The Denver Broncos had high hopes heading into the 2020 season for their young core of players, especially on offense, and understandably so.
Although Drew Lock only had five games under his belt going into the season, he was going to be throwing to the likes of Courtland Sutton, Noah Fant, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, and KJ Hamler.
The Broncos’ offensive weapons were enviable for many teams on paper but unfortunately, things didn’t work out the way anyone had hoped.
Before the first game of the season star receiver Courtland Sutton hurt his shoulder and was forced to sit out the close loss against the Tennessee Titans. He returned the next week only to tear his ACL chasing down an intercepted pass that he actually tipped right into the defender’s waiting arms.
The injury to Sutton was a devastating blow to the Broncos’ entire 2020 outlook, even considering their newfound depth at the position with the young draft picks coming aboard.
Sutton’s return in 2021 is highly anticipated and desperately needed. Sutton will be entering a contract year in 2021 and his road to recovery has been looking good in the glimpses fans have been given.
1% better every day. 🔋 pic.twitter.com/0laqrW9LeV
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) February 24, 2021
Injured players are some of the only player personnel at the facility at this time of the offseason, and the fact that Sutton is around the building is certainly great for the Broncos, who get to monitor his recovery every step of the way.
In the 2019 season, Sutton made the Pro Bowl after catching 72 passes for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns from the team’s carousel of quarterbacks.
It’s easy to forget given how much time has passed that Sutton was consistently making big plays at training camp last Summer as well.
"That's a tub‼️"@DrewLock23 x @SuttonCourtland pic.twitter.com/iKOGMlRP7C
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 19, 2020
Again — can Sutton’s return to the lineup be overstated?
He is the Broncos’ best offensive player and not having him for a full season was a major dagger in the team’s progress overall.
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Hopefully, he will come back from this injury more explosive than ever.