Denver Broncos Positional Analysis: Wide Receiver
Today we move over to the offense for the Denver Broncos and we start with the wide receivers. The feeling of some outside of Denver is that Peyton Manning will be fine but he has no weapons to throw to, but that’s just because they do not know Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas. Just because players are under the radar does not mean they aren’t good receivers.
Both Decker and Thomas are coming off of decent seasons in 2011 and that was with a quarterback who, to be kind, struggled throwing the football. Now they are playing with a quarterback who will get them the ball on time and in the right spot. Decker is a great route runner with deceptive speed who has all ready developed a rapport with Manning. The two of them were working out at a local high school days after Manning signed. Their work was evident in the first drive of the game with the Chicago Bears. Decker could catch 80-90 balls in 2012.
If Decker is set up to be Manning’s favorite target, then Thomas is set up to be the big play receiver. Thomas has a ton of talent and it was really starting to show at the end of last season. He had his best game as a pro in the playoff win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, including the 80 yard game winner in overtime. He played in an option offense in college and with Tim Tebow last season, but now gets to play with a true passing quarterback. Thomas needs to continue to improve his route running but he is going to be almost impossible to cover, and Manning will take advantage. If Thomas is being covered by a shorter cornerback, for example, Manning is going to see that and exploit it all day. Thomas is set up for a breakout season.
Andre Caldwell and Brandon Stokley provide the depth at wide receiver and it is solid veteran depth. The one guy that no one is talking about is Caldwell; he too has talent that has been under utilized for years and Manning will take advantage. Caldwell will be covered by third and fourth cornerbacks, and that’s always going to be a mismatch in favor of Caldwell. Stokley played with Manning with the Indianapolis Colts and while he is not the same player he was with the Colts, Stokley will still come up with some big catches at crucial times.
That leaves one, maybe two spots up for grabs and there are many receivers competing for those spots. The front runner has to be Matthew Willis. Willis has been with the Broncos for the past couple of seasons and also can help them in the return game, which is a concern for the Broncos right now. The other guy that I like to this point in camp is, Jason Hill. Hill caught a touchdown pass over the middle against the Bears and has had a very good camp. Some other names to keep an eye on as we move towards the regular season include: Mark Dell, Gerrell Robinson and Greg Orton.
The receiving core may not be well known outside of Denver but there is plenty of talent. The difference now is that the Denver Broncos now have a quarterback who knows what to do with that talent.
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