Denver Broncos: Can Sutton and Hamilton repeat Thomas and Decker?

Can Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton repeat the type of jump we saw once upon a time from Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker?

The Denver Broncos have a pair of young receivers in Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton primed for breakout seasons, but what kind of jump should we expect from them in year two?

As we wrote previously, the target share in Denver is going to be pretty widespread. Sutton and Hamilton will undoubtedly be bigger pieces of the weekly gameplan this year than they were a season ago, so what is that going to look like?

Could it be a similar jump in year two for these guys as it was in year three for the 2010 draft duo of Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker?

In 2012, the Broncos signed Peyton Manning in free agency and Manning took Thomas and Decker to the next level.

In their first year together, Manning targeted Thomas and Decker a total of 265 times (143 for Thomas, 122 for Decker) and each receiver finished with over 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns (Thomas, 10; Decker, 13).

Thomas and Decker were both essentially redshirted in their rookie seasons. They were targeted a total of 52 times combined and were playing in one of the most dysfunctional offenses (teams) the Broncos have probably ever had.

The following season, the Broncos led the NFL in rushing by design as Tim Tebow took over the starting quarterback role five weeks into the season and the Broncos threw the ball just 271 times with him in the lineup.

Thomas and Decker emerged as the top two guys in the passing attack even with a lower usage rate, but getting a veteran quarterback like Joe Flacco could help Sutton and Hamilton get to the next level rather quickly.

Manning was on a completely different level than Flacco, but in the 2012 season he threw 583 passes and the Broncos’ offense was just better suited for the receivers at that point in general. The same is true in 2019 with Flacco leading Rich Scangarello’s offense.

Even without an MVP-caliber performance from Flacco, Sutton and Hamilton could see a similar rise in per-snap effectiveness as we saw from Thomas and Decker from 2011 to 2012. I would be shocked if at least one of them didn’t eclipse 1,000 yards this season and the Broncos could have two 1,000-yard receivers for the first time since 2016 (with Trevor Siemian at QB).

The Broncos really need those two guys to establish themselves as the top two options in the passing game going forward with Emmanuel Sanders’ uncertainty beyond this season (free agent after 2019).

It takes time to adjust to the receiver position in the NFL, but many former players say that year two is when things really start to slow down for them. If Thomas and Decker had Manning or someone like him in 2011, they probably would have another 1,000-yard season on their career resumé.

I think it’s reasonable to assume we’ll see a huge leap for these two young players with the combination of Flacco’s arrival and a higher usage rate overall.