ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos’ offense of 2021 became a testament to underused talent on the way to the team’s sixth consecutive playoff miss.
The Broncos had and have committed to a strong, young depth chart. They drafted Javonte Williams (21 years old) in the second round, giving them — along with now free-agent Melvin Gordon — two frontline running backs last year. They used a first-round draft pick on wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (22) during the 2020 draft and in one November week last season committed $95 million in contract extensions for wide receivers Courtland Sutton (26) and Tim Patrick (28).
But for all of their commitment, the Broncos’ offense was a mishmash of ill-fitting ideas in 2021. Jeudy finished without a touchdown, Sutton had nine games with two or fewer catches and the Broncos finished tied for 24th in the league in scoring.
The blockbuster trade for quarterback Russell Wilson is a quality starting point to fix the Broncos’ offensive woes, but new coach Nathaniel Hackett’s biggest challenge might be wringing more production out of a group of skill position players who have been somewhat lost in the Broncos’ playbook.
Jerry Jeudy didn’t have an 80-yard receiving game last season with the Broncos. Dustin Bradford/Getty Images
“Those guys are good football players,” Hackett said when asked specifically about Sutton and Jeudy at the scouting combine. “We’ve got Tim Patrick, too. … There’s a lot of good skill position [players]. I’m excited to be able to do a lot of different things with those guys. For them it’s how fast can they learn everything and how much can they do and what do they do good.”
Hackett’s promise to match the playcalls to the players might be the most important thing he has said during his honeymoon period. Too often the Broncos have tried to do things that have not matched their ability to protect the quarterback or play to their strengths.
People inside the Broncos’ complex pointed to the continued use of Jeudy in motion…
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