Englewood, Colorado. The Denver Broncos’ wide receiver has a lot of talent, potential, and potential.
It’s also a football conundrum, perhaps a mystery in the team’s latest attempt to shake off the offensive woes that contributed to the playoff drought dating back to Super Bowl 50 victory.
Consider: Since Jerry Goody and KJ Hamler reached the 2020 draft as first- and second-round picks, respectively, Goody, Hamler, Tim Patrick, and Cortlandt Sutton have played games together over three seasons.
two. out of 50.
Sutton tore his ACL in his left knee in 2020, Hammler suffered a torn ACL and groin injury in 2021, and Patrick tore his right ACL in training camp last summer.
But with another training camp looming—the Broncos’ rookies are due to report July 19, the veterans July 25—they’re left wondering what it might all look like if they can avoid the injuries and offensive inconsistencies that have stunted their progress.
“It would be great,” said Patrick.
The Broncos rejected trade discussions about Jeudy and Sutton in the offseason last season because they believe what some opposing general managers said is the Broncos’ most talented group on the depth chart. Here’s a look at what might be the Bronco’s most interesting collection of sites as campfire opens.
How hard is the Bronco trying to make this work?
The Broncos have certainly turned the wheel as a quarterback, head coach and offensive coordinator during their current seven-year journey in the playoff desert, but it could be argued that they haven’t tried harder at the draft than they have at wide receiver.
In the last seven drafts, the Broncos have used 11 draft picks over wide receivers, with at least one wide receiver being selected in each of these seven drafts. That includes rookie Marvin Mims, a second-round draft pick this past April, ranked 63rd overall from Oklahoma.
The Broncos have a 1,000-yard receiving season and one Pro Bowl selection in their previous 10 selections — Sutton in 2019 — to display.
“I’m learning Cortlandt’s progression, he’s doing a good job,” said coach Sean Payton as the offseason draws to a close. “Man, he’s transferring well. He’s had a hard time — the 2019 album he released was so good. We’re looking for another really good soundtrack in 2023. He wants to please, and he’s working his tail off.”
How big of a role does Jody have to play for the Broncos offense to turn it around?
He spoke to executives around the league and the combination of Payton’s resume as a play-by-play caller and Jody’s athleticism and road running is one they consider to have the most potential for the greatest returns.
Jody attracted a lot of commercial interest early in the season, but the Broncos see what everyone else sees. Major league sources said repeatedly this season that the Broncos wanted a first-round pick in exchange for Jody before Payton publicly said the Broncos would not trade him. The Broncos finally named Jody a fifth-year pick for the 2024 season.
“It’s always nice to be wanted,” said Judy. “But I’m also glad I’m from the Denver Broncos. I didn’t think much of it. I’m glad I’m here, glad they got a fifth year.”
Jody is explosive, and his short pace in the area combined with his passing accuracy enables him to create a break against the best fullbacks in the league. But he struggled with injuries — he missed 16, 10 and 15 games in his three seasons — and fought himself at times to keep his on-court emotions in check.
Defensive running backs are often asked by defensive coaches opposing them to try and rattle a Jewdy—get physical, pull a shirt, and verbally battle him. Sometimes it worked, and Jody had heated arguments with officials and opponents alike when things didn’t go so well, often at the cost of producing him an already pointless offense.
Payton and wide receivers coach Kerry Colbert also stressed Jody’s hand placement during the catch—”thumbs together, not the pinky”—to improve his stability as well.
Jody’s last six games of 2022 have been one of the few bright spots on the stretch. He caught 37 passes in those games, had two games with 100 receiving yards, and three touchdown attempts in a Week 14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
“I told him I’d be with you and we’d get the most out of you,” Payton said.
Both Gowdy and Sutton said they’ve taken a hard look at how Payton’s offense, Michael Thomas, is coping with the New Orleans Saints. Thomas had four 1,000-yard seasons and three 100-rush seasons in a four-year stint with Payton as coach of the Saints, including an NFL-record 149 tackles in 2019.
What does an ideal world look like?
Payton’s biggest task will be to get quarterback Russell Wilson stable so he can play with better feet, timing and composure. In 2022, Wilson finished with a career-high 16 touchdown passes and a career-most 55 sacks in a mismatched scheme that produced the lowest offense in the league.
The Broncos surrendered a first-round pick to hire Payton, spent big free agency to upgrade their offensive line (signed Mike McGlinchey to a five-year, $87.5 million deal, signed guard Ben Powers to a four-year, $51.5 million deal) and used their opening draft pick on memes.
However, the words “if healthy” loom large over the site group. They have pace, size and physicality with players who can challenge defenses all over the field, which is a tantalizing combination.
Humler, who returned from knee and hip problems, suffered a torn pectus excavatum early in the offseason, and Mims was knocked out of the latter stages of the offseason with a leg injury.
Hamler lived at Patrick’s house during the offseason—”One of the things I preached to him was to get a routine”—while each receiver said they did everything they could to keep themselves on the field in the weeks and months ahead.
“It’s something we all want,” Patrick said. “…to make sure there are no excuses this season.”