Do the Broncos have an elite receiving corps?
Jun 4, 2021, 3:56 PM
The early returns from UCHealth Training Center this offseason indicate that the Denver Broncos are young, talented and deep at the wide receiver and tight end positions.
This week, Pro Football Focus concurred, ranking the Broncos’ group of pass catchers among the best in the entire NFL.
“The Broncos may have the best top-four wide receivers, and when combined with their tight ends, they have one of the best receiving units in the league,” writes PFF senior NFL analyst Steve Palazzolo.
Denver’s receiving corps fell just outside PFF’s top five, behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings.
Palazzolo touted the return of Courtland Sutton as a reason to be excited about the Broncos receivers, calling his return a “huge boost.”
“Man, ‘Court’ coming back is going to be a big thing for us. He looks the same as before he left,” said second-year wide receiver K.J. Hamler on Thursday.
Sutton missed nearly the entire 2020 season with a torn ACL.
“It’s good to just have him out there and having him coach up the younger guys,” said second-year wide receiver Jerry Jeudy this week. “You learn a lot from ‘Court’ with him being here for three years. You can learn a lot from him when he’s on the field.”
Some have suggested that with Sutton’s return, along with the emergence of Jeudy, Hamler and Tim Patrick, there will be less footballs to go around in 2021.
However, last week tight end Noah Fant said he believes the large group of pass catchers — including himself and fellow tight end Albert Okwuegbunam — will actually be an asset, not a detriment.
“Those guys on the outside are going to open me up so much more than if it was just me trying to get open by myself. It’s all a team game,” Fant said. “I love having those guys on the field, and I respect those guys. I respect when they get catches, and they respect when I get catches.
“We’re all excited for each other. All that feeds off each other and we know that we’re all going to get our moments.”
Hamler echoed Fant’s comments this week, saying that it’s “never been about just one of us.”
“I think we have to stick together and do the things that we’re taught to do and coached up to do. As long as everybody does their job, I think everybody can have a successful career and a successful year this year,” Hamler said.
