Denver Broncos vs Washington Redskins: Four storylines to follow
By Andrew Wade
Who gains ground in the wide receiver battle?
While the fourth storyline could have easily been about Chad Kelly, I want to focus on one of the toughest battles to predict so far. The wide receivers have been one of the highlights of camp, but that also means the decision of who stays is a lot more difficult for the Denver Broncos.
The first four slots are absolutely locked in stone. DT, Sanders, Sutton, and Hamilton are not leaving this team anytime soon. Behind them, however, there is a battle going on, and it just heated up more with the potential return of last year’s third rounder Carlos Henderson.
According to reports, the Broncos are planning to keep six wide receivers. River Cracraft, Tim Patrick, and Isaiah McKenzie appear to be the three guys contending for those final two spots. All three have brought something special in camp that cannot be overlooked.
At this point though, what will the Broncos value the most, and how does Henderson fit into this situation?
Who’s winning the battle currently?
River Cracraft has been a practice warrior, always arriving early and staying late. Patrick has been a poor man’s Sutton with his leaping ability and height.
Much maligned second-year player Isaiah McKenzie has been electric on special teams. He’s returned one punt for a touchdown and had several other good returns. Unfortunately, he coughed up the ball that ultimately lost Denver the game Saturday night, and gave me flashbacks to last year.
Denver doesn’t run many five wide receiver sets, but who comes in to spell the first four guys will say a lot in who is winning the position battle for those last two spots.
McKenzie is an enigma because he most certainly won’t be coming into until after Cracraft or Patrick. What matters most for McKenzie is how he performs on special teams versus. He needs to convince coaches that they cannot lose his skill set on special teams. If he does, he could occupy that sixth spot despite losing the receiver battle.
The true wildcard in the situation is Carlos Henderson who undoubtedly will not suit up Friday night. His value as a third-round draft pick and his tantalizing talent may be enough to convince the Denver Broncos to use a roster spot on him despite his off the field issues.
Who continues their impressive camp remains to be seen. Either way, it’s a good problem to have. Not having enough roster spots for the amount of talent a team has is a much better issue than having too many roster spots. I’m looking forward to watching these four storylines unfold as the Broncos take on the Redskins on a special preseason edition of Friday Night Football.