What are the Denver Broncos supposed to do with Demaryius Thomas?
That’s been a main topic of conversation this week, and the truth is that there isn’t an easy answer. I’ve been hearing a lot of people saying that the franchise needs to move on from DT this offseason, but that’s just not happening; they tied the knot when they gave him that $70 million contract last offseason, and a divorce won’t be cheap.
If, in this hypothetical world, the Broncos decided to just flat out cut DT — won’t happen — they’d be paying $21.8 million in dead cap next season, $6.6 million more than his actually salary; safe to say, that option is off the table.
So, if Denver really wanted to move on from him, the only other option would be to trade him, and unless a team decides to hand the Broncos a couple early first round picks, I can’t imagine they’d come close to finding equal value.
And why’s that? Well, because Demaryius Thomas, for all his faults, is still a fantastic football player.
Even with everything he’s been through this season, DT is on pace for 108 receptions, 1,313 yards and four touchdowns; that may be considered a down year for him, but it’ll probably still go down as one of the five best receiving seasons in Broncos history.
We also forget that he’s doing this on one of the worst offenses in the NFL. All season, we’ve been complaining about the play of the Denver Broncos quarterbacks, and yet Demaryius Thomas is on pace to catch 105+ passes for the second straight season and only the third time in franchise history. That says something!
Across the board, the Broncos offensive output has plummeted, but DT is the only one still putting up Pro Bowl numbers. Even Emmanuel Sanders, who I think most (frustrated) Broncos fans would call the team’s best wideout at this point, has seen his numbers fall off to a much greater degree than DT’s.
Thomas ’14: 111 receptions; 1,619 yards; 11 touchdowns
Thomas ’15 (16 games): 108 receptions; 1,313 yards; 4 touchdowns
Sanders ’14: 101 receptions; 1,404 yards; 9 touchdowns
Sanders ’15 (16 games): 76 receptions ; 1,050 yards; 5 touchdowns
Yet, when we look at Sanders’ drop off, it’s because the quarterbacking isn’t the same; with Thomas, though, it’s because he’s lost it.
And no, none of this is to say that Thomas, especially against the Patriots and Chargers, hasn’t been absolutely dreadful at times; his drops have been debilitating and, honestly, inexcusable.
But it’s not as if he’s the only star wideout having issues pulling down a reception. Actually, according to Pro Football Focus, Thomas’ 10.20 Drop Rate is only fifth worst in the league. And while that’s not exactly something to be proud of, the four wideouts in front of him are Mike Evans, Amari Cooper, Randall Cobb and Julian Edelman, all of which are Pro-Bowl caliber receivers. Likewise, guys like Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker and Emmanuel Sanders are all in the top 10, too.
Now, does that mean his drops are any less inexcusable? No, absolutely not. But what it does mean is that Demaryius Thomas is a far cry from the worst wideout in the league, which you’d think he was if you read any comments on Broncos message boards lately.
The truth is that DT is still one of the elite wideouts in the NFL today, and the Denver Broncos need him immensely; even with the drops, he’s easily the offense’s most explosive and talented player.
So when it comes to condemning DT as a total failure and waste of $70 million, slow your roll. The guy is still one of the three best wideouts in franchise history, if not the best; he’ll prove it eventually.