New Denver Broncos OC Pat Shurmur was introduced on Friday and talked about his plans for the offense in 2020.
Pat Shurmur went from the head coach of the New York Giants in 2019 to the offensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos in 2020.
For the second consecutive year, he gets a young quarterback. Last year it was Daniel Jones. This year, Drew Lock.
Shurmur had plenty to say in his introductory press conference as he talked about the aggressiveness he hopes to bring to Denver.
"“You just have to throw it down there. I think that’s how you do it. I think we have some players that can be effective and make plays and be productive with a deep ball. I think it’s important that you do attack the defense down the field. There are some games where they just—teams won’t allow it, so you have to do other things. I think you have to challenge the defense. One way to do it is to do it downfield. That’s how you get points. That’s how you move the ball. I know Coach [Fangio] and I both believe that’s something with the players that we have that we’ll be able to do.”— Broncos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur (via Broncos PR)"
This could be especially good news for second-year tight end Noah Fant, who quickly became a star for the Broncos’ offense in 2019 as a rookie. With Shurmur’s play calling to go with Fant’s speed at the tight end position, the middle of the field could be a tremendous targeting point for Drew Lock.
Fant caught 40 passes for 562 yards and three touchdowns in 2019.
This also might mean another fantastic year for Courtland Sutton, who will enter his second season as a top target (he became the No. 1 receiver when Emmanuel Sanders was traded to the San Francisco 49ers).
You also do not want to sleep on the usage of the Broncos’ running backs under Shurmur. Shurmur had Saquon Barkley at running back with the Giants the last two seasons. Barkley caught 143 passes for 1,159 yards and six touchdowns in 29 games.
Phillip Lindsay has caught 70 passes for 437 yards and a touchdown in two seasons, while Royce Freeman has caught 57 passes for 328 yards and a score.
This could help Drew Lock out so much.
What else does Shurmur’s arrival mean for the Broncos? It certainly makes me think that the team will target a wide receiver early in the 2020 draft. This year’s wide receiver class is phenomenal and the Broncos are absolutely in position to go after one or even two.
While the New York Giants’ season didn’t go as planned, Daniel Jones still showed that he can be a quality starter for the Giants, as he threw 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Who knows? Maybe Shurmur can help Drew Lock become the star in the making for the Denver Broncos that Von Miller envisioned.