Kiz: During a Broncos preseason slate in which coach Nathaniel Hackett protected his starters and gave us barely a glimpse of what his offense will be in the regular season, know what was the most pleasant surprise for me? The depth at wide receiver, even after the loss of Tim Patrick to a season-ending injury. Are there enough footballs to go around? Can the Broncos get enough touches for KJ Hamler and Montrell Washington for both players to make an impact?
O’Halloran: Washington averaged 16.3 yards on three punt returns and 27.5 yards on two kicks, quickly proving he should be the Broncos’ return man. But you’re right about Washington being a pleasant surprise at receiver — four catches, including one over the middle at Buffalo to covert a third down. Hamler (ACL last September) caught three passes for 18 yards against Minnesota. The absence of Patrick (ACL) is the only reason Hackett can scheme up touches for Hamler and Washington, but make no mistake, this passing game will go through Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy first and second, respectively.
Kiz: I’ve had a man-crush on Washington from Day 1 of training camp. And as you well know, I’m not one to go over-the-top with gushing praise. In addition to returning kicks, I think Washington can contribute as a slot receiver, as well as doing damage to the defense on occasion as a ball-carrier. But we both know I’m a knucklehead; you’re the one with a sound football mind. So am I expecting too much of Washington? Will he play a secondary role to Hamler? How many touches per game will there be to divide between them?
O’Halloran: Where I like how they’ve used Washington is on jet sweeps, which means you have to hand it to him every so often (11-yard touchdown vs. Minnesota). But I still think his biggest impact will be in the return game and be the No. 4 receiver. If I’m Hackett, I prioritize Hamler on intermediate-to-downfield routes and Washington on things like bubble screens and quick slants. I’ll predict they will combine for eight touches (receptions/carries) in the Week 1 game at Seattle.
Kiz: While I will be disappointed if the Broncos don’t average 25 points per game, I’d also be surprised if this offense is the aerial show we saw in the heyday of Peyton Manning in Denver. My guess is this team wants to pound the rock and let Russell Wilson make hay off play action. It’s in Wilson’s DNA to take deep shots down the field, but I suspect Hackett wants his quarterback to fall in love with quick-hitting short routes that will allow Washington and Hamler to thrive in space and produce yards after the catch.
O’Halloran: Hackett’s history as a play-caller shows he will play to his personnel’s strengths and for the Broncos, that is Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon running it and Wilson having a high yards-per-attempt number, which displays a willingness and effectiveness to thrown downfield. But if opponents put seven or even eight defenders in the tackle box, that will free up Wilson to throw quick-and-short to Washington and maybe even Hamler.
