It was a disappointing 2019 season for the Denver Broncos, as the franchise finished with a losing record for the third time in as many years. In spite of a less than ideal 7-9 finish, a frustrating campaign ended with genuine hope for the future, as the team was able to win four of its final five contests, while rookie signal caller Drew Lock flashed some potential to be a future franchise quarterback.
Still, in spite of all this newfound optimism, arguably the best story to come from this organization is going largely ignored by the national media and that’s a genuine travesty. Indeed, not nearly enough is being said about the brilliant sophomore season of wide receiver Courtland Sutton and it’s time for that to change.
Courtland Sutton Is Elite And Under-Appreciated
When the Broncos scooped Sutton up with 40th overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, the former SMU standout was looked at as a potential steal in the second round. With 6’4″, 215-pound size to go along with solid speed and plus athleticism, the potential was there for big things in the future. It was just a matter of putting all the pieces together.
Sutton turned in a solid rookie campaign, snaring 42 receptions for 704 yards and four touchdowns, but it was clear that he was still dripping with untapped upside. During his second NFL season however, he displayed that upside in a big way. In 2019, Sutton snared 72 passes for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns, while averaging a sterling 15.4 yards per reception and making ridiculous grabs like this one:
COURTLAND SUTTON WANTED IT 💪💪@SuttonCourtland | #CLEvsDEN
📺: CBS
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app
Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/GjhTr4sGG6 pic.twitter.com/VkQzoFu26D— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2019
Overcoming a Tough Situation
On the surface, those numbers (and highlights) look impressive enough, but they’re even more spectacular when you consider the situation he found himself in. To be kind, the Broncos offense wasn’t up to par this year. In fact, this was a bottom five unit by virtually any metric, as the franchise ranked 28th in both scoring and total yardage gained. The team’s quarterback situation was also uninspiring, with Joe Flacco struggling mightily for eight games prior to his season-ending injury. Meanwhile his immediate replacement Brandon Allen completed only 46.4% of his passes during his three starts.
It wasn’t until Lock took over in Week 13 that the Broncos started finding some success, but it’s not as if the rookie was a statistical dynamo either. In fact, he passed for 208 yards or fewer in four of his five starts while averaging a paltry 6.5 yards per pass attempt. That’s not a knock on Lock (hey, that rhymed), as the rookie showed considerable upside, but it’s a mere statement of statistical fact that his play didn’t make conditions particularly favorable for Sutton.
When you combine the efforts of Flacco, Allen, and Lock, Broncos quarterbacks threw for a mere 3,357 passing yards and tossed only sixteen touchdown passes in 2019, which ranks worst in the entire NFL. That means that Sutton’s 1,112 receiving yards made for 33.12% off all his quarterback’s passing yards and his six touchdown catches constitute a whopping 37.5% of the entire team’s passing scores. That’s absolutely unreal and clearly illustrates what a one-man show the Broncos aerial attack was in 2019.
Of similar importance, but even less recognized was his penchant for blocking. I could go into detail, but just take a look at this instead:
Courtland Sutton really does this blocking thing 😤😤 @SuttonCourtland @Broncos
(h/t @BrandonThornNFL) pic.twitter.com/nWFOtGuAze
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) January 3, 2020
It’s a rare thing to find a legitimate number one receiver who is equally adept (and willing) at blocking as pass-catching, but that’s what the Broncos have found in this rare talent.
A Complete Pro (Bowler)
When making a list of the NFL’s best receivers, you won’t often hear Courtland Sutton’s name mentioned but after what he accomplished in year two, he absolutely belongs in that conversation. In debates like these, we often focus on counting statistics and ignore some of the more important factors in determining what makes these players great. Sutton ranked 17th in receiving yards, and tied for 20th in both catches and touchdown grabs among NFL receivers, so it’s natural for us to assume his campaign was very solid, but not truly special.
But that logic is faulty. Courtland Sutton overcame one of the worst offenses and quarterback situations in all of football to produce high-end numbers, while proving to be a willing blocker and an exemplary teammate. Looking beyond mere statistics, he was one of the best receivers in the league this year and probably should have been named to the initial Pro Bowl roster, rather than serving as an alternate.
Indeed, when 2020 Pro Bowl rosters were announced, Sutton’s exclusion from the list proved to be one of the season’s biggest snubs. However, it was recently announced that Houston Texans All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins will miss the Pro Bowl festivities, and Sutton will be making the trip after all. It’s a well-deserved accolade for a young player coming off such an impressive breakout campaign. It will obviously be Sutton’s first appearance in the NFL’s All-Star extravaganza, but I’d expect there to be more to come in the near future.
What’s most impressive about all of this is that fact that Sutton is just getting started and will continue to improve and mature as an NFL player. In fact, if the aforementioned Lock pans out and becomes a solid starting quarterback, Sutton’s numbers could blow up even further in his third season, further cementing his status as a top-notch NFL wideout. For now, he remains one of the game’s best kept secrets and a criminally underrated talent, but at only 24 years of age, the future looks incredibly bright for Courtland Sutton.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
