The Denver Broncos starting quarterback position isn’t the only spot that has players battling; the wide receivers are going head-to-head in competition for the open third receiver spot. Two-time Pro Bowler Emmanuel Sanders and five-time Pro Bowler Demaryius Thomas, to no one’s surprise, have the top two spots covered.
Heading into Saturday’s intra-squad scrimmage, Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy and Head Coach Vance Joseph are looking for a receiver that can play all three receiver spots and knows the game.
“It’s competitive,” Joseph said on Friday. “You have Bennie Fowler who hasn’t had a bunch of big plays, but is a guy who knows what to do. He can play. He can play all three wide receiver spots and that’s important for Mike [McCoy] as a play-caller. Obviously with Isaiah McKenzie having special traits as far as quickness, he’s in the mix also, along with Carlos [Henderson], Cody [Latimer] and Jordan [Taylor] who’s played really well. We’ve got a lot of guys that are competing for that third spot. Not just a slot position, but the third receiver because Mike’s vision is to have No. 10 [Sanders] in the slot and No. 88 [Thomas] in the slot. He’s looking for the best guy to be the third receiver to play all three spots. Knowing all three spots, with Mike’s vision, it’s really important not just having a slot guy.”
Heading into training camp, Latimer knew he had to impress going into his fourth season with the Broncos. However, he seems excited about the new competition at the receiver spot.
“I think it’s great. We have some great athletes in the room, some great receivers. Everybody’s making plays and somebody is standing out and making the plays every day. The competition is great,” Latimer said after Friday’s practice. “The young rooks that were brought in are amazing athletes making big plays. The guys that have been here are making plays – we’re all contributing to special teams and looking good. Like I said, the competition is amazing and it pushes everyone to be better.”
Regardless of Latimer and Fowler having more experience in the NFL, fifth-round pick Isaiah McKenzie is looking very promising. Veteran running back C.J. Anderson has been impressed by the rookie.
“He’s fast. That’s another thing that we were talking about. Speed kills,” Anderson said about McKenzie. “He’s as fast as he can be. Having that mobility, you can put him anywhere or line him up anywhere, and he can make plays any time. He’s a home run threat. If we put him in the right position to make those plays, his talent will flourish.”
With the first scrimmage of the season on Saturday, Latimer is ready to take the competition head on.
“It’s the dog days of camp,” Latimer said, “so we’ll see who stands out.”
