Mile High Monday: Storylines abound heading into Broncos minicamp

The Denver Broncos will participate in mandatory minicamp this week. While OTAs are the educational portion of the offseason, where things are installed and guys learn new things, mandatory minicamp is as close to training camp as we can get.

I like when everything becomes more real on the practice field. OTAs are nice, and we certainly gather more clues as to what could come during that time, but mandatory minicamp is when the evaluation period truly begins.

I also like contemplating life and sports when driving around with the top down on my old Jeep TJ! The following is a result of those trips during the week.

Buckle up, let’s take a ride through my thoughts.

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Constant Question

I was able to hang out with some Broncos fans this weekend at the All C’s Collectibles Show and it was a great time! I was promoting my independent comic book “Gravis,” but of course, most people know me as the “Broncos Insider” for The Fan. So, in addition to talking comics I was also able to talk a lot of football with fans in attendance.

There is no question that Broncos Country is feeling excited about the prospects of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers getting traded to Denver. No matter who I was talking to about the Broncos, I was constantly asked about Rodgers. I feel like the Broncos have a good chance of landing the superstar quarterback via trade – but patience must be required.

I know the Packers are working on a deal to make him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL (in terms of annual average salary). That deal will be offered to Rodgers before the start of training camp, and if he says “no” then the team can go to the fan base and say they did everything in their power to keep Rodgers.

Day 2 of the @AllCsColorado show! Out here promoting my independent comic Gravis and talking to lots of #Broncos fans. No1 question? "When are we getting Aaron Rodgers?" @1043TheFan pic.twitter.com/6iQTDzw46u

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) June 13, 2021

The Packers have not given up hope they can turn things around with Rodgers. Once an offer is made to give him a new contract, providing Rodgers turns that down, then the next chapter begins. In addition to talking comics and football, I found myself watching highlights of when Peyton Manning first arrived in Denver. I feel like Rodgers can make a similar impact on the Broncos and with this roster they could be Super Bowl contenders in 2021. As with every Rodgers update, stay patient and stay tuned!

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Untapped Potential

The Broncos have a great group of wide receivers, perhaps the best in the league – someday.

I feel like Courtland Sutton could be one of the best in the game. All he has to do is stay healthy and build on the momentum he created back in 2019. Sutton has all that you want in a receiver, and his mindset makes him a dangerous player on the field. He leads the way for the Broncos at the position, but he’s far from the only one in that room with star potential.

Jerry Jeudy is underrated after a rookie season that made a lot of Broncos fans mad. Instead of showing off as the best receiver in his draft class, Jeudy dropped too many passes while other rookie receivers like Justin Jefferson took the league by storm. This year, Jeudy is working diligently to propel his game to the next level. His route-running ability is unmatched in the NFL, and if he cuts down on the drops then the league needs to watch out.

K.J. Hamler’s game is all about speed, speed and more speed. He’s super fast and incredibly dangerous after the catch because of that speed and quickness. Hamler may not get as much work as he could on a run-heavy offense, but even with a limited amount of targets he’s still a threat to score from anywhere anytime he touches the ball.

It’s a crime that Tim Patrick is a backup. He proved last year, when Sutton was out with a knee injury, that he could be reliable and a playmaker for his quarterback. Patrick has a nice size/speed combination and does a good job tracking passes down the field. A restricted free agent, Patrick received a second-round tender and is back for one more year with the Broncos.

Recently, Pro Football Focus ranked the Broncos as the No. 6 overall wide receiver group in the league. That sounds about right given the fact the Broncos have potential but their receivers are largely unproven in the NFL.

The Bucs WR/TE room comes in at No. 1 in PFF’s rankings 👀https://t.co/Df9jTGj7II

— PFF (@PFF) June 13, 2021

As Mark Schlereth always says, “potential” is a dirty, filthy word. It doesn’t mean anything if the Broncos receivers don’t play up to their potential in 2021 – no matter who the quarterback is. Only time will tell if this group lives up to the hype – or perhaps exceeds expectations this season.

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Colorado Proud

The 2020 NFL Draft featured the best wide receiver draft class in NFL history. Jeudy was the second receiver taken off the board, and he was my No. 1 rookie receiver in 2020. Not too far behind him in my rankings (No. 3) was Laviska Shenault from the University of Colorado.

Injuries caused Shenault to fall to the second round of the draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but there is no doubt he has first-round potential. Shenault has some Julio Jones to his game in my opinion, even though he’s not quite as tall as Jones. As a rookie last year, Shenault was able to snare 58 passes for 600 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games. That was with a collection of quarterbacks tossing him the rock.

Now, Shenault gets this year’s No. 1 overall pick, Trevor Lawrence, to feed him the ball. Lawrence is a “can’t miss” prospect similar to what Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning were when they came out of college. Lawrence has superstar upside, and he could lean on a guy like Shenault early and often. So far in OTAs, the reports about Shenault have all been not good – but great.

Super seven: Jaguars players who stood out in OTAs.https://t.co/hxIlYLuwwg via @jaxdotcom

— John Reid (@JohnReid64) June 11, 2021

Shenault is poised to be a breakout player in 2021. If Lawrence plays as most expect he will, Shenault will be a big benefactor. I’m picking up Shenault’s rookie cards anywhere I can as I believe in his ability and his situation is now much, much better than it was a year ago.

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Forza Horizon 5

One of my favorite video game franchises is “Forza” on Xbox, so I was excited to hear about the latest game. The annual video game conference “E3” is going on this weekend, and with that event comes the announcement of new games to hit consoles in the near future.

During this year’s E3, “Forza Horizon 5” was announced and it looks like the best game in the franchise. Since the XBox 360 days I have loved “Forza” and it was “Forza 2” that made me really fall in love with the game. In these games, you can collect cars, customize paint jobs, custom tune your cars and race against players online. While “Forza” was initially just on tracks, the “Forza Horizon” series has put race cars on highways and off-road trails around the globe.

It’s one of the most fun games to sit down and race against other people. However, I love firing up “Forza Horizon” to just drive around the scenic territory and reach for new goals in the game. This latest edition looks fantastic, and I cannot wait to get in the driver’s seat once again.

BREAKING: Forza Horizon 5 will launch on November 9! Watch the world premiere trailer here! #XboxBethesda #E32021 #PlayForAll pic.twitter.com/Q4DzQgB94d

— GameSpot (@GameSpot) June 13, 2021

Are you excited about the upcoming games featured at E3? Hit me up on social networking and let me know!

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