Broncos’ offensive trio ranked bottom three in the NFL

CBS Sports recently ranked each NFL team’s “triplets” (best QB-RB-WR) and the Denver Broncos finished in the bottom half of the league.

Quarterback Drew Lock, running back Melvin Gordon and wide receiver Courtland Sutton were named the expected starting trio for the Broncos.

CBS Sports’ team of writers and editors ranked each trio from 1-32 with the number in parentheses being the average of the team’s ranking based on the votes.

Coming in at No. 30 with a ranking of 29.1, the Broncos come in ahead of just the Detroit Lions and Houston Texans.

“It was tough to choose between Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams for the running back, and between Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy as the wide receiver,” Jared Dubin wrote. “We ultimately went with the veteran in both cases, though it’s easier to see Williams supplanting Gordon early in the year than Jeudy overtaking Sutton as the team’s top receiver option, if Sutton is healthy. Still, it’s a group held back by its quarterback play. If a rumored deal for Aaron Rodgers comes to fruition, we may have to re-do these rankings.”

Same storyline, different day.

The Broncos quarterback competition (or lack thereof) raises questions about how good of a season the team can have when the young core can’t live up to their potential based on poor quarterback play.

Sutton missed the entire 2020 season with a knee injury, but aims to be ready for Training Camp in a few weeks.

Head coach Vic Fangio said Sutton’s rehab has been “fantastic”, which is a great sign for the team and the wide receiver room. Sutton’s return can finally give Jerry Jeudy a mentor to learn from.

Gordon is heading into a contract year, but still has not shown up for OTAs (which is normal for him).

The Broncos drafted running back Javonte Williams in the 2020 draft who could put a little pressure on Gordon during Training Camp.

Last season Gordon posted nine rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown playing in 15 games. He also had four fumbles in 2020, tying the amount he had in 2019.

In this scenario everything centers around the starting quarterback.

Lock showed flashes in his rookie season that made many believe he was the answer. However, he never took that leap forward in his second year.

According to CBS Sports, Lock was horrendous when he wasn’t well protected last season. He was on-target on 47.7% of his throws under pressure (the league average was 63.3%). Name a statistic, Lock was well below average while under pressure last season.

But could the presence of Sutton and a more normal season change the outlook on this Broncos trio?

If a Rodgers trade does not happen then we will just have to sit back and find out.