The Denver Broncos biggest question going into the offseason was at quarterback. In mid-April, its biggest question remained at quarterback. Entering training camp, it will probably still be at quarterback.
For now, the Broncos are looking at Mark Sanchez as their Week 1 starter, but a lot can happen in the next few months. They’ll likely draft a QB in this month’s draft, although they won’t get one of the top prospects. And there’s still the possibility that Colin Kaepernick makes his way via trade.
None of those situations give them a concrete option, which is why this will likely be a problem for the Broncos the entire season.
Can they trust Sanchez, Kaepernick or a rookie for an entire season? And how will this affect the values of the skill position players in the Denver offense?
In the eyes of the fantasy world, it apparently isn’t going to stop Demaryius Thomas from being a top wide receiver again. Over at the FantasyPros consensus rankings (as of April 14), Thomas is the No. 12 wide receiver on the board. Emmanuel Sanders is a bit below him at No. 25.
For Thomas, that’s not much of a difference from last year’s numbers as he finished No. 13 in fantasy football points with 1,304 yards and six touchdowns. In PPR leagues, he also added 105 receptions. Sanders wasn’t far behind with 76 receptions for 1,135 yards and six touchdowns, and he battled injuries for a few games.
But with a question at quarterback, should we trust Thomas as much as past years?
Peyton Manning wasn’t good last year and Brock Osweiler had his first real NFL action, but can we expect the Broncos to throw the ball as much with someone like Sanchez or Kaepernick under center? Quite simply, no.
Manning had an interception problem last year, there’s no arguing that, but he also slung the ball plenty, attempting 40 passes in the first three games of the year. In his final three games before getting hurt/benched, Manning threw for at least 281 yards.
When Osweiler came in, he gave a shot to the offense and Thomas actually saw an uptick in touchdowns with the new quarterback.
September 14, 2015: Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez (3) warms up before the NFL game between the Eagles and the Falcons. The Falcons claim victory over the Eagles 26-24 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA.
From what we’ve seen from Sanchez and Kaepernick (especially last year), are we supposed to believe that either one of them can be as good as Manning or Osweiler last year, at least from a numbers standpoint?
Manning wasn’t good, but he still had free range to throw the ball as much as he wanted in the regular season. Can the Broncos trust their new quarterback to do the same in 2016? Probably not. Or if they do trust one of their new quarterbacks that much, it’s hard to see that ending well.
Every sign points to the Broncos being a run-first team with a top defense next season. Adding guys like Russell Okung and Donald Stephenson only reinforce that statement, as does re-signing C.J. Anderson.
The Broncos still have Thomas and Sanders, but don’t expect them to pass the ball 600 times again, which has been the case since Manning joined the team. And if they do, that will only mean that their defense failed them.
The last season the Broncos didn’t have Manning (2011), they threw the ball 426 times between Tim Tebow and Kyle Orton. Obviously, that’s a bit extreme and the NFL still wasn’t as pass happy then as it is now, but with one of the best defenses in the league and an improved offensive line, why would Gary Kubiak force an average quarterback to throw the ball more than he has to?
Peyton Manning turned into a game manager in the playoffs last year, and it worked. All they need is a game manager at this point.
As for Thomas, he also had an issue with drops and was largely non-existent in the playoffs, totaling just seven receptions for 60 yards in three games. Sanders looked like the better receiver, making tougher grabs in every game and finishing with 16 catches for 230 yards.
Drafting Demaryius Thomas as a WR1 is a mistake when you can get his teammate, who isn’t all that far behind him statistically, a couple of rounds later. Thomas will always have his designed screen plays, but that can only get you so far.
The post Demaryius Thomas is not a WR1 with new quarterback appeared first on Today's Pigskin.