Sometimes, the best deals are the ones you don't make. The Denver Broncos reportedly offered wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey a one-year deal to return to the team this season, but he didn't take it. Instead, he's moving out east to join the quarterback-less New York Giants, one of the worst teams in the NFL.
Humphrey's departure from Denver is a good thing for everyone involved. Humphrey was getting way more snaps in Denver than he should have been and was getting absolutely slammed by the fan base for a lack of results with those snaps. He shared the highest drop percentage on the team with the guy who had the most targets on the team (Courtland Sutton) and did so on way less targets. Not only did he tie for the highest drop percentage on the team, but there were two interceptions thrown when Humphrey was targeted last year, one of which was directly his fault.
Not to take away from Humphrey's positive contributions to the team, he did make some big plays after the catch over his two seasons in Denver and provided a couple of nice moments. He was also solid as a blocker, which is likely why Sean Payton kept him around for two years after having him briefly in New Orleans.
With that said, it was time to move on.
Lil'Jordan Humphrey turns down Broncos deal to join Giants in free agency
The Broncos being spurned by Lil'Jordan Humphrey is a great way of protecting Sean Payton from himself. While Payton knows more football than I'll ever be able to know, it was clear that Humphrey being one of "his guys" clouded his judgment on whether that was a position area of need or not.
Despite the fact that there are things Humphrey can do well, what he isn't capable of turned out to be far more important. Despite being dead last among Broncos receivers in average depth of target (ADOT) at 6.5 yards, Humphrey tied for the highest drop rate on the team (3 drops on 45 targets, 6.7 percent). That means that, despite the fact that the majority of his touches were manufactured, he still struggled to hold onto the ball.
He also had two fumbles last season and there were two interceptions thrown when he was targeted, one of which was directly his fault. As much as a guy like Humphrey deserves his flowers for defeating the odds as an undrafted player and working hard to get onto the field for actual NFL snaps, there comes a point where you have to stop grading on a curve.
The Broncos have to upgrade the wide receiver position and continually spinning their wheels with Humphrey was never going to be a good idea for the present or future of the team.
Where do the Broncos go from here? They need to add a veteran receiver to the roster to raise the floor of the room, and the player can't be of the Josh Reynolds/Lil'Jordan Humphrey variety. It has to be someone who can actually make plays. Some veteran receivers still available include Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, and Brandin Cooks.
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