates the offense and handles himself in the huddle. The Broncos face a decision about Osweiler’s future at season’s end -- he’s scheduled to be a free agent -- and they have been, and will continue to, keep score when he has these kinds of opportunities.