The Broncos aren’t getting a lot of bang for their buck in WR room
May 9, 2023, 4:01 PM
The Broncos had the worst offense in the NFL last season. Even with a late-season surge, Denver ended the 2022 campaign averaging a league-low 16.9 points per game.
When trying to assign blame for the anemic attack, two people took most of the blame. Nathaniel Hackett lost his job because of the Broncos woes, as his head-coaching career lasted all of 15 games. And Russell Wilson’s once-sterling image took a huge hit, as the quarterback struggled mightily during his first season in Denver.
But perhaps they weren’t the only ones to point the finger at last season. Maybe they weren’t entirely at fault.
George Paton built the roster the surrounded his QB. Based on how Sean Payton has revamped the skill-position players this offseason, there’s plenty of evidence that the new head coach didn’t like the way the general manager had previously shopped for groceries.
Samaje Perine is the new running back, at least until Javonte Williams returns from a devastating knee injury. Multiple players have been brought in at tight end, suggesting what Payton thinks of Greg Dulcich and Albert Okwuegbunam. And the head coach traded up in the draft to select Marvin Mims, a wide out who brings much-needed speed to the receiver group.
That last move is perhaps the most damning. It highlights just how desperate the Broncos are for playmakers at that position. Will all of their other needs, Denver used their first pick in the draft (No. 63 overall) on a wide receiver.
What makes that so telling is how much Paton has already invested in that position. Thanks to the general manager’s decisions, the Broncos are heavily invested at wide receiver.
most expensive WR rooms in 2023:
1. Cardinals – $53.2M
2. Broncos – $43.7M
3. Raiders – $43.4M
4. Jaguars – $41.3M
5. Browns – $39.7M
6. Buccaneers – $39.2M
7. Dolphins – $38.3M
8. Rams – $36.9M
9. Seahawks – $36.3M
10. Bears – $34.8M
11. Chargers – $34.4M
12. Commanders -…— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) May 9, 2023
That’s a group that didn’t have a single 1,000-yard receiver last year. They only had one wideout catch more than two touchdowns in 2022 (Jerry Jeudy had six).
That’s part of the reason why the Broncos picked up Jeudy’s fifth-year option. They can’t afford to let their only playmaker get away. He’s only $4.8 million toward that inflated number.
The majority of the team’s cap space at wideout is tied to two players that Paton decided to give big contracts in 2021. Those are two deals that haven’t aged well.
Courtland Sutton carries the second-biggest cap number on the team at $18.3 million. He had 64 catches for 829 yards and two touchdowns last season.
Tim Patrick has the seventh-biggest cap number on the roster at $11.1 million. He missed all of last season after tearing his ACL during training camp.
Yikes. The two most-expensive wide receivers on the roster are likely not the future at that position. That’s likely Jeudy and Mims. And that’s not good.
It’s questionable whether a team should invest heavily in wideouts. The Chiefs, Eagles, Bills, Bengals and other contenders are noticeably absent from the top-12 list.
But if a team is going to spend big on wide receivers, they better get production. The Raiders, Bucs, Dolphins, Rams, Seahawks and Chargers at least get big numbers from Davante Adams, Mike Evans, Tyreek Hill, Cooper Kupp, D.K. Metcalf and Keenan Allen, even if it didn’t lead to enough wins last season.
The Broncos are in a much different spot. They’re spending big on wideouts, particularly two, and getting next to nothing out of them. That’s something that has to change in 2023.
Hopefully, Patrick returns from the injury and finds his old form. That’d certainly help. Sutton finally gettin back to his pre-2020 form would also go a long way towards justifying those contracts.
The Broncos are likely spending money in the wrong place. They certainly did a season ago.
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