At the risk of raining on today’s Bo Nix victory parade, there’s a serious topic that needs discussed. It’s a matter of such great importance that it should be written in permanent magic marker on the very top of George Paton’s whiteboard.
Travis.
Freaking.
Hunter.
More specifically: Hunter must be wearing orange and blue for the Denver Broncos next season.
If you’re enjoying today’s parade – and you should be, as Nix and perhaps most importantly Sean Payton finally looked like something to smile about – then think how fun one that ends at Denver’s Civic Center Park could be. Denver is a championship town; the Broncos and Avalanche have hosted three parades and the Nuggets pitched in one of their own not long ago. But if the Broncos want to return to a celebration stage that overlooks a sea of orange all the way to the steps of the state capital building, they’ll need to a lot more than beat the Buccs on a muggy September Sunday in Tampa. They’ll need a superstar.
Like, for example, Travis Freaking Hunter.
Hey, don’t get it wrong; Sunday’s impressive 26-7 win over Baker’s Buccaneers was a huge step in the right direction. After all, Denver was nearly a touchdown dog before kickoff, a fair line considering that the damn Donkeys offense could do no right leading up to the game. They couldn’t run. They couldn’t pass. They couldn’t score. They couldn’t run a route past the first down sticks to save their three-and-out lives. On Sunday, however, they seemed to have righted the ship, starting with an opening touchdown drive that had Nix looking like a wily veteran who’d been doing it all his life.
Ironically, Denver’s commanding, perhaps inspiring, performance on Sunday was somewhat overshadowed by the miracle that unfolded in Boulder on Saturday night. The Broncos win was satisfying, if not just a good ol’ sigh of relief, but the Buffs win was the stuff of legend.
Shedeur Sanders’ 43-yard Hail Mary heave to Lajohntay Wester found paydirt and tied the game with no time left on the clock – shades of 1994’s Miracle at Michigan, no doubt – but winning the game required heroics that only a two-way player could provide. Hunter might not have caught the touchdown that forced overtime, but without him, the Buffs would have never had a chance. On offense, Hunter made critical catches or drew chain-moving penalties on every scoring drive in the second half and overtime, capping his night with seven receptions for 130 yards. His statistics on defense hardly tell the story, but his goal line thump of Baylor’s Dominic Richardson jarred a fumble that literally sealed the win at Folsom. Without Hunter, Coach Prime would have justifiably been the subject of a salty Sunday morning column by Sean Keeler.
The Broncos are far from a Super Bowl contender, but if there’s one glaring weakness it’s that Paton & Payton’s roster lacks playmakers. The verdict is still out on Nix, but if he’s got one built-in excuse, it’s that there’s not a single Bronco that scares opposing defenses. Nix’s receivers might be serviceable, but nowhere to be found is someone as electric as Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson; there’s no Bronco that keeps defensive coordinators up at night.
If the Broncos have a lone superstar on the roster, it’s on the defensive side of the ball, where Patrick Surtain II is arguably the most complete cornerback in the league. He can cover and he can tackle and when given the opportunity, he can snatch up a pass as well as any Broncos wideout.
Surtain just inked a deal that made him one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL, but make no mistake, Hunter is the state’s biggest football star at the moment. Surtain will earn $96 million over the next four seasons while Hunter “only” makes a reported $3.1 million in NIL money, but you can bet every penny that he’ll be the Buffs’ second-ever Heisman Trophy winner come December. If he keeps pulling rabbits out hats as he did on Saturday night, he’ll be a household name the likes of Timmy Tebow or Johnny Football. For any NFL general manager, drafting Hunter will be a far easier decision than where to play him, or more challenging yet, when not to play him.
Tank for Travis?
There are worse ideas. The Broncos, however, shouldn’t necessarily prescribe to that strategy. First and foremost, Denver needs hope, and wins can provide that. Can you imagine, though, if Nix’s Broncos finish the season on an upward trajectory and still have a chance to draft Hunter next spring?
Let’s just assume that Denver isn’t playoff bound. As nice as Sunday’s win was, it’s likely not the first step en route to the postseason. That’s okay. Assuming Paton has a draft position anywhere close to the top-10, it’s on him to find a way – by any and all means – to maneuver wherever necessary to make Hunter a Bronco. From there, Coach Payton can play with the Buffs superstar like a toy on Christmas morning; the surly ballcoach can be as creative as he was with Taysom Hill or make Hunter the centerpiece of the Broncos offense like Reggie Bush was for his Saints. He can use him on defense anytime the game’s on the line.
Hunter from Nix. Mix in some picks. It all has such a nice ring.
Since Peyton Manning, the Broncos have lacked a true superstar. Every championship team and town needs one, but Hunter seems like a player capable of stepping into an awfully big pair of shoes. He’s has yet to play a down in the NFL, but Hunter’s shine is so bright that GM Paton should be blinded by notion of keeping him in Colorado.
The parade can be planned from there.
