Here are the numbers that show how underutilized the Broncos' wide receivers are

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos have made a heavy investment in their wide receivers. Two multi-year contract extensions to Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick since the start of their Week 11 bye. First- and second-round draft investments in Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler in the 2022 draft, each of which followed a second-round pick used to select Sutton two years earlier.

This year, the dividends don’t correspond to the investment.

By extending Sutton and Patrick — and doing so with contract lengths and dispersal of guaranteed money that should allow for the team to keep Jeudy on a fifth-year option in 2024 and then re-sign him to a massive extension — the Broncos have connected their aerial future to these receivers, Sutton, Patrick and Jeudy in particular.

So, it’s not that the Broncos don’t want them. Quite the contrary. The believe of George Paton and his capable lieutenants in these wide receivers is unquestioned.

They’re just not getting them the ball enough — especially downfield. Deep shots have been infrequent, and finding balance has been difficult, especially in recent weeks, with Jeudy’s return coinciding with a drop in targets for Sutton, who had 9.2 targets per game from Week 2 through Week 7, but has 3.5 targets per contest in all other games — which have seen Jeudy return to the lineup.

The Broncos have talent. But in the case of Sutton in particular, it is being underutilized. So, how does Teddy Bridgewater change that?

“You just do it within the system.” He said. “We have plays that are dialed up to get guys the ball specifically. We might come out of the huddle and say we want to throw the ball to Court here, and they play a coverage that takes Court away. Now, Jerry gets an opportunity to catch a pass.

“That’s just how it works. You might call a play for Tim [Patrick] and the ball might go to Court. You might call the play for Jerry and the ball might go to Javonte [Williams]. Teams are aware of the guys that we have, their skill sets. So, we’re just trying to create ways to get them the ball and allow them to do what they do best.”

In the parlance of Yoda, “Do, or do not. There is no ‘try.’” And even incorporating the production in recent weeks by Jeudy, the numbers bear out how underutilized these human assets are.

• * 53.7 percent of all targeted passes — so this doesn’t include obvious throwaways — thrown by Bridgewater and understudy Drew Lock are targeted to wide receivers. This ranks 26th.
• 49.4 percent of their completions are to the wide receivers. This ranks 27th.
• 43.8 percent of the Broncos’ touchdown receptions to date were made by the wide receivers. This ranks 29th.

BUT … 60.4 percent of the Broncos’ passing yards are coming via the wide receivers, which ranks 18th. That isn’t stellar, but the discrepancy between the rankings in the other three categories demonstrates that Jeudy, Patrick, Sutton and Co. are doing more with less.

The nine-spot difference in ranking between completions to receivers and yardage is the largest difference in the NFL. Twenty-five of the other 31 teams are within four spots in either direction, with 20 of those teams within two ranking spots, showing the general correlation.

So, who is getting the passes the wide receivers aren’t?

It’s not the running backs. With 19.1 percent of targeted passes and 21.1 percent of completions going to the Broncos’ runners, Denver ranks 15th and 20th, respectively, in those categories.

That leaves tight ends. Denver’s tight ends have accounted for 27.1 percent of targeted passes and 29.5 percent of completions. Those percentages rank third and fifth, respectively; in percentage of yardage, they rank eighth.

Noah Fant leads the team in receptions with 49, so this stands to reason. And while the Broncos as a whole are getting more production than most teams from the tight-end position relative to the entire passing game, they are stragglers in yardage per catch, as Denver’s tight ends rank 29th in the NFL, with 8.7 yards per reception.

Meanwhile, Denver’s wide receivers rank 11th with 13.1 yards per catch. The team’s running backs are 17th (8.01 yards per reception).

On an efficiency basis, Denver’s wide receivers have the goods. Now, they just need the opportunities to show their talents.