Receiver depth an attribute, not detriment, for Broncos

With Courtland Sutton’s return from injury, Tim Patrick’s emergence last season and the continual growth of 2020 rookies Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler, it appears at first glance there may not be enough footballs to go around to keep the Denver Broncos wide receiving corps satisfied.

And that’s before you get to tight ends Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam.

But perhaps counterintuitively, a crowded room of pass catchers might benefit all those involved.

Last week, Fant said he believes the growing corps of receivers actually takes the pressure of him, and a lot off the quarterbacks.

“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,” Fant said after OTAs on Thursday. “It’s all a team game. 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.”

On Wednesday, Patrick said defenses will have to play the Broncos more honestly, that they have several players who can “make a big play at any moment.”

“There’s not one guy that you can just shut down because all of us are capable of taking over,” Patrick said. “I think it’s going to help a lot of us, and if we’re on the field longer, that means there’s going to be more passes and more targets for everybody.”

As for who’s throwing the ball this season, Jeudy told reporters on Tuesday he finds it beneficial to be taking passes from both Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater this offseason.

“It kind of is (beneficial) because both of the guys have a different type of spiral and air to the ball. Drew has more of a hard (spiral) and Teddy is more of a floater,” Jeudy said. “You just have to adjust to the certain way they throw the ball. You have to focus on each person and catching the ball when it comes out of their hands.”

However, from a perspective on the opposite side of the ball, defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones said he hasn’t really given the quarterback competition a second thought.

“I don’t give a s***. Whoever’s the quarterback is the quarterback. I wish the best for Teddy. I wish the best for Drew,” Jones said. “I don’t know what they’re doing. I can’t see anything. I haven’t been over there. So, it is what it is.”

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