Five Broncos who need to step up with Emmanuel Sanders gone

The Broncos traded Emmanuel Sanders to the 49ers on Tuesday. In exchange for sending Sanders and a 2020 fifth-round pick, the Broncos got in return third- and fourth-round picks in 2020.

The Broncos were going to lose Sanders next offseason anyway as he’s set to be a free agent. So this haul is likely more than the compensatory pick they would’ve gotten for the veteran receiver.

Broncos general manager John Elway commented in a conference call on who needs to help fill the void for the team now that Sanders is no longer with the team.

“DaeSean (Hamilton) has got to step up. Then, we have some young guys that have to step up. Tim Patrick, obviously it’s a little bit early, but Tim Patrick will be back after the bye. We’re looking forward to him coming back. These young guys have to step up. Tight end-wise, we have to step up and be productive. We have to make up for a loss like that in Emmanuel,” Elway said.

With Sanders gone, the Broncos passing game is going to be missing one of their best players. Denver doesn’t have a lot of experienced depth at the wide receiver position, so relatively unknown players are going to have to elevate their game in Sanders absence.

Here are the five Broncos who need to step up their game with Sanders gone.

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5. Juwann Winfree

The rookie from the University of Colorado has been a healthy scratch in all games but one so far this season. The Broncos selected Winfree in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft and he was a player that flashed at times in training camp and the preseason. Instead of trying to stash him on the practice squad, the Broncos chose to have Winfree make the final roster.

He has only seen the field once this year. That was in Week 3 on the road against the Green Bay Packers. Winfree didn’t make it into the box score, but he was on the field playing on offense. He ran seven routes, but was not targeted with a single pass.

Winfree doesn’t play special teams as good as other reserve receivers on the roster like Fred Brown, so that’s why he finds himself a healthy scratch on most Sundays. We’ll see if Winfree can get an opportunity to get back on the field for the offense.

Winfree has a fine size/speed combination and he’s got the athleticism to make difficult catches seem routine. The upside is there for Winfree to be more than a reserve player, but the rookie has had to wait for his opportunity. Perhaps the wait is nearly over.

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4. Tim Patrick

Elway let the cat out of the bag during his conference call when he revealed that Patrick would be back after the team’s Week 10 bye. Patrick was only on the field for Week 1 against the Raiders before getting hurt. He broke his hand and was placed on Injured Reserve shortly after that game.

Patrick has to miss the required eight games before he’s eligible to return to the field for the Broncos. That means he could be back in action after the team’s Week 10 bye. Patrick has flashed for the Broncos during the last couple of years, mainly because of his effort and size.

He’s one of the biggest receivers on the roster and can use that size to sky over smaller defenders. Patrick has no problem stretching out for passes that are too high or too low, and he’s got excellent concentration when catching passes in traffic. He could line up on the outside and provide the team with more deep speed – if only they wanted to take advantage of more plays that attack a defense vertically.

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3. Noah Fant

Yes, I know he’s a tight end, but this passing attack is in need of weapons without Sanders. The Broncos averaged about six targets per game thrown at Sanders, and those will now be distributed elsewhere – perhaps to the rookie Fant.

The Broncos 2019 first-round pick has turned in a frustrating season so far, especially in this last game against the Chiefs where he had multiple drops. Fant holds himself to a higher standard and knows he must do what it takes to improve his game.

The Broncos offense could use a playmaking tight end like Fant if he improves his concentration and comes down with some big catches. Fant is a mismatch every time he gets on the field due to his size/speed combination and he should be in line for a larger target share if he can show that those targets will result in production and not disappointment.

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2. Courtland Sutton

It is time for Sutton to be the main feature in the Broncos passing game. He already has been for most of this season, although coverage was still tilting towards Sanders at times. Sutton is the most consistently targeted player in this offense, but don’t expect his numbers to greatly jump now that Sanders is with the 49ers.

Elway drafted Sutton in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft with the idea that one day he could develop into a No. 1 receiver. That time is now.

“It’s Courtland’s room now. He’s going to step up, too,” Elway said on Tuesday.

The biggest difference for Sutton won’t be the number of targets he gets per game. Sutton has regularly been targeted seven to nine times each week in 2019. That should stay around the same number. However, Sutton is going to constantly get an opponent’s best corner to cover him and we should see Sutton double teamed more going forward. It will be interesting to see how the second-year pro responds to that change in coverage.

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1. DaeSean Hamilton

There is no doubt that DaeSean Hamilton gets the largest opportunity after this Sanders trade. Like Sutton, Hamilton was a draft pick in 2018 with the idea that one day he could be a starting receiver. While Sutton was drafted to replace Demaryius Thomas, Hamilton was drafted to replace Sanders. Now, it’s time to see if he’s ready to do that.

Hamilton has been one of the most-disappointing players this season. Even back in training camp and the preseason, he was not producing at the expected level. He’s been banged up each of the last two years and it impacts his game greatly.

Hamilton is not the type of player who gets by on crazy athleticism. Instead, he has nuance to his game and needs to be at or near full speed in order to get the most out of his savvy on the field.

He’s mostly known for drops and not getting open this year. Hamilton has run 173 routes this year, but only has a reception on 6.4 percent of his routes run. That’s one of the worst rates in the league, with the league average is 13.9 percent.

Watch the film and you see Hamilton struggling to get open and he has yet to fully earn the trust of quarterback Joe Flacco. There’s no turning back now, Hamilton has to play up to his potential – whatever that may be – or the Broncos will quickly turn to other receivers on this list to be the primary beneficiary now that Sanders is gone.

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