Broncos receiving corps grows stronger as Sutton, Albert O progress

As tight end Albert Okwuegbunam and wideout Courtland Sutton each work back from ACL injuries suffered last season, the already highly touted Denver Broncos receiving corps continues to grow stronger.

After practice Friday, Okwuegbunam said his knee feels “100 percent” and things are “going really well” for him thus far in training camp.

“When I’m out there running around, I don’t even think about my knee,” Okwuegbunam said. “So, it’s just been kind of about knocking the dust off, getting out there, playing football again, feeling that competitiveness and just getting back into the swing of things. But it’s been really good.”

Last week, fellow tight end Noah Fant said he’s seen “really good things on the field” from Okwuegbunam, and he should be ready to go “depending on how he feels.”

“Obviously, you don’t want to rush back too soon or take too much time. We’re excited to have him, and I think that he’s going to do good things,” Fant said.

Okwuegbunam said he loves the versatility the tight end group brings to the table in offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur’s offense and that he and Fant can be dangerous together.

“We can put a lot of strain on the defense just with our athleticism and just our ability to stretch the field, create mismatches inside,” Okwuegbunam said. “So, it will be really interesting to see what coach (Shurmur) does with us and the mismatches he’ll be able to create.”

As far as Sutton, head coach Vic Fangio said the former second-round pick seems to look “better each and every day” as he works back from his knee injury.

Earlier this week, quarterback Drew Lock said he was “really happy” to see what Sutton had been doing in practice through the first weeks of training camp.

“Even these past couple days, you really saw him take off and just — I think he’s starting to feel a lot more comfortable out here,” Lock said. “I mean I don’t blame him. That’s a tough injury to come back from, especially as a receiver —cutting, changing directions.

“I think you saw a glimpse of more of the old ‘Court’ today.  It’s been fun to watch him come back to it.”

Before the start of training camp, Sutton said he feels “very close to 100 percent” and that the last piece is just getting that “football aspect” back, “getting tackled.”

“I haven’t been tackled since September of last year, so that’s going to be the biggest thing that I’m looking forward to. I’m not discouraged about that process, just looking forward to it,” Sutton said. “I’ve been playing this sport pretty much my whole life and that’s a part of the game that you come to enjoy when you play for as long as I have. That’s going to be the biggest part that I’ve missed and I’m looking forward to getting.”

Sutton likely won’t get to feel that aspect of the game during training camp practices, as Fangio said earlier in camp the team would not be tackling wideouts, but he most likely will feel some thumping when the Broncos take on the Minnesota Vikings in their first preseason game on Aug. 14.