Sean Payton is trying to rebuild the Denver Broncos, and Courtland Sutton looks to be a big part of that.
Payton and GM George Paton have already restructured the wide receiver room. They brought in physical, 6’3″ receiver Josh Reynolds in free agency, and drafted two more wideouts including new QB Bo Nix’s man Troy Franklin from Oregon.
What Sutton brings is added physicality as a blocker, and a go-to guy for 50-50 balls.
Courtland Sutton announced he’ll return to Denver Broncos for mandatory minicamp
Sutton has been absent from the Broncos OTAs this month, raising some eyebrows as he looks for a raise in his pay.
But on Thursday, the veteran Bronco told DNVR he’ll come back to the team next week for mandatory minicamp.
“I will be there, I will be there,” Courtland Sutton explained. “It’s been killing me not to be there at OTAs. This has been a very different offseason than I’ve been part of since I’ve been in the league.”
He went on to explain he loves football and gave props to the Denver diehards out there in the Centennial State.
“The city deserves playoffs. The city deserves to see the Denver Broncos back in the Super Bowl,” he said.
Minicamp runs June 11-13 before summer break. Then, the Broncos training camp will kick off in late July, in all likelihood.
Sutton factors into the wide receiver room as a leader within the team, going into his seventh year with the Broncos. He’s played with a whole host of different quarterbacks, and excelled through it all. Just check out his 10 touchdowns last year with Russell Wilson to understand his playmaking ability.
Sutton just enjoyed his second-best season as a professional, with 772 receiving yards and 10 scores, which put him in a tie for fourth in the league.
According to Field Vision Sports, he was 39th in the league in EPA last year, meaning he was just outside No. 1 WR territory. So, there’s certainly still room for Sutton to step his game up, too.
He’s 39th overall for all pass-catchers in terms of EPA. What really hurts him is the short area of the field (0-10 yards). One of the worst players in the league in terms of productivity when throwing short. He excels on intermediate routes, and average on deep ones.
— Field Vision Sports (@FieldVisionMi) May 28, 2024
That experience within the organization and with teammates and coaches sets Sutton apart from the newcomers in his receiver room. While no one expects the Broncos to make the jump and get into the postseason this year, Courtland Sutton’s leadership and abilities will go a long way in helping this offense improve immediately.