The Denver Broncos have slowly begun to assemble their coaching staff under new head coach Sean Payton, all the whle many other coaches from the previous regime have been walking out the door. The latest to leave the Broncos is longtime wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni, who has left for the New York Jets, according to 9News insider Mike Klis.
Azzanni is reunited in New York with former Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett, who has taken over for Robert Saleh as his team's new offensive coordinator. The Jets spent the weekend hosting free agent quarterback Derek Carr for a visit, and it seems like things are shaping up for that team to have a pretty massive offensive resurgence in 2023.
While he was in Denver -- from 2018-2022 -- Zach Azzanni was tasked with overseeing a group that included team legends Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders while also breaking in young talent like Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, and KJ Hamler. It was no small task for Azzanni, who didn't get to coach the likes of Thomas and Sanders very long. The Broncos traded the late, great Thomas in 2018 and Sanders in 2019.
From that moment on, it was a blank slate for Azzanni with that receiver group. Under his watch, Courtland Sutton made the Pro Bowl in 2019, Tim Patrick developed from a practice squad player to a big-money contract player, Jerry Jeudy has become the team's best offensive weapon, and unheralded players like Kendall Hinton have emerged. Just to name a few.
With Azzanni off to greener pastures, the Broncos have some big shoes to fill at that WR coach spot, but they could also see a number of players follow Azzanni to the Jets. Currently, the Broncos don't have any picks in the first two rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft, but could that change with perhaps a deal or two in New York?
1. Courtland Sutton
This one has been percolating for a bit. I think there's a decent chance we could see the Denver Broncos trade Courtland Sutton this offseason, and now it would make a ton of sense to see him reunite with Azzanni in New York.
When the Broncos drafted Sutton in 2018, it was Azzanni's first year with the team. I'm not saying Azzanni made that pick, but those two were together in Denver from basically day one. As previously stated, Azzanni saw Sutton go from a second-round pick in 2018 to a Pro Bowl receiver in 2019.
Unfortunately, Sutton tore his ACL in 2020, came back in 2021, and simply didn't look like himself in 2022. Perhaps some of that was quarterback play, but we saw an increase in dropped passes from Sutton early in the season and very uncharacteristic ineffectiveness on "50-50" balls thrown his direction.
Over the last two seasons, Sutton has just four touchdowns on over 200 targets. That's really just not acceptable at all. But given the fact that Sutton has familiarity with both Azzanni and Hackett, it makes sense that he would join the crew in New York via trade with receiver Corey Davis a potential cap casualty this offseason.
What could the Broncos get from the Jets for Sutton? Given his production these last couple of years, it feels like the 44th overall pick would really be pushing it. I'm sure the Jets would even hesitate some to part with the 75th overall pick, but the Broncos probably aren't just going to give Sutton away, either. Nor should they. They might be better off betting on him playing really well for Sean Payton as opposed to getting another 3rd-round draft pick.
A second-round pick seems fair, or equal value to a second-round pick. So maybe the Broncos send the Jets one of their third-round picks along with Sutton in exchange for a 2nd-round pick and perhaps offensive tackle Mekhi Becton, who doesn't seem to be in the Jets' plans anymore.
2. Kendall Hinton
It's possible that Kendall Hinton will go down as one of Zach Azzanni's best pieces of work as an NFL position coach. When you look at Hinton's trajectory coming out of the college ranks to the NFL, it's nothing short of remarkable the progress he has made.
Is he perfect? No, he's not. Hinton is not exactly a refined receiver at this point but he was a college quarterback turned receiver who had a breakout senior season before joining the Denver Broncos practice squad. We saw him really showing out in the preseason, making plays, and then he ended up contributing pretty heavily to the Broncos' rotation at receiver throughout the 2022 campaign despite not making the initial 53-man roster.
It wouldn't be shocking, in the least, to see Hinton follow Azzanni and Hackett to New York. He has been a valuable depth piece at receiver and who doesn't need more of those? Hinton is under contract with the Broncos for the 2023 season before he becomes a restricted free agent in 2024. So right now, he has two years of team control, effectively.
It's not a bad proposition for the Jets right now to look to Hinton for depth if the Broncos are willing to let him go. Even with the likes of Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore, and Braxton Berrios on the roster, the Jets could certainly go after someone like Kendall Hinton if the price is right.
3. KJ Hamler
The Denver Broncos have now had KJ Hamler for three seasons, and heading into his contract year, he's still got a lot to prove at the NFL level. Looking back on his time at Penn State, you see a player who has game-altering speed. And Hamler doesn't just run fast on the track -- his play speed is other-worldly.
The problem is having him available and on the field. Those times have been far too infrequent as a member of the Denver Broncos, and you really feel for Hamler. It's not like he would rather be injured and not playing, he's just had a string of really rough injury luck, even dating back to his final year at Penn State.
With one year remaining on his contract, Hamler's value is pretty low right now but it wouldn't surprise me to see the Broncos do somewhat of an overhaul at the receiver position this offseason, including possibly trading away Hamler. They might opt for more veteran pieces like Brandin Cooks or Michael Thomas if they become available, but someone like Hamler with his vertical speed could be very enticing for a team like the Jets.
If the Broncos don't end up trading Sutton away (his value may not be high enough to justify it), then Hamler might be the odd one out. The Broncos could maybe get a day three pick for Hamler and that is a shot worth taking if you're the Jets. It's just another dynamic option in the passing game when you have young receivers emerging.
It would be tough to see Hamler go given what he brings to the table. If the Broncos do plan on bringing in someone like a Brandin Cooks, however, then you might only have the 2023 offseason to get value for Hamler before losing him in 2024.