3 Courtland Sutton Revelations That Could Hint at an Elite 2020 Season
When the Denver Broncos selected SMU wide receiver Courtland Sutton in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, a new era began in the Mile High City.
Sutton’s career began in training camp as he regularly snatched 50/50 balls in mid-air from then-QB Case Keenum. Sutton has since gone on to start 23 games the next two seasons, logging 114 receptions for 1,816 yards (15.9 avg) and 10 touchdowns.
For the first time in Sutton’s career, there will not be a tenured mentor in the WR room. In 2018, Denver traded Demaryius Thomas to the Texans, and one year later, Emmanuel Sanders was dealt to San Francisco. Sutton embraced being the man in the wake of the Sanders trade and would go on to catch passes from three different QBs, including Drew Lock from Week 13 on last season.
Last month, Elway and the Broncos loaded up on play-makers by selecting WRs Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler with their first two picks in the 2020 draft. The selections ensured that Sutton has additional help, as he previously faced many double teams in 2019.
Now, Sutton is the Broncos' veteran and is the undisputed alpha dog in the WR room. On Thursday, Sutton made an appearance via virtual press conference.
I was there, and based on what he had to say, I came away confident that he's cruising for an elite season with the Broncos. In that vein, here are three reasons why the third-year Bronco will be a top-five WR in 2020.
Coaching has Elevated Sutton's Game
GM John Elway and the front-office brass have taken significant criticism for the coaching turnover in recent years. Since winning Super Bowl 50, the Broncos have fielded three different head coaches.
Heading into his second year as Denver's head coach, Vic Fangio opted to dismiss OC Rich Scangarello and replace him with former Giants head man Pat Shurmur. Naturally, coaching turnover can be problematic for player development and success, but this isn’t the case for the Broncos' wideouts.
The same year that Sutton was drafted, the Broncos hired Zach Azzanni to coach the wide receivers. A graduate from Central Michigan, Azzanni started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Bowling Green under Urban Meyer (2001-2002). He also coached at Florida, Western Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Tennessee before becoming the Chicago Bears' WRs coach in 2017.
Sutton spoke Thursday about Coach Azzanni and how much he's meant to his personal development.
“Having Coach Z for going on my third year, it’s one thing that’s really nice to have that one piece of stability, a really big piece of stability in a situation where—this is my third offensive coordinator—to be able to have Coach Z be the guy who we’re still hearing the same language in terms of what he expects out of us in our room, we’re getting to hear that same language," Sutton said.
In the NFL, position coaches are major influences in the lives of players. Head coaches and coordinators rarely have the quality time or opportunity to dedicate individualized one-on-one’s with players. In Sutton’s case, Azzanni has supported him since he was drafted.
“He understands our room,” Sutton said. “To be able to have him for another year is awesome. It’s an underrated blessing for sure because when you’re learning a new offense, having some type of stability in that change is nice, especially someone that’s in your room who is the teacher of the new offense to us. He breaks down the small details. To be able to have him in our room, it’s pretty cool to keep him.”
The two men communicate daily and have built trust and loyalty. Despite changing offenses for the third time, and coming off back-to-back losing seasons, two constants remain for the Broncos — their Pro Bowl wideout and technically-sound WRs coach.
Shurmur’s Offense will Feature Sutton’s Best Traits
The worst-kept secret in the NFL is that Sutton is the WR1 in Denver. New OC Pat Shurmur’s spread-offense will be designed for Lock to effectively throw the ball down the field.
Last season, Lock’s first NFL touchdown pass was a 26-yard one-handed catch by Sutton in the end zone. Clearly, Sutton’s biggest strength is the ability to separate from defensive backs and use his powerful frame to haul in passes.
The risk of 50/50 balls is minimized when Sutton is targeted as he consistently fights through contact to secure the catch. Now Sutton will get a chance to thrive in Shurmur’s spread offense.
“The thing I like about Coach Shurmur’s offense is he wants to give us chances to go make plays,” Sutton told us Thursday. “He’s going to give the receivers chances to make plays. He is—which is really rare I feel like—he sees the game how receivers see that game.”
As head coach of the Giants last season, Shurmur’s spread philosophy allowed WRs Golden Tate and Sterling Shepherd to combine for 106 catches, 1,252 yards, and nine touchdowns. Shurmur designs his offense to suit the strengths of his players, specifically in the passing game.
Last season, Shurmur’s aerial offense accrued 3,731 passing yards and 30 passing touchdowns compared to the Broncos' 2019 totals of 3,115 yards passing and 16 touchdowns. Sutton spoke about being used differently in Shurmur’s offense.
“In the pass game we can have screens, taking shots down the field, him giving Drew the flexibility to be able to if he sees a mismatch take advantage of that and not say ‘Oh, we’ll come back to that next series,’ or something like that,” Sutton said.
Having a QB with a big arm, combined with Lock's familiar spread offense, will pay dividends for Sutton. In just five games, Lock and Sutton’s chemistry caffeinated Broncos Country and left fans more-than encouraged with high-caliber potential.
In 2020, expect Sutton to be the featured play-maker of the Broncos' offense, rather than the only one.
Poised to Assume the Leader Role
Sutton is a rising star in the NFL. He’s asserted himself as the dominant receiver in his position room and has earned the trust of Elway and the brass. But for Sutton to become elite, he needs to help lead his team, starting with the WR room.
Jeudy was drafted by the Broncos in the first round because of his route running ability, intellect, and readiness to play at the NFL level. Although many analysts mocked Jeudy to Denver, nobody saw Elway selecting another WR in the second round of the draft.
Hamler brings elusive speed and dynamic after-the-catch production to the slot WR position. Within the first two rounds, Elway made it clear his plan was to equip Lock with a plethora of WR talent.
Although both premium draft picks are projected to have outstanding careers, they’re still rookies and will face the learning curve that is the NFL. Sutton can help them navigate those pitfalls.
“It’s interesting. It’s funny to look back at that because Coach Z had said something about being an ‘OG’ in the room,” Sutton said Thursday. “It’s completely different than how—DaeSean [Hamilton] and I both came into a room where we had Demaryius and Emmanuel who were Pro Bowlers, Super Bowl-winning guys. We walked in there and it was like 'We must be sponges. These dudes have seen what we want to see and have done what we want to do. It would be crazy for us not to go in there and absorb that knowledge.'”
Sutton also spoke about assisting Coach Azzanni in continuing the tradition of veteran mentorship for new rookies.
“I think the roles have transformed in their own way to where DaeSean and I are looked at as the older guys in the room. It’s something that we take upon ourselves to want help Coach Z coach these guys because that’s what we got when we came into the room. We came into a room where Demaryius and Emmanuel were not afraid to give us guidance on the field, off the field, whatever it may be.”
While Sutton was extremely fortunate to learn under Sanders and Thomas, it’s time for him to demonstrate leadership for his rookie teammates Jeudy, Hamler, and Tyrie Cleveland. History has shown that students of the game never stop learning, leading, or competing.
Follow Luke on Twitter @LukePattersonLP and @MileHighHuddle.
