Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton has become one of the more stable pieces of this team, dating back to 2018. When he came in as a rookie, the Broncos still had Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas, two key pieces from Denver’s Super Bowl 50-winning team.
This Sunday is going to be bittersweet. The Broncos will honor the Super Bowl 50 team at halftime, with so many familiar names and faces planning on being in attendance, including Peyton Manning and Gary Kubiak.
At the same time, there’s a glooming sense of sadness, as Demaryius Thomas and his infectious smile will not be.
Thomas is going into the Broncos Ring of Fame at halftime, and there is nobody more deserving of that honor. For how DT played on the field and how he was off the field, his presence will live on and still does to this day.
Courtland Sutton was drafted in 2018 by the Broncos, and the following training camp was my first opportunity to emerge on the beat covering the team. One of the very first things I noticed was how Thomas led the Broncos receivers during individual drills.
DT would be the first in line to go through drills, followed by Emmanuel Sanders. After they finished their reps, they watched the younger guys like Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton go through their reps.
When Sutton finished his, Thomas approached him and offered him little bits and pieces of coaching or tips, explaining little things as to why Thomas does things a certain way against press techniques from cornerbacks, amongst other things, I’m sure.
Thomas was ultimately traded that season at the deadline to the Houston Texans, but the advice and traditions he had, he passed along to Sutton, including one small, but meaningful one. Buying donuts for teammates and staff on Saturday’s.
“I think it was the consistency of how he came to work every day,” Sutton said. “I have this little thing that I do for some of the guys in the building. It started off as a rookie duty that he gave me. He was like, ‘Hey, I’ve been doing this, but I’m going to pass it to you.’ As a rookie, he passed the donut tradition down to me. It was one of those things that it felt like it was a rookie thing. He said, ‘Hey, you’re going to go to this place, call this place and tell them that you want to get [this order]. They are going to know exactly what it is. Go pick them up, bring them up here and everyone will love it.’ I said, ‘All right, cool.’ When he left, I said that I would keep it going. It was something that I saw brought a lot of joy to people in the building. It was like a small tribute to him. Then when he passed, it felt like it was one of those things that—every Saturday I get the chance to call in and order donuts, it’s a small wink. [It’s like] he’s always still around. I want him to be able to—I don’t think the guys even know where that came from. Everyone thinks, ‘The donuts are here,’ and they get so excited. They don’t really know where that originated from. It’s one of those things that for myself, and for the people who got to spend time with him and got to know where the donuts came from, it’s a reminder that he gets to still be here. He may not be here physically, but he had such a lasting impact that he is not going anywhere from this organization any time soon. I’m happy he’s going to get his recognition from this organization [by] getting inducted into the [Denver Broncos] Ring of [Fame].”
One other thing I feel is important to mention is that Thomas took care of Denver’s rookies and never put them in a tough spot with lengthy bills at team or position dinners or hazing. Even if the Broncos added Sutton in 2018 to help elevate the room, Thomas never looked at it as a slight to him and took Sutton under his wing and helped him.
That’s who DT was. That’s who Sutton is.
I’ve talked to various rookie wide receivers or new additions over the course of the last three years, and they’ve echoed that sentiment. Sutton looks out for them, includes them in events away from the field, and always takes care of them.
When Jalen Virgil was a rookie in 2022, he told me that Tim Patrick and Sutton went above and beyond to help him get comfortable with the transition to the NFL as an undrafted guy and that those guys shared every tip and secret possible to help Virgil gain confidence through the dog days of training camp and the preseason.
Sutton’s leadership is such a valuable asset to this year’s Broncos team and how he lives his life is something that would have made Demaryius Thomas proud.
