The Lead
With the quarterback and offensive line having such a significant impact on how a team’s playmakers perform, it’s tough to pinpoint exactly how good the NFL’s wide receivers, running backs and tight ends really are. The Russell Wilsons of the world can make most pass catchers look great, but many talented playmakers find it hard to shine when relying on a below-average quarterback to throw them the ball.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell addressed this topic by ranking every team’s core unit of offensive playmakers — running backs, wide receivers and tight ends — based on how they would perform with league-average coaching, a league-average quarterback and a league-average offensive line. In his rankings, Barnwell only considered 2022 performance, rather than the coming years. He also gave increased weight in his rankings to wide receivers and noted players’ injury histories in his evaluation.
From these evaluations, Barnwell ranked the Broncos’ offensive playmakers 14th overall, three places higher than last season’s ranking of 17th overall. Barnwell expects multiple players to make leaps in 2022, and he foresees an even higher potential jump in next season’s rankings.
“Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, Albert Okwuegbunam and even injured deep threat KJ Hamler have the potential to post spike weeks throughout the season,” Barnwell wrote. “Their numbers should all improve overall. Second-year back Javonte Williams could be the 2022 version of Jonathan Taylor. The Broncos could legitimately rank No. 1 in these rankings next year if everyone lives up to expectations.”
While Barnwell doesn’t expect every Broncos playmaker to have a breakout year, there are two players he believes can have the greatest impact if they rise to the occasion this season.
“As deep as the Broncos are, the best thing for their future would be breakout seasons from Jeudy and Williams. Both seem possible,” Barnwell wrote.
Because these rankings do not take quarterbacks into account,…
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