The Lead
The Broncos' offense has been the talk of the town this offseason, with the quarterback battle between Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock heating up and the expectations for a fully healthy receiving corps of Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton and KJ Hamler reaching new heights.
On Thursday, it was the camaraderie the offense has been building through camp that took center stage. Jeudy was joined by Hamler and running back Melvin Gordon III during his post-practice press conference, showcasing the chemistry the team has been building over the last few weeks.
Not only did the offensive trio joke around with each other at the podium — with Hamler pretending to be Jeudy's bodyguard — they also had high praise for each other's talent and development through camp.
"He's pretty talented, man," Gordon said of Jeudy. "He has a mindset right now that he wants to be the greatest to ever do it. He comes out here every day and he showcases it."
Jeudy, a 2020 first-round pick entering his second season in the league, has been difficult to cover so far during training camp, and joint practices with the Vikings were no different.
"He has grit, man; he has the mindset, the focus," Gordon said as Jeudy smiled behind him at the podium. "He's going to make it happen. He's going to open a lot of people's eyes."
Jeudy is clearly having fun running circles around defenders, which could be seen Wednesday when he celebrated a touchdown by somersaulting into the end zone.
"Especially yesterday, I enjoyed myself," Jeudy said on Thursday. "I think everybody — all the receivers enjoyed [themselves] yesterday and today. We're just having fun, doing what we love doing."
That collective joy was palpable at the press conference on Thursday, as Hamler stepped in to talk about his own trip to the end zone earlier that day.
"My catch from today — it was just a deep post, and I ran fast and ran past the defense," Hamler said.
Jeudy, Hamler and Sutton, who will return this season after missing last year with an injury, will be a dangerous receiving corps for whichever QB takes the helm in Denver this year. Along with the depth at running back led by Gordon and rookie Javonte Williams, the Broncos' offense could be quarterbacked by nearly anyone, according to linebacker Von Miller.
"Our offense is just so good,' Miller said on Wednesday. "I can go out there and play quarterback, to be honest. I can go out there and play quarterback and make it happen."
That bevy of talent will only be bolstered by the chemistry and camaraderie on display today in Minnesota. Gordon, Jeudy and Hamler are clearly building relationships that will benefit the Broncos on and off the field in 2021 and beyond.
Below the Fold
Another player poise to play a large role in the offense is tight end Noah Fant, who led the team in receptions in 2020. Fant recently sat down with 9NEWS' Mike Klis to discuss his goals, as well as the ins and outs of playing tight end, which demands elements of several other positions at times. "I don't play the traditional in-line [tight end]," Fant told Klis. "I play a lot in-line, but I play everything from receiver to tight end, even the O-line stuff. There's a lot of stuff you have to know, a lot of stuff you have to be involved in. It just takes some time."
