Broncos' Veteran WR Duo Being Asked to Do Much More Than Catch Passes

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton seemed confident about the progress of the team's rebuilt quarterback room during OTAs. However, training camp is sure to offer more twists and turns as Payton looks to identify his future starter under center.

Even if Broncos veteran Jarrett Stidham were to prevail over first-rounder Bo Nix in the short term, or if Zach Wilson somehow shocks the world, eventually, the rookie will see the field. And even though Nix's 61 starts are the most in NCAA history, his relative inexperience — combined with Stidham's four NFL starts and Wilson just entering his fourth year, means Payton will be relying on veteran leaders like wide receiver duo Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick to provide guidance for his stable of signal-callers.

"I think having that balance of experience is important, and yet when you look at Jarrett and where he's at relative to his career, and you look at the two younger guys, those guys have played a lot of football," Payton said during OTAs. "Nonetheless experience is something that... If you don't have it, you have to get it. Obviously having guys who have been in the trenches, they understand the game, I think it helps a lot."

Due to Sutton's current contractual impasse with the team, rumblings fret that he'll be less invested as a team leader than perhaps before. Payton's reliance on Sutton's veteran chops seems undaunted. Plus, the Broncos' No.1 receiver showed his willingness to go above and beyond by volunteering to participate in throwing sessions with the quarterbacks before training camp this summer.

"Actually, the guys have already planned something for us to be able to go and get together at some point in July so that we can all go and get some work away from the facility, away from the coaches, just us," Sutton said back in June. "[We'll] build fellowship together, go out there and work together, get some work on the field but then also get some dinner, get to know each other even more. I think the teams that have the most success are really close away from the field as well as the field. So we already have it kind of lined up, and guys are looking forward to it. I think it's going to be a lot of fun."

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In addition, Patrick's positive influence and on-field production have been badly missed over the last two seasons he's spent navigating through his injury nightmare. Unsurprisingly, things got really tough on a mental level after he went down with a second consecutive season-ending injury during last year's training camp.

Absorbing the collateral damage on a personal level led the 30-year-old to make the decision to stick really close to the team. Otherwise, serious thoughts of hanging up his cleats may have crept into his thinking.

"I didn't really want to get away from football too much, because I felt like if I got away too much, I would've started thinking about retiring," Patrick said via the team website. "I wanted to stay as much into football as I possibly could."

For Payton, Patrick's leadership acumen is a bonus to having him back in the fold. That invaluable side of Patrick's skill set is likely to have improved through adversity and his journey toward career redemption.

Patrick looked like he was back to his old self, both physically and mentally, during OTAs. That was encouraging to see. Payton hasn't had a chance to work intensively with Patrick during a season yet, but the receiver's skills made it a no-brainer to keep him around.

"Just those intangibles. I do know and obviously have seen healthy tape," Payton said of Patrick's worth. "Granted I wasn't here, but I kind of have an idea or vision for the player. Then all the other things that he brings relative to his competitiveness, his versatility. He's a great teammate. I think he's an important part of the locker room, so it's good to see him more and be smart with that."

Making the offense productive while also maintaining the development of Denver's quarterback trio seems like a Herculean task for Payton in 2024. Thus, it's a given that the Broncos head coach will be looking for Patrick and Sutton to work together to help ease the load.

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