Broncos Roundtable: Who will be Denver's leading receiver in 2022?

The Denver Broncos’ receivers went from a quarterback carousel to quarterback heaven this offseason.

Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, K.J. Hamler and company can thank George Paton for pulling off the blockbuster trade to bring Russell Wilson to town.

In the past five seasons — five — the Broncos have had a total of one 1,000-yard receiver. A single 1,000-yard receiver in a five year stretch.

Thanks to Russ, that’s about to change in a big way.

But who will lead the Broncos in receiving yards in Wilson’s first year in town?

The DNVR Broncos Crew breaks it down.

Who will lead the Broncos in receiving yards?

Zac: Jerry Jeudy — No one is going to benefit more from Russell Wilson’s presence in the Mile High City than the former first-round pick.

Jeudy has displayed his dirty route-running skills numerous times, but hasn’t had a quarterback to maximize that. Now he does.

In his first game in 2021, Jeudy was on pace for well-over 100 yards and 10 catches before suffering a high-ankle sprain. He’ll be capable of that every single game now that he’s fully recovered from the injury and has Russ throwing him the rock.

Expect Jeudy to land his first 1,000-yard season in 2022 while leading the team in that category.

RK: Courtland Sutton — I feel like we forget just how good Courtland Sutton was in 2019.

72 catches, 1,112 yards, six touchdowns. Remeber the Brandon Allen touchdown? Remember the Drew Lock touchdown? Sutton was a monster, and a Pro Bowler.

Obviously, you always worry if a guy is going to get back to his best self after a torn ACL, but if it’s going to happen, it’s the second full year after the recovery that you usually see the return. While we are high on the prospects of many Broncos receivers in the Russell Wilson era, Sutton is the only one who was able to prove his star power with a lesser quarterback.

Additionally, Russell Wilson has a history with guys who wear No. 14. In 2020, the last full season Russ played, D.K. Metcalf went for an insane 1,303 yards on 83 catches with 10 touchdowns. Sutton may not be quite as physically imposing as Metcalf, but he’s the closest thing to it in Denver.

Look for Court to get his swagger back this season.

Henry: K.J. Hamler — The Hamler hype was through the roof last August when he burned Cameron Dantzler for an 80-yard catch-and-run in the Broncos’ first preseason game. Dantzler had run a 4.38 40-yard dash just a few months earlier at his pro day but Hamler gained three steps of separation on him without breaking a sweat. The best part: that play came after a two days of cooking the Vikings’ secondary in joint practices.

“The funny thing—I guess not funny, but—the little kid that caught the long touchdown pass, we practiced against him for two days,” Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said after the game. “You’d think those guys would know his speed and what he’s done. They went one-on-one against him.”

Jerry Jeudy was chosen 30 selections before Hamler, leaving the Penn State alum to play second fiddle. But don’t forget about the pedigree that Hamler brought into the league. Go back and watch him cook future top-three pick Jeff Okudah for 136 yards when the Nittany Lions took on the Buckeyes if you don’t believe me.

Hamler isn’t just a gadget guy. He’s a full-blown wide receiver who is primed to break out… if he can stay healthy. (Don’t worry, I touched wood.)