Clayton: The return of Courtland Sutton is “huge” for the Broncos
May 27, 2021, 4:02 PM | Updated: May 28, 2021, 7:01 am
The return of wide receiver Courtland Sutton is huge for the Denver Broncos.
He went to the Pro Bowl in 2019 and is talented enough to be the top receiver on the roster. He had 72 catches for 1,112 yards and seven touchdowns. Unfortunately, he blew out his ACL last September and missed the rest of the season. That forced the Broncos to make their top two draft choices — Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler — into the No. 1 and No. 2 roles.
Sutton said he’s about 80 percent right now. His plan is to be ready to do everything by the start of training camp on July 27. He is still wearing a large knee brace, and he isn’t rushing his recovery. Still, his return should make the Broncos receiving corps one of the deepest in the NFL. That has to excite quarterbacks Drew Lock or Teddy Bridgewater.
With so much youth at receiver, the numbers didn’t work out well in a 5-11 season. Lock was the lowest rated starting quarterback and threw 15 interceptions. Tight end Noah Fant ended up being the No. 1 pass catchers with 62 receptions for 673 yards. Jeudy had 52 catches for 856 yards. Hamler had 30 catches for 381 yards.
The pleasant sleeper was Tim Patrick, who caught 51 passes for 742 yards and six touchdowns. He did so well the Broncos placed a second-round restricted free agent tag on him. His presence allowed the Broncos to shop DaeSean Hamilton in trade conversations. As they looked to complete a trade, Hamilton blew out his ACL. Because he suffered the injury away from team headquarters, the Broncos placed him on the non-football injury list and will most likely pay him his base salary of $2.183 million.
The talent at receiver is another reason Aaron Rodgers would push to be traded to Denver.
