Bold 2020 Broncos prediction: Both Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy will go to the Pro Bowl.
As the 2020 NFL season (hopefully) approaches, excitement buzzes in Broncos Country. This offseason provided a new arsenal of weapons for second-year quarterback Drew Lock, and there is hope that the Broncos’ long search for their QB following the retirement of Peyton Manning, is over at last.
While Lock will have young talent returning in fellow second-year tight end Noah Fant, and the Pro Bowler Courtland Sutton, he is also adding rookie Jerry Jeudy from Alabama, touted as the #1 prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft.
While players are not yet doing much in their respective facilities due to the present COVID-19 threat, that does not mean that they are not doing what they can to prepare for the upcoming season. Between surfaced videos of Jeudy’s impressive footwork and his working out with Dwayne Haskins, Jerry Jeudy looks like he is ready for the season.
With Lock’s positive end to a rough season overall season for the Broncos, a talented group of wideouts, and a new and experienced offensive coordinator in Pat Shurmur, there is a lot of hope in the Mile High City.
With high hope comes high expectations. It is already anticipated in Broncos Country that the Broncos will be a playoff contender this season, and should be in a good position to nab one of the remaining Wild Card spots with Kansas City the presumptive AFC West favorites.
If the Denver Broncos’ playoff run comes to fruition, it will be because the Broncos’ offense improved enough to win games on their own. And if that is the case, it would not be crazy to assume that the AFC could have two Broncos at wide receiver in the next Pro Bowl.
The Broncos have not sent two receivers to the Pro Bowl since 2016, in which Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas were the last duo in orange and blue to represent the AFC together.
Although one of the most dynamic duos in franchise history, Thomas and Eric Decker also achieved the feat in 2013, although D.T. was on the active roster and Decker was an alternate.
While it is much too early to compare the new duo of Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy to the likes of Thomas-Sanders and Decker-Thomas, an immediate Pro Bowl bid would set them up on a promising track.
If Jerry Jeudy can play even 75 percent as well as he did at Alabama, he will immediately become a force for this Broncos’ offense. Although an early Heisman candidate his final season with Alabama, and a favorite to repeat his win of the elite Fred Biletnikoff Award, the injury to Tua Tagovailoa put a big damper on his last collegiate season.
However, he still came close to eclipsing 1,000 yards in the regular season and finished with 204 receiving yards in the 2020 Citrus Bowl.
Meanwhile, Courtland Sutton had a major breakthrough season in a position where it was surely difficult to do so. Sutton managed to finish the season with 1,112 yards and 6 TD’s after playing with the majorly regressed Joe Flacco the majority of the season, followed by two QB changes.
It’s hard to even guess what Sutton’s ceiling may be with consistent QB play. Although just an alternate to Deandre Hopkins, Courtland Sutton received his first Pro Bowl nod to cap off this memorable season for the young receiver.
It’s hard to imagine he wouldn’t have the same opportunity in 2020.
Although we aren’t psychic and don’t know what the 2020 NFL season will bring (if there is one), Broncos Country should be feeling some excitement. Drew Lock has major weapons for his first full season as a starter in Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy.
Both of these guys making the Pro Bowl, even if one is an alternate, is very realistic. And if they perform well enough to both be recognized as Pro Bowl talent by the fans, there’s a good chance that they also performed well enough for the Broncos to make a potential playoff push.