Aug 17, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Cody Latimer (14) catches a pass before the start of the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi
There will be plenty of roster turnover for the Denver Broncos in the 2015 season after all the departures this offseason. Orlando Franklin, Wes Welker, Terrance Knighton, Rahim Moore, Nate Irving, and a whole host of others are no longer with the team after helping the Broncos to the second best record in the AFC last year, and some of them to the Super Bowl the year prior.
We’re ushering in a new era of young talent in Broncos Country and while the roster has changed quite a bit, it still remains arguably one of the most complete in the NFL though some still want to underrate or underestimate Peyton Manning.
Which players could break out for the Broncos this season? There are some obvious candidates, and then some not so obvious ones. Perhaps there are some on this forthcoming list that you didn’t think could still ‘break out’ so to speak. Let’s take a look at my top candidates for the Broncos to have a ‘breakout’ season in 2015.
1. Cody Latimer, WR
This one is fairly obvious. Everyone and their dog is predicting Cody Latimer as a breakout player for the Broncos, certainly the players and coaches I’ve talked to. Any list that has Broncos breakout players on it involves Cody Latimer, and if it doesn’t, that person isn’t paying attention.
I thought about leaving Latimer off of this list because I think we should look at some other guys we think are going to break out, but I decided against that. It’s just too obvious, too true. The second year leap for Latimer could be astronomical, but we need to make sure not to have unfair expectations for him right away.
So what kind of expectations should we have? Well, I think Latimer can play from pretty much anywhere be it outside or in the slot, and the Broncos could look to use him on quick passes to allow him to use his run after catch ability, as well as being another downfield threat to go along with Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas.
We all saw the kind of player Latimer was at Indiana, and expected that to translate right away. A year of learning hopefully did the trick for this incredibly talented young receiver.
Next: Malik Jackson