By adding strength, Courtland Sutton is putting together ‘fantastic’ practice work

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — This was the Courtland Sutton the Broncos expected when they re-signed him during the 2021 season.

And it started with him dropping weight and adding muscle.

“I definitely cut a little bit of weight,” Sutton explained after practice Wednesday.

“I really wanted to get stronger this offseason — my legs, my upper body and everything. Coach Dan [Dalrymple] has done a great job working with me and the rest of the guys, the rest of the strength staff, has done a great job working with me, making sure that I was able to put the weight on, and then turn it into muscle and then lean back down, which was nice.”

#Broncos Courtland Sutton has leaned out some. He has bigger upper body, but is leaner and faster #Denver7 pic.twitter.com/Bz74ZsuzAH

— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) August 9, 2023

The result has been a return to form. Sutton’s cuts are sharp. He ended practice Tuesday with a touchdown catch, then followed it Wednesday morning with a long grab down the right sideline just past Pat Surtain II. Russell Wilson dropped the pass in perfectly just before safety P.J. Locke arrived, and Sutton had the offense’s play of the day.

“Courtland had a fantastic practice,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said.

But this was not the only such session for Sutton. Last year, he appeared to struggle to make plays against Surtain. This year, he’s taken the measure of the first-team All-Pro a few times.

“I think he’s strong,” Payton said. “I think he’s healthy. He’s moving well. His body weight was just what we wanted when he reported to camp. I like how he’s been working. Today was really good. It was really good.”

\
***

Related

Tight end room makes a statement in the Broncos preseason finaleEhlinger has nice game, but Broncos’ QB2 race remains unsettledAs most Broncos starters rest, Jonathon Cooper starts and playsBroncos lose Mims to foot injury on first seriesMarvin Mims can’t become a star receiver in DenverProjecting the Broncos’ 53-player roster: Difficult decisions loom