Broncos receiving leader in Week 1 proves team has a huge WR problem

Ahead of the 53-man roster deadline, the Broncos decided to move on from veteran wide receiver Tim Patrick, despite being healthy throughout training camp and preseason. Head coach Sean Payton called it a difficult decision, but they liked the youth at the position. They moved on from Patrick and waived receivers Jalen Virgil and Brandon Johnson, who found new homes, despite Denver wanting them back on the practice squad.

Denver included five receivers in their final roster (Sutton, Reynolds, Mims, Franklin, and Vele) and signed three to their practice squad (Humphrey, Bandy, and Sills). The fourth-round rookie draft pick Troy Franklin was one of the healthy scratches on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.

The Denver Broncos lost their 2024 season-opening game on the road against the Seattle Seahawks by a 20-26 score. Despite good flashes throughout the game, two interesting stats prove that the Broncos must do something at the wide receiver position. Both stats are regarding rookie Devaughn Vele.

Vele led the team in receptions with eight

Before you overreact, I am not saying that Vele is a bad player or played badly, but for a 7th-round rookie to lead the team in receptions in his NFL debut shows that the Broncos receiver room might not be as good as it looked in training camp and the preseason. It is a good sign that Denver found a hidden gem in the final round of the 2024 draft that can help offensively. On the other hand, veterans must show out, especially with having a rookie quarterback under center. Vele had eight receptions for 39 yards (second behind Josh Reynolds, who had 45).

Vele had eight targets, tied with Josh Reynolds (5 receptions), second-most behind Courtland Sutton who had 12 (4 receptions).

Vele led the team in creating separation with 4.35 yards

Despite being Bo Nix's debut, and him being nervous (which is normal), Broncos receivers were not getting open, which forced bad throws from the rookie quarterback. Only two players were able to get more than three yards of separation, one being a tight end, specifically Greg Dulcich (3.92), and Vele the team leader.

The NFL average for receiver separation yards was 2.96 and only Vele and Dulcich were able to get those among Denver's pass catchers.

Second-year Marvin Mims, who was supposedly going to have a bigger offensive workload following Jerry Jeudy's departure, was not featured offensively against Seattle.

Additionally, guys like Lil'Jordan Humphrey struggled with key drops. There are free agent wideouts that could help Bo Nix as the season goes by. These are Hunter Renfrow, Michael Thomas, Jamal Agnew, and Russell Gage among others. The Broncos could look to sign one of these veterans. Teams are allowed to sign players off other teams' practice squads. Some wideouts in practice squads are KJ Hamler, D'Wayne Eskridge, Jason Brownlee, Ben Skowronkek, Joshua Cephus, Justyn Ross, and Isaiah Hodgins among others.