Ask a mother who her favorite child is and she’ll say she loves them all equally. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a soft spot for one in particular.
This summer, the Denver Broncos receivers are the moms and the quarterbacks are the kids in this analogy. And every day after camp Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Cody Latimer, Bennie Fowler and the rest of the receiving corps have been asked which quarterback they like the best, which one they feel most comfortable with, and every day they say with something like this:
“Whether we are on the field with Mark or Trevor, the ball is moving,” Thomas said after Tuesday’s practice. “So we’ll have a good starter and a good backup, either way.”
While that is probably true, as both Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian have had good camps, certain receivers have better chemistry with one or the other.
Obviously, guys like Sanders and Thomas have their starting positions on lock, but the No. 3 receiver spot is up for grabs, and there’s plenty of willing hands to snag it.
When a Week 1 starting quarterback is finally named, he will likely have an impact on which young receiver gets the call.
Of the 13 attempts Sanchez threw last week, he targeted Fowler on four of those. The two connected three times for 18 yards — Fowler’s only receptions of the game. And although he did end up suffering a minor stress fracture in the game, his injury was not apparent until after the game, so he played all four quarters. Sanchez only threw to Latimer once, for a three yard gain.
By comparison, Siemian entered the game and threw to Latimer immediately. In fact, he sent three consecutive completions his way for a total gain of 31 yards. He would later connect with him once more before the half was over for 21 yards.
Though Siemian targeted Fowler twice, the two were unable to connect. He was able to get a deep pass to second-year receiver Jordan “Sunshine” Taylor for 22 yards, and though that was his only completion to Taylor, the two have already developed a strong chemistry over the last two seasons.
“Last year, when we both first came in, well, we were roommates first of all, and I just remember one night telling him that if he ever needs to make a deep ball, just throw it up to me and I’ll make a play for you,” Taylor said earlier this summer. “I know he knows if he ever throws it my way, I’m going to do whatever I can to make a play for him. If he’s the starter, I think it will be beneficial for me too.”
While football is all about the team, it’s also a business, and every guy on this roster is trying to make a living. So when head coach Gary Kubiak finally makes his choice at quarterback, Fowler, Latimer, Taylor and the rest of the group will work as hard as they can to develop a good relationship with the quarterback under center.
Still, depending on whom that is, one of those wideouts will have a leg up on the others.
