Denver Broncos: Preseason award predictions
With just one week to go until the Denver Broncos face off against the New York Giants, who could be front runners for some individual awards
1. Offensive Player of the Year
Heading into the 2021 NFL season, the Denver Broncos are a team that sit on many people’s radars. There is a reasonable explanation for this, the team hoists a substantial amount of talent.
Amongst those talented players are running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive linemen, etc. That said, there is only one football. If you would have asked me who I expected to be the offensive player of the year before Teddy Bridgewater was named the team’s starter, my opinion might be slightly different.
In a Teddy Bridgewater-led offense, I expect a more methodical approach rather than a spread the ball around in three-wide receiver sets. This doesn’t really benefit the wide receiver too much, but who it does benefit is the running back room.
Back in 2020, the Denver Broncos signed a running back to a two-year, $16 million deal. There were a lot of fans that were uncomfortable with the premise of paying a running back $8 million dollars per year in today’s league, but I would say he has been well worth it.
Last season was full of chaos, dysfunction, injuries and wide receivers playing quarterback, there was one player who stood out as someone who still made plays, in spite of these repressors. That was Melvin Gordon.
While it is just a gut feeling, I don’t expect this season to be as horrendous from an offensive standpoint, as it has been in the previous five years. There are multiple reasons to be a bit more excited for this team as it is very talented. On offense, there are multiple playmakers at multiple positions, running back is no exception.
After the 53-man roster was built, the Denver Broncos decided to only keep five wide receivers on the gameday roster. This came as quite a surprise to most as they had 15 receivers at one point in early June. General manager George Paton decided to keep the primary options in Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, K.J. Hamler, and Diontae Spencer.
Four tight ends were also kept on the 53-man roster. This leads me to believe that with Teddy Bridgewater at the helm, the Denver Broncos plan to roll out 12 personnel often. This benefits the run game as the Denver Broncos will have two tight ends on the field with one running back in their primary set if this is true.
Melvin Gordon’s contract runs out this season, so he is not only trying to have a career year for his personal pride but his future also. It isn’t easy in today’s league for running backs, that is why you see guys like Todd Gurley already out of the NFL by the age of 28.
Melvin Gordon has something to prove, he felt a bit uncomfortable last year it seemed splitting carries with beloved Bronco, Phillip Lindsay. It seems like Gordon has settled in with Broncos Country and is primed for a “comeback” season.
Last season, Gordon rushed for 986 yards and nine touchdowns, along with 158 yards receiving and one touchdown through the air. It wasn’t a bad season last year for Gordon, but this season I expect Gordon to rush for about 1,200 yards with 10 touchdowns.
His receptions are also bound to spike, I could see him adding another 50 receptions for 400 yards, bringing his all-purpose yardage total to 1,600 yards along with about 13 total touchdowns. Gordon will also bring some veteran leadership to pair with the talented rookie, Javonte Williams.
All of this ties into Melvin Gordon becoming the Denver Broncos’ Offensive Player of the Year in 2021. I’m ecstatic to see Gordon this season, maybe more than most, but I think the addition of Gordon is going to pay dividends for this franchise this season.