New Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio said at the 2019 Scouting Combine that he’s expecting big things out of WR Courtland Sutton.
Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio addressed the media at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine and was asked a question about one of his star sophomore players at the wide receiver position, Courtland Sutton.
Needless to say, his expectations for Sutton are high.
"“I like his size, speed, athleticism, radius to catch the ball. I think everything’s moving up for him and we’re expecting big things from him.”Vic Fangio (quotes via Broncos PR)"
Sutton’s rookie season was a combination of hard growth and big splash plays. The ‘big things’ the Broncos and Fangio are expecting from Sutton likely include consistency.
The Broncos’ offense was horrendous, especially in the passing game, when Emmanuel Sanders wasn’t on the field to take attention off of the younger receivers.
The Broncos need Sutton’s game to evolve.
We all know he has the huge catch radius and strong hands to make a 50-50 ball at least a 60-40 advantage in his favor, but what about the short passing game? What about the intermediate level of the field? How does Sutton get off press coverage consistently?
He’s got to work the nuance of the position and become a player who can win before the snap as well as a variety of ways after the snap.
Though Sutton has his share of highlight-reel plays already with the Broncos, there’s no doubt he struggled with some drops in 2018.
Grace should be given, though, as Sutton was a rookie in 2018 and wasn’t expected to be perfect. Considering the Broncos’ offense wasn’t exactly a fit for everyone involved — particularly the quarterback — it’s important to look at Sutton’s rookie season without being overly critical.
The Broncos were confident enough in Sutton to trade Demaryius Thomas away. They are going to plan on him continuing to develop into a WR1 for them going forward, but every step is important.
Denver’s new head coach is expecting that to be a big step in year two, and rightly so.