NFL
By Keith Richards
After a 1-4 start, the assumed promising season for the Denver Broncos is no more. Everyone and everything from Sean Payton to Russell Wilson to the defense has all been blamed for the lackluster start of the Sean Payton Era. There is, though, a larger issue with Denver. Yes, the defense is an embarrassment, but there’s an unspoken problem with the Broncos: The Wide Receivers suck!
It’s an unspoken problem that is said in the shadows of Broncos Country on Twitter. Occasionally, you will hear whispers of it from the talking heads of sports media. It started to become visible during the last season. This season, the unspoken problem has only worsened. It’s time to address it. It’s time to make the unspoken problem well-known. I’ll say it again, the Broncos Wide Receivers SUCK!
Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson. Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
When Russell Wilson was first traded to Denver, the thoughts on the Denver Broncos were almost unanimously the same. Denver was a team talented at the skill position and talented on defense. We all saw what happened that season. The defense faded down the stretch and Russ took the lion’s share of the blame for the failures of the team.
To be fair, Wilson does deserve his share of the blame for the failures of the offense. The numbers speak for themselves: 60.5% completion (career low), 3,524 yards passing, 16 touchdowns (career low), 11 interceptions (second most of his career), and 38.7 QBR (career low). All terrible numbers by any measure. However, it still does not address the unspoken problem of poor wide receiver play.
Recently, Jerry Jeudy has gotten into spats on Twitter with some historic Broncos players, including former offensive lineman Mark Schlereth. In response to Jeudy’s tweet, Stink said, “Does ‘old heads’ mean someone that has more playoff starts [than] you have career starts?” Schlereth would not stop there in his assessment of the unspoken problem of the Denver Wide Receivers.
Speaking on 104.3 The Fan, Mark would continue his strong criticism of the Broncos receivers. He stated, “The effort from our starting wide receivers. Shame on Jerry Jeudy for even thinking he can utter the name of Rod Smith in his tweets. Shame on you, because you’re not a professional. And you don’t know what effort is. Your quarterback’s under duress, somebody locks you up in man coverage on an underneath route, and to call it trotting would be an insult trotting. You just quit.”
Schlereth didn’t hold back on Courtland Sutton either. Regarding Sutton, Stink stated, “Courtland Sutton not coming back to the ball. Neither of those two guys would play for me. I would cut both of those guys.” To be fair, Schlereth can be an old head sometimes. Often, Mark can be overly critical, but it doesn’t mean he’s wrong.
Don’t believe Stink? Well, here’s a look at the top three receivers for the Denver Broncos this season:
• Marvin Mims Jr. – 10 receptions, 12 targets, 246 yards, 24.6 yards per reception
• Courtland Sutton – 21 receptions, 31 targets, 229 yards, 10.9 yards per reception
• Jerry Jeudy – 17 receptions, 24 targets, 208 yards, 12.2 yards per reception
In short, with only half the targets, and fewer receptions, Marvin Mims Jr. has outplayed the “veteran” receivers on the Broncos team. Mims is a rookie. It gets worse. Look at the snap count percentage for the players:
• Mims Jr. – 85 total snaps for an average of 28% of snaps per game
• Courtland Sutton – 267 snaps for an average of 88% of snaps per game
• Jerry Jeudy – 176 snaps for an average of 73% of snaps per game (missed Week 1)
Marvin Mims Jr. has been on the field for 60% and 45% less time than Sutton and Jeudy respectively. Yet, his production is far greater. The unspoken problem is becoming a known problem. While there are other issues the team needs to address, it’s time to stop coddling the receivers and hold them accountable.
At some point, they have to be held accountable for their failures. That time is now. With both rumored to be on the trading block, the faster the unspoken problem can be addressed, the faster the Broncos can move forward. Trade them both, give Mims more snaps, and let Sean Payton bring in his guys.
