It wasn’t just that the Broncos found a quarterback in whom they could trust their hopes last year when Bo Nix flourished over the final three months of the regular season.
It was that Courtland Sutton played the best football of his post-ACL-injury career.
Recapturing the form he had last displayed when Joe Flacco was firing moon balls in the first half of the 2019 season, Sutton and Nix developed the timing that allowed No. 14 to post career 1,000-yard season No. 2.
What’s more, Sutton flourished as a locker-room leader, the wisdom and experience of seven seasons through the trials of six losing campaigns, four previous head coaches and 10 prior starting quarterbacks illuminating the advice he gave the cluster of young pass-catchers he took under his wing.
He is more than just a WR1.
That has to be part of the consideration when it comes to discussing his contract, which expires after this season.
But another aspect has to be those recently-acquired receivers that surround him, just as it did last year when the Broncos parted ways with Tim Patrick after two years lost due to injury.
And that’s where the focus lies as camp approaches.
CANDIDATES TO BE THE BRONCOS’ NO. 2 AND NO. 3 OPTIONS
DEVAUGHN VELE: The story began with the Patrick comparisons, and Vele promptly lived up to them.
The chances of Patrick returning to form after the twin blows of a ruptured Achilles and a torn ACL factored heavily into the Broncos’ decision to release him last year. But so did Vele’s form — which had already manifested in some spectacular moments even before his regular-season debut,
Vele responded with a yardage and reception tally that ranked second among 140 Round 7 rookie wide receivers since 2000, exceeded in both categories only by a Sean Payton pick 19 years ago: New Orleans wide receiver Marques Colston.
His work during OTAs showed no drop-off. The only question now is whether he holds on to a prominent role with other receivers pushing him. But one should expect improvement from Vele, as well.
MARVIN MIMS JR.: He is in a category unto himself, as in production he may well land as WR2, but in use and job description he fits as something different than Vele and the other pass catchers, roaming from the backfield to the slot and the outside to create mismatches.
It was when Payton began working him out of the backfield last November at Kansas City to intentionally create opportunities via handoffs for him that Mims’ potential gradually began to unlock. Over the final seven games of the regular season, Mims reached a 1,000-yard season-long receiving pace.
He continued building on that during offseason work.
“I’ve said this to you before: Confidence is born out of demonstrated ability,” Payton said during minicamp. “You’ve seen people, athletes grow up right in front of your eyes. That began not just at the end of the season. That began early part of the middle [of the] season. You could see it and certainly feel it now.”
TROY FRANKLIN: The touchdown catch at Buffalo in the wild-card loss provided a launching point for his offseason work, which saw him consistently accumulate yardage after the catch.
At minimum, the Broncos’ 2024 fourth-round pick appears to be emerging as a vertical target who also provides a tunnel-screen threat who can use his long stride to gobble up yards in a hurry. He appears to be making up ground after spending his rookie season behind Vele on the team’s receiving chart.
PAT BRYANT: When Vele was unable to practice during minicamp last month, Bryant stepped onto the No. 1 offense and delivered, demonstrating the ability to make catches in traffic that overcame the timed 4.61 speed he displayed at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this year.
“Little things we’re coaching up, but you like what you see. I like what I see,” Payton said during minicamp of the third-round pick.
The Michael Thomas comparison made by Payton during the NFL Draft lingers. And if Bryant makes an immediate impact, it could change the dynamic for contract discussions with Sutton. Thus, the Illinois product’s camp progress bears monitoring; if he proves ready for immediate and extensive work, the landscape of the Broncos’ entire WR room changes.
THE BRONCOS’ DEPTH BEYOND
TRENT SHERFIELD: A free-agent signee brought aboard in large part for his special-teams prowess, Sherfield is a solid depth piece. He projects to potentially have a similar role on the Broncos’ special- teams units as cornerback Tremon Smith did the previous two seasons, which could lead to going one player heavy at wide receiver.
Broncos WR Trent Sherfield
WR Trent Sherfield on June 5, 2025. (Andrew Mason / Denver Sports)
A.T. PERRY: With an injury making him the only player who might not be ready for training camp, he could be the victim of an unfortunate circumstance keeping him from making a play for the roster.
A promising rookie season in New Orleans when he worked with current Broncos senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael got him to Denver last year after the Saints tried to pass him through to their practice squad, and in January he spoke well of what he gained from his three months with the Broncos and how it reinvigorated him.
The talent is there; it’s flashed since he dazzled at the Shrine Bowl in 2023. Will he have the chance to show it? If he does, he fits Payton’s template.
MICHAEL BANDY: A Broncos practice-squad member the last two seasons, it would be no surprise if he landed there again this coming regular season, as he can provide a good scout-team look as a slot receiver.
JOAQUIN DAVIS: Keep an eye on this North Carolina Central product, who is raw but possesses impressive physical tools. Davis had an outstanding day at the HBCU Combine in February, vaulting him onto radars.
Davis has size — 6-foot-4 — and speed (timed at 4.36 seconds for the 40-yard dash) — and explosiveness (42-inch vertical leap). Now, it’s a matter of pulling it all together, which might take some time. A year on the practice squad would do him good.
COURTNEY JACKSON: The Arkansas State standout — who transferred from Syracuse — showed some dynamic moves on punt returns and has plenty of quickness and speed. Three of his 31 returns went for touchdowns; his vision is preternatural and his moves are smooth.
JERJUAN NEWTON: A productive pass-catcher at Toledo, the 5-foot-11, 192-pounder doesn’t fit Payton’s ideal size template, but he has kickoff-return experience and could factor as a versatile special-teamer. He posted a 1,000-yard season last year.
KYRESE WHITE: Added to the Broncos’ roster after a strong weekend as a tryout invitee to rookie minicamp, White had a breakout season last year for the Aggies, although he was lost in the shadow cast by fourth-round choice Jalen Royals. He built on his rookie-minicamp working with some solid plays during offseason work and plays bigger than his 5-foot-10, 185-pound frame.
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