Last year, the Denver Broncos wide receiving group received an immense amount of criticism for the great amount of talent that the group possessed. While the offense itself certainly had a down year, the wide receivers were not without blame, underperforming as a group.
Demaryius Thomas, the team’s No. 1 player, at least according to salary, recorded a great statistical season — hauling in 105 passes for 1,304 yards with 6 touchdowns. However, Thomas seemed to play with lackluster effort, dropped too many passes and had terrible statistics in the playoffs, especially for a player of his caliber. There has been talk of trading him to dump his $14 million annual salary, but the chances of that happening are close to zero. Barring a blockbuster move, the Broncos will have this top-10 receiver lining up in orange and blue next year.
Not only do the Broncos have a great No. 1 receiver, they have one of the best, if not the best, No. 2 receivers in the league, Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders, a fan favorite, continues to be the heart and soul of this offense and will certainly play a major role in helping it find its new identity next year.
After the top two, the Broncos receiving group is wide open. Cody Latimer has a chance to develop, but has been a major disappointment his first two seasons in the league. The Broncos re-signed Jordan Norwood, with the potential of being a great special teams player, but he’ll get his shot at the No. 3 job, too.
Finally, Peyton Manning gave his praise to practice-squad player Jordan Taylor, but at the end of the day, Taylor has a long way to come if he’s going to have an impact on the Broncos next year.
The top two receivers are no doubt locks for the team, but outside of them, there is plenty of room for change and addition to the group.
It would be a big surprise if the Broncos used an early-round pick on a receiver, but during the draft, anything is possible — Tim Tebow, anyone? Here are five receivers that the Broncos could target come draft day:
