Although Broncos coach Sean Payton is too much of a prickly cactus to believe a snake would ever dare bite him, there’s a big, old anaconda slowly squeezing the hope out of his football team before this NFL season even begins.
No. 1 receiver Jerry Jeudy went down Thursday with a hamstring injury, and when he will be back, nobody knows for sure. But it’s nearly impossible to envision him taking the field to catch passes when Denver opens with a must-win game against Las Vegas in 16 days.
“I don’t believe in being snake-bitten,” Payton said.
Payton is all about building a culture where there’s no excuse for losing.
But know what’s even more important to winning football games than culture?
Playmakers. And I’m afraid the Broncos might not have enough to give them a real shot at ending their seven-year playoff drought.
With receiver Tim Patrick already lost for the second straight year, this time to an Achilles tear, and running back Javonte Williams rounding into shape following knee surgery, who’s going to take the burden off quarterback Russell Wilson as he tries to restore his reputation?
No team in the league was dinged worse by injury than Denver was last season, when the Broncos finished last in the AFC West. My bigger concern? Years of poor drafting by former general manager John Elway, compounded by the expenditure of more draft capital to acquire Wilson and Payton, make it hard to look at the back end of the team’s 53-man roster and not wonder if there’s enough talent to survive the physical rigors of a 17-game schedule.
While it’s too early to declare Jeudy, selected No. 15 overall in the 2020 draft, a bust, it’s about time to start worrying if he can be a cornerstone of the winning culture Payton is determined to build.
One summer day before Jeudy came up lame while running an end-around in team drills and had to be carted to the locker room, he stood out for dropping passes in a joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams notable for the fact the Broncos looked as if they would rather be anywhere except hard at work.
There’s no doubting Jeudy’s ability to create separation with route-running that’s sharp and precise as a scalpel. There’s also no debate that three receivers taken after him in the first round in the draft three years ago – CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson and Brandon Aiyuk – have been more productive pros.
When the Broncos picked up the fifth-year option on Jeudy’s contract for a hefty sum of nearly $13 million only hours before the deadline in May, it was an investment based largely on a small body of outstanding work late last season. To have any realistic shot at making the playoffs, Denver probably needs a 3-1 start in 2023. How many of those games can Wilson count on Jeudy being in the lineup?
Asked to assess the training camp of Wilson, new offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said: “There is a lot to like. The thing I appreciate the most about Russ is just his consistency. He shows up every day positive. He has incredible stamina for just working. Loves football, has a strong desire to win and obviously is very talented. It has been nothing but positive.”
While being positive is all well and good, let’s also keep it real. An offense that ranked dead last in points scored a year ago now has more unanswered questions than rock-solid reliability at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. That’s a big stinking mess of ifs.
Running back Jonathan Taylor, who has rushed for nearly 4,000 yards since being taken in the same draft class as Jeudy, is embroiled in a contract dispute with Indianapolis and has been granted permission by the Colts to seek a trade.
I know the NFL now treats running backs like disposable parts. And finding a trade for Taylor that makes sense for Denver seems like a long shot.
But if your goal is to build a winning culture, I’m also certain about this: I would rather allocate $13 million in salary for Taylor than Jeudy.
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