With the Denver Broncos’ 2020 season officially over, we can hand out some awards.
This team won’t be going to the playoffs and after a 5-11 season, there isn’t much to talk about in a positive light. The Broncos face another important offseason with major questions at quarterback and a search underway for a new general manager.
But there were still some positives to take away from the season and that is what will be focused on here. While the Broncos probably don’t stand much chance to bring home any individual awards this offseason, we can still look at the best from this season.
Which player made the biggest turnaround? What was the top play from the team’s 16-game slate? Let’s take a look back at the season that was.
Comeback Player of the Year: Garett Bolles
Is there any question with this award? Garett Bolles was nothing short of tremendous in 2020.
After the team chose not to pick up his fifth-year option (a move nearly all of Broncos Country agreed with), Bolles dug in and found a way to improve immensely as the team’s starting left tackle. He went from a penalty machine to arguably the best player on the team this past season.
Bolles went from a player who had double-digit numbers in penalties in each of his first four seasons in the league to a guy who hardly saw a yellow flag this past season. He was so good that he probably should have been selected to the Pro Bowl.
The Broncos were so happy with his level of play on the field that they rewarded him handsomely with a new contract before the season closed.
Rookie of the Year: Jerry Jeudy
Though the Broncos got some usage out of their entire 2020 draft class aside from Justin Strnad who suffered an injury before the season even began, Jerry Jeudy is basically going to win this award by default.
Jeudy didn’t have a bad rookie season, aside from a horrible game in Week 16 against the Los Angeles Chargers where he was literally the reason the team lost, but teams would probably like to see a little more output from their first-round picks.
Jeudy finished the year with 52 receptions for 856 yards and three touchdowns, but he was also targeted 113 times in the passing game. That means he caught less than half of the balls that were thrown his way.
That said, no other rookie on the team made a major impact. Second-round pick K.J. Hamler caught just 30 passes all season as he battled injuries and third-round pick Michael Ojermudia had his struggles in the defensive backfield.
Albert Okweugbunam showed flashes before an injury ended his season and Lloyd Cushenberry also showed promise.
Jeudy was the second receiver off the board in April’s draft but finished seventh among NFL rookie wide receivers in receptions. Still, Broncos fans likely saw enough from him to be excited for years to come with him at one of the wide receiver spots.
Offensive Player of the Year: Melvin Gordon
Melvin Gordon had a slow start to his first year in Denver but a nice, strong finish. Gordon was easily the team’s leading rusher and he finished just 14 yards short of 1,000 on the season. He also found the end zone nine times.
Though many fans expected him to be more of a weapon in the passing game than he ended up being, he still caught 32 passes and had another touchdown through the air.
It’s still up for debate as to whether or not Gordon is a better running back than Phillip Lindsay, but injuries limited Lindsay all season and basically allowed Gordon to take the No.1 spot from him.
Gordon has another year remaining on his deal and will be back in 2021 with some good momentum behind him. He finished in the top 10 in both rushing yards and rushing attempts this season and was 11th in touchdowns.
While no one would say that Gordon had a “great” season, he found ways to be productive in an offense that never really developed an identity.
The team should be happy with what it got from Gordon this season and excited to see what he’ll bring next year.
Defensive Player of the Year: Justin Simmons
There are several contenders for this award.
Bradley Chubb had a great bounce-back year, earning a selection to the Pro Bowl in the process. Shelby Harris was terrific as well and then there’s Malik Reed, who actually led the team in sacks.
But the best player on this defense is Justin Simmons and he turned in another great year, proving that he is one of the best safeties in the NFL.
Simmons led the team with five interceptions and was third in total tackles with 96. He added nine passes defended and a fumble recovery but it’s the energy and athleticism that he brings to the field that makes him so important.
The Broncos are going to have to pay a pretty penny to keep Simmons in the fold in 2021 and beyond, but there is no doubt he deserves that big contract. Since being selected in the third round of the 2016 draft, Simmons has yet to have a bad season and rarely has a bad game.
Simmons still has a way to go to be mentioned in the same breath as Broncos legends Steve Atwater and Dennis Smith, but the talent to get to their level is there.
Play of the Year: Jerry Jeudy
The best play of the year for the Broncos came on one of the last plays the offense ran in 2020.
In Week 17 against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Broncos had the ball deep in their own territory and the score was tied at 24 with just over six minutes left in the game.
Drew Lock took the snap from his own 8-yard line and hit Jeudy coming over the middle down the field. Jeudy made the snag and then proceeded to outrace several Raiders for a 92-yard touchdown.
Following a game in which he was charged with five dropped passes, it was a great way for Jeudy to make amends, even if the Broncos would give up the winning touchdown to the Raiders just minutes later.
The big play came on 3rd-and-10 to add to the drama, it’s just too bad it didn’t lead to a victory. Still, Jeudy was able to put on full display the skills that made him such a high draft pick. In an interesting twist, it also tied the longest reception ever in an NFL game for a wide receiver drafted out of Alabama.
The Broncos will sure be hoping that this play leads to many more big ones between Lock and Jeudy over the years to come.
Team MVP: Garett Bolles/Justin Simmons
There was no clear-cut most valuable player on this team, so we’re going to go with a shared award.
Generally, a team’s quarterback is going to be the MVP but with Lock throwing nearly as many interceptions (15) as he did touchdown passes (16), we can’t really consider him.
Most fans would have laughed if you told them that Bolles was going to be the most important player this season, but he sure made a case for it. In addition to eliminating his penalties and improving his entire skillset, Bolles also became a leader for the team on the field.
Simmons stepped up for a defense that lost its best player in Von Miller before the year even began. It seemed that if there is ever a big play made on defense, Simmons is either making it or he is right there around the play.
Though the Broncos only won five games this season, they may have only won two or three without these two players on the roster. Statistically, no one of the team had a big season but in terms of importance to the organization, it’s difficult to say that these two players weren’t the most important this season.