Courtland

Sutton

Sutton, as usual, had a bunch of air yards and a lot fewer real yards as Bo Nix remained terribly inefficient as a passer. Nix finally threw his first touchdown as a pro on a nice red zone toss to Sutton in the back of the end zone — the only touchdown of the game for either team. No other Broncos pass catcher had more than three targets on the day. Sutton remains a major positive regression candidate as Denver’s clearcut No. 1 wideout. He’ll go against the burnable Raiders secondary in Week 5.

Both the catches and yards were easily new season highs for a veteran wideout off to a slow start. One of Sutton’s missed connections was an end zone grab where he couldn’t quite get both feet down. Although Bo Nix’s box score wasn’t terribly different from Weeks 1-2, the rookie certainly looked more confident and poised this afternoon. That will be an absolute must going forward if Sutton is going to fight his way back into the WR3 mix. Don’t count on it for Week 4 against Sauce Gardner’s Jets.

Sutton now has 64 yards receiving on five catches across two games to start the season. The Broncos offense seems likely to have trouble moving the ball with Nix under center, and the rookie signal caller seems to not even look Sutton’s way down the field. Sutton is a talented receiver, so you’d love to hold him on your bench in case things improve, but he can likely be dropped in 10 or 12-team formats right now, and he shouldn’t be started anywhere.

Vele’s absence leaves the Broncos’ already-thin pass-catching corps in rough shape. The seventh-round rookie earned the team’s second-highest Week 1 target total (eight). The Broncos No. 1 WR Courtland Sutton has strong odds of earning 10-plus targets though, with No. 2 WR Josh Reynolds likely playing through an Achilles tendon injury. He practiced in full on Friday.

The Broncos certainly tried to get Sutton the football, but Bo Nix simply wasn’t able to get the job done on top of the Seahawks’ corners being good at this. He was able to bring in a 17-yard catch, but the rest of his hauls were of the short-yardage variety on a day where Denver averaged just 5.3 yards per completion. Sutton remains a WR3 against the Steelers in Week 2, but you see the floor is pretty low.

The move reportedly frees up $9.5 million in cap space. Per OverTheCap, Sutton is scheduled to hit free agency after the 2025 NFL season and agreed to a revised two-year deal in July that included $1.5 million in incentives. The most recent restructure gives the front office much-needed breathing room after running the cap into the red by more than $2.7 million.

Russini reports that, had the Broncos accepted, the Niners would have then shipped Aiyuk to the Steelers. All this is kind of pointless counterfactual, but it underscores the fact that Aiyuk’s return is strictly a business decision for both sides. Aiyuk was willing to play hardball and the 49ers were unwilling to harm their 2024 championship odds. It’s also a clear indication the Niners aren’t counting on instant contributions from 2024 first-rounder Ricky Pearsall.

Sutton and the first-team offense stayed on-field for the third drive, taking repetitions with Broncos’ No. 2 QB on Sunday, Bo Nix. Sutton is the clear-cut No. 1 WR and helpfully took three snaps lined up in the slot (14.3 percent rate).

Fowler also adds that Mims “will also be a key component in the passing game.” The second-year receiver struggled to crack the depth chart last year despite the team trading up in the second round to acquire him and him averaging a solid 17.1 YPR while posting a 22-377-1 line on 33 targets. Mims made the Pro Bowl as a returner last season, totaling 709 kick/punt return yards on 34 returns while also scoring on a 99-yard kick return touchdown. Courtland Sutton is expected to remain in his typical WR1 role for the Broncos this season, but Mims’ explosiveness should add another element to the offense in the second year under Sean Payton. If he truly is a key component in the passing game, Mims could turn into a nice fantasy value after going in the late double-digit rounds of fantasy drafts all offseason.

Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Sutton can earn up to $15.2 million on this restructured deal and has had $1.5 million in incentives added in. The veteran receiver reported to training camp despite his desire for a new deal and has managed to work things out with the team for this season. Currently under contract through 2025, Sutton caught 59 passes for 772 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first year under Sean Payton. He hasn’t hit the 1,000-yard receiving mark since 2019 but remains the best receiver on a Broncos roster that has unproven receiver talent behind him. Sutton will provide some stability to a young receiver and young quarterback room while remaining a threat in and around the red zone. His fantasy upside isn’t much more than that of a WR3, but he’s still good for the occasional splash week.