The Broncos wide receivers didn’t have a touchdown for nearly the first six quarters of 2015.
In fact, no one on the offense did.
And Denver fans were in sheer panic mode, rightfully so. Just 18 months removed from the greatest offense in NFL history the unit looked lost. From Manning, to the running backs, to the tight ends, to the offensive line to the wide receivers it wasn’t pretty. And then Emmanuel Sanders caught a ball just inside the ten-yard line, sprinted toward the goal line and triumphantly did a front flip into the end zone at Arrowhead signifying the Broncos and their wide receivers were back.
Sanders also went on to score the game tying touchdown with less than a minute left and the Broncos defense did the rest. He’s been a beast to start this season and a huge reason Denver is 2-0.
But on the other side of the coin there is Cody Latimer, who after a summer of being hyped as the clear No. 3 receiver had a disappointing camp and still hasn’t caught a single pass this year. While most fans assume Latimer is still on the verge of breaking out, that’s simply not the case. Latimer has been buried on the depth chart with two guys who showed more in the preseason and thus far in a couple of games.
So where do all six guys stand? Let’s see how it all sorts out in this week’s wide receiver rankings.
No. 6 — Bennie Fowler
#Broncos WR Bennie Fowler @b_fowler13 & RB Kapri Bibbs @kapribibbs sideline at Rocky Mountain Showdown #CU #CSU pic.twitter.com/54Ahxrw5cK
— Mile High Sports (@MileHighSports) September 19, 2015
One of those guys is on the practice squad and the other isn’t — Fowler should be happy just to be on the team. And that’s no knock on him, Fowler had a monster preseason and earned his spot. His time will come at some point.
No. 5 — Cody Latimer
Where is Cody Latimer?
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) September 18, 2015
Paging Latimer, Cody, paging Latimer, Cody — are you here? That was thought many Broncos fans have had through a couple of weeks as the former second round pick has done nothing. Dare we say he’s Montee Ball 2.0 at a different position?
No. 4 — Andre Caldwell
Broncos halftime WR snap count: Emmanuel Sanders 33, Demaryius Thomas 31, Jordan Norwood 14, Andre Caldwell 7, Cody Lattimer 3
— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) September 18, 2015
Caldwell doesn’t have a huge edge on Latimer for this spot, but the numbers support it, he’s been out there just a little more often. Oh, by the way, he’s also showed up in the box score. Caldwell has two catches for seven yards so far — which is more than Latimer.
No. 3 — Jordan Norwood
Also, it's insane to me that Denver doesn't feel Cody Latimer is better than Jordan Norwood. That's a major red flag.
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) September 18, 2015
Fair or not Gary Kubiak, John Elway and everyone making decisions for this team likes Norwood right now an awful lot. Not only more than Latimer, but more than Caldwell as well. Norwood’s been okay through two weeks, hauling in five passes for 39 yards.
No. 2 — Demaryius Thomas
"Demaryius Thomas hasn't even scratched the surface of what he's going to become as a WR"
– @mattmoneysmith pic.twitter.com/UIjWWRxmdE
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) September 19, 2015
That’s been the narrative for awhile with Thomas, there’s always more there than what he’s showing us. It’s crazy to think, considering the numbers DT has put up the last few years, but it’s true. When he’s max effort, like he was that last drive against KC, Thomas is unstoppable.
No. 1 — Emmanuel Sanders
"All I was thinking about before that snap was running a perfect route."@ESanders_10 writes about the win in K.C. http://t.co/VFxu2ecAUV
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 23, 2015
Sanders and Thomas put up fairly similar numbers last year and Sanders has clearly been the Broncos best receiver through two games this year. This ranking might be a little jarring to the average reader, but right now Sanders is the best receiver on the Broncos — even more valuable than the crazy athletic Thomas.