Broncos wide receivers are poised to have a comeback year
Jul 1, 2023, 8:58 AM
The Broncos have struggled over the last few years with moving the ball down the field. It’s been due to ball-handling issues with their running backs, lack of awareness from their quarterbacks, poor decision-making from their head coaches and many drop balls from their wide receivers.
It’s never been an issue about one particular player or coach; it’s been a team issue the whole time. Now that Sean Payton has taken the reins, it’s a different organization. He’s holding people accountable and rebuilding this team from the ground up. It’s Payton’s way or the highway from here on out.
Under Payton’s new regime, things will be different this year. And there’s one position group that will bounce back more than any other – the wide receivers.
The Broncos wide receivers have been underly underrated for a long time now due to all the offensive struggles they’ve endured for the past several seasons. A bad offense leads to overlooked skill-position players.
Courtland Sutton was drafted in 2018 and has been through four head coaches and five offensive coordinators. Tim Patrick has been with the Broncos since 2017 and, unfortunately, has been through the same coaching struggles and injuries that kept him out an entire year. Jerry Jeudy joined the Broncos in 2020 and has yet to have the opportunity to show his true potential.
This is the first time in their careers that they have a real coach who knows what he’s doing. It’s been years of dysfunction, but Payton is bringing stability to this franchise. He’s the leader that Russell Wilson and this team needed.
The 2023 season will be the breakout year for the wide receivers group because Wilson will be able to put them in a position to succeed on the field. Payton is building a new offense that Wilson is comfortable with. It’ll be a lot of quick five-yard passes that keep the ball moving down the field. Payton is slowing things down and returning to the basics with this offense. It’s about finding Wilson’s strengths and gearing the offense toward that.
The newest addition to the group, Marvin Mims, will be a rotational player, adding a deep threat to the offense. He’s a dynamic player who’s got speed, and his route-running skills are excellent. Mims went to Oklahoma and had 54 receptions with 1,083 receiving yards with six touchdowns. In his career, he’s had seven drops out of 177 targets. He’s got great hands, and he’s reliable.
K.J. Hamler recently reworked his rookie contract with the Broncos and can make up to $417,000 in incentives. He’s not a starting receiver but a talented backup who can make plays when needed. Hamler has been unlucky so far in his NFL career, as it’s been riddled with injuries that have kept him off the field. His restructured contract protects the team if he ends up on injured reserve.
When he’s healthy, Hamler is a highly versatile player. Last season, he only had seven receptions but had 166 receiving yards. He’s hard to stop when he’s got the ball in his hands. Hamler’s most-significant issue is staying healthy.
It’s also important to note that the Broncos picked up wide receivers Marquez Callaway and Lil’ Jordan Humphrey. Both previous Saints players have experience under the Payton offense.
The Broncos have made a lot of moves this offseason to ensure that Wilson is protected in the pocket and has time to make the right decision. These receivers will see a lot more action this season than in years past.
It’s a crowded wide receiver room right now, and not all of those guys will make the final roster. It will be a battle between these receivers to get that spot on the team. They’ve all got talent, and under Payton’s coaching and Wilson ready to have a comeback season, the wide receiver room has the most potential to improve from last year.
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