Broncos Film Room: The connection that will take the Denver offense to another level

The Denver Broncos need Case Keenum to be good, not just better than the revolving door of quarterbacks we saw in 2017. They need him to be as good, if not better, than he was last season, in his career year with the Minnesota Vikings. After all, this isn’t Minnesota, the standards at quarterback are different in Denver, and the Broncos are in need of a long-term savior at the position.

In turn, Keenum needs reliable receivers, guys who can get open and allow him to be efficient in his decision making as he slowly carves up defenses.

The early signs of training camp should be encouraging for all parties involved, as the Broncos receiving corps seems to be different, and simply better, this year. It’s not just the addition of new blood, either, as some of the veteran wideouts in camp have already stood out. None more than Emmanuel Sanders who seems to be quickly developing chemistry with his new quarterback.

Given the strengths and weaknesses of the quarterback and wideout, this shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Sanders is exactly the type of quick receiver with crafty route-running skills that No. 4 has clicked with in the past. 

Just go back to our film room from last week, where we broke down how the former Minnesota Viking was able to master third-and-short situations, and it’s easy to see how Sanders fits in.

It also helps that the Broncos veteran receiver stayed in Colorado this offseason, working out with Keenum to build the on-field chemistry that’s already showing early in camp.

Since the Keenum-to-Sanders connection has already become one of the big storylines from camp so far, we went back to watch film on both to see how they can shred defenses together in what could be a renaissance year for the wideout and a career season for the gunslinger. 

Made for each other

Case is a fine NFL quarterback, who’s made lots of strides in the last season or so, but he’s also far from perfect. 

One of his biggest weaknesses that we observed on tape was how he wasn’t at his best in tight window throws, particularly over the middle of the field. Because of this, Keenum will benefit greatly from Sanders’ ability to create separation for himself both deep or underneath, making Sanders a nice security valve and a chunk-yardage asset at the same time.

In turn, Sanders will benefit from Keenum’s eye manipulation, which regularly resulted in big plays for the Vikings offense, as the QB is special when he’s able to look off the deep safety to then put the perfect touch on long throws for his receivers to get under.

Sanders has also shown that he hasn’t lost his deep speed or his ability to stop corners in their tracks on double moves, giving him additional separation. Combine Keenum’s ability to look off safeties with Sanders’ skills in creating space for himself, and this combination should be very fruitful in Denver.

A security valve inside

Another aspect of this partnership that promises to lead to big things is Sanders’ versatility, as he’s just as good outside as he is in the slot.

We went back to watch tape from Sanders’ best season in 2014 and last year, and it was clear he was used a bit differently from how Keenum’s best receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen were utilized in Minnesota.

Sanders was particularly dangerous on corner-routes and out-routes a season ago, where his ability to track passes over his shoulder, utilize the sideline and be a master on toe-drags make him a really tough cover. Back in 2014, he was used on curls, where he’d set up corners with ease, slants where his quickness off the line is a major asset, and skinny posts. Denver featured him prominently on pick plays, as well, where his quickness to free himself in the blink of an eye was close to impossible to cover.

Thielen and Diggs were also asked to run some of those routes, but they did a lot of their damage on drag routes or in-routes on crossers where they were real weapons in the third and short.

Using Sanders on crossers in those types of situations is Keenum’s bread and butter, and a schematic reason why he had so much success in short-yardage situations a year ago. Sanders skills in that area will be huge, whether he’s lined up in the slot or outside.

Regardless of if Sanders has lost a half step, his quickness is still elite, and that’s all that matters in short-yardage situations. No. 10 is lethal against zones on crossers, as he’s just too crafty a route runner and too agile for underneath zone defenders—often linebackers or even in-the-box safeties—who simply can’t hang with him. 

He’s similarly deadly against man coverage, where all he needs is the smallest amount of space to set a cornerback up to free himself.

With Keenum, he now has the veteran quarterback who can read the field rapidly and find him in these situations. Simply put, Sanders once again has a QB who can exploit his talents to their fullest, which would explain why the two have been such a prolific connection this early in camp.

Keenum’s struggled with his accuracy over the middle in the past, as he doesn’t always have elite zip and can get bottled up by tight windows. That’s less of an issue when Sanders is involved, whether it be out of the slot or on trips formations to one side where he can cross inside to free himself. Tight windows are less of an issue when a master route-runner like Emmanuel is around.

Sutton’s big body is as good as a receiving tight end

Of course, the whole receiving core for the Broncos has made waves in the early going of camp—proving once again that having a QB makes all the difference for pass catchers, who would’ve thought.

Maybe the biggest wavemaker of all has been rookie Courtland Sutton who seems to be on a mission in camp to abuse a defensive back every day with another jaw-dropping contested grab. 

Sutton’s talent plays right into Keenum’s best skill as an outside passer—using his large catch radius to haul in balls with great touch and placement which don’t require much separation.

An interesting aspect of figuring out how the Broncos can replicate the success their new quarterback had in Minnesota, is how similar their receiving corps look after an offseason in which Denver did their best to add more size. A year ago, the Vikings top four receiving targets were all six-feet or taller, the one big thing the Broncos are missing is the receiving prowess of Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota’s big tight end. 

With Sutton—who we analyzed here for his potential impact as a big slot—the Broncos might have the closest thing to Rudolph, in obvious passing downs with spread out formations of four or more targets. 

Especially in the red zone, the big rookie will be a tough matchup for opponents, which Keenum is sure to exploit the way he did Rudolph last season.

In this case, unlike Sanders, creating separation to help Keenum avoid small window throws isn’t necessary, Sutton plays right into the QB’s strengths as a big target who can go up and get well-placed throws, particularly down the sideline where he’s already becoming a must-see attraction for fans and media types alike at training camp. 

In conclusion

When the offseason began, Sanders’ standing with the franchise was a bit uncertain. Now, with a newfound chemistry with his quarterback, things look to be on the up and up, as the veteran receiver promises to be a key contributor to the offense this year.

His versatility and ability to get open on short routes plays right into Keenum’s strengths, as the two just seem to be a perfect pairing, a receiver, and quarterback that were made for each other.