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Courtland Sutton is coming for your All-Pro votes

By Brandon Miller

DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 22: Wide receiver Courtland Sutton #14 of the Denver Broncos tries to split the defense of linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin #44 and cornerback Justin Coleman #27 of the Detroit Lions after catching a pass during the third quarter at Empower Field at Mile High on December 22, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Lions 27-17. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 22: Wide receiver Courtland Sutton #14 of the Denver Broncos tries to split the defense of linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin #44 and cornerback Justin Coleman #27 of the Detroit Lions after catching a pass during the third quarter at Empower Field at Mile High on December 22, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Lions 27-17. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /
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Denver Broncos, Courtland Sutton
Denver Broncos, Courtland Sutton (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Sutton Was A Defensive Coordinator’s Worst Nightmare

Courtland was thrust into the spotlight after Denver traded receiver Emmanual Sanders to the undefeated 49ers last October, and he was the main receiving weapon for the rest of the season.

Other than flashes of dominance from rookie tight end Noah Fant, NFL defensive coordinators had one job in 2019: stop Courtland Sutton. Despite all of the attention, that was a much harder task to accomplish than expected. Sutton had to face some of the best corners in the league last year, including Casey Hayward, Jaire Alexander, and Darius Slay. It didn’t matter. Even if you smothered him in coverage, number 14 was coming down with the ball.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1238683774919094272

When he first came into the league out of SMU, one of Sutton’s weaknesses was his route running, which he admitted himself, and he continued to work on that throughout his rookie year while he was still able to learn from Emmanual Sanders and Demaryius Thomas. We saw this as well in 2019, as he was gradually creating more separation. The further he grows and improves his routes, the worse off opposing defenses will be.

Now, he gets to refine that aspect of his game even further with a little help from Jerry Jeudy, a player that safety Kareem Jackson said can “get in and out of his breaks better than anyone I’ve ever seen before.” That’s some high praise from the 10-year NFL veteran, and quite the partner for an emerging superstar to learn from. That’s not the only way that Jeudy can elevate Sutton, however.

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