Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos OTAs: Bo Nix's FIRST Look With RJ Harvey And Pat Bryant

Episode Date: May 26, 2025

With the Denver Broncos kicking off OTAs this week, Bo Nix will get his first look at RJ Harvey and Pat Bryant inside of the Broncos offense. Plus, we discuss the RB competition featuring Harvey, Audric Estime, Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie, and Blake Watson, Ben Powers' contract outlook for the next two years and why Clay Webb is a name to keep an eye on, and the latest on Courtland Sutton's extension talks. Cody Roark is a credentialed beat reporter for Mile High Sports and covers the Broncos daily in person. Sayre Bedinger is the site expert for Predominantly Orange. Both bring Broncos Country the most in-depth and objective coverage of the Denver Broncos. WANT MORE DAILY DENVER BRONCOS CONTENT?For all of the latest Denver Broncos news today -- Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOBroncos?sid=YouTube Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNFL Follow on Twitter: @CodyRoarkNFL and @SayreBedingerFollow the show on Twitter: @LockedOnBroncos Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!FanDuelRight now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA. Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNFL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Broncos Country OTAs are here. We're going to get our first look at Bo Nix with rookies, RJ Harvey and Pat Bryant and three storylines we're excited about on the offensive side of all here on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. What's happening at Broncos country?

Happy Monday. Welcome into another episode, Lockdown Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast, part of the Lockdown podcast, Network, we know it is your team every day for all your Broncos news, content coverage analysis and more every single day all year long. This is the place to be, a special shout out and thank you to all the everydayers out there in Broncos country. Thanks for tuning in making us your first listen of the day every single day.

And if you're not yet in every day or become one by hitting that subscriber, that follow button, wherever you get your podcast. So you stay up to date. What's going on with your team? I'm Cody Rourke. Broncos reporter for Mile High Sports. And I'm Sarah Bedinger, side expert. I predominantly orange.com.

And here's what you're going to get on today's episode of the show. Broncos country. OTAs are here and we're going to dive deep into offensive storylines that we have our eyes on this week. Starting off obviously with RJ Harvey, Pat Bryant, the Broncos top offensive rookies and this year's NFL draft getting their first look with Bow Nix and the offense. What might that rotation look like? We'll dive deeper to that. Plus we'll dive a little bit deeper into Clay Webb's potential role with the team as maybe

a backup behind Ben Powers. coming season. And could he be the future starter with Ben Powers having two years left on his deal? We'll look at that. And then we'll also dive into the latest on the Cortland Sutton contract extension talks. Is there any progress there? Will we find out anything on that this week as OTAs begin in Dove Valley? You're going to get all that on today's episode of the show.

Sarah, my friend, great to obviously be here with you once again and everyone in Broncos country. OTAs are here this week. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. We don't know yet exactly which days us in the media are going to. to be allowed to attend. We're permitted to attend one out of the three practice sessions this week. We'll see if we can get more than that. Mandatory minicamp, we'll get all three days of practice. So we're fixing to find out, as Gary Kubiak usually says. But let's take a look at three offensive storylines we have our eyes on. First and foremost, we're going to kick things off by

talking about our first chance to see R.J. Harvey, Pat Bryant, Brookies here on the Broncos' offensive side of the ball, getting the chance to work with Boe Nixon in an official capacity for the first time on the field. Yeah, I can't wait to see these guys, Cody. I can't wait to finally get the on-field look at Bo Nix with these new playmakers around him because really that's what this whole offseason has been about, right? It's how are the Broncos going to surround Bo Nix? And Sean Payton, George Payton, they made it clear early in the off season.

Like, hey, we can do, you know, we can surround Bo Nicks in more ways than just by adding at wide receiver or tight end or running back. And they definitely did that. Like they upgraded the defense. significantly. But at the end of the day, Jada Baron ain't running the ball. You know, Talenoa Hufanga, he ain't catching the ball. And neither is Dre Greenlaw. Those guys are going to have to get the opportunity for, you know, Bo Nix and these new playmakers to make place. And, and that's exactly what we're excited to see. How quickly does RJ Harvey start mixing it in

with the first unit? You know, what are the Broncos trying to do in terms of, I know, you'll get a firsthand look at, you know, him catching passes out of the backfield. And it's, it's going to be really fun to see just exactly how they start quickly incorporating these guys because that was the issue last year, right? Is you didn't have a running game because running back situation kind of stunk. You didn't have a great passing game at the tight end position because your tight ends kind of stink at catching the ball. So I think there's going to be a lot of pressure on these rookies, a lot of pressure on

Evan Ingram, right? And I think that all these playmakers coming together, it's, it's going to get Broncos country fired up because we had all of our arguments about whether or not they were the right picks. We had all of our arguments about value in the draft, things like that. Now these guys have a chance to start making plays and winning fans over. Well, I think it's a combination of all these personnel groups having that symbiotic relationship, right? Like if you're having success with Evan Ingram in the middle of the field, that might mean more one-on-one opportunities for Cortland Sutton on the outside, right? Or, you know, if you, have a running back like an RJ Harvey.

Let's say he can start to grow and excel in the passing game or even another running back there. That's another element because you have two guys running back and tight in that might have the ability to attack that middle of the field. You do create one-on-one opportunities for your receivers or if teams continue to play Cortland Sutton as a double team factor, then it's like, all right, Evan Ingram has a chance to go out there and really eat this upcoming season and the middle of the field. And then teams are going to have to adjust. And then Sean Payton, I think we can all agree in the time we've seen Sean here in Denver

you understand that there is just a level of coaching that he understands how to take advantage of those mismatches. I saw a clip you posted on Twitter where the Broncos had, what was it? It was Michael Burton and personnel-wise, Adam Trotman or Nate Atkins, and then they still dialed up a diabolical play in the passing game. Who was that past two, by the way? I'm trying to remember.

That was the game. So it was like the touchdown. Yep, the touchdown. Should have been the game winner. They didn't go for two. They should have done it though. But it's like, all right, in a key situation, you got Michael Burton on the field, all right.

Okay, you know, now the Broncos got Evan Ingram, R.J. Harvey, Audric Estimate. We'll see how it all mixes and matches here. I'm excited to see that, too. But last year when we had OTAs at this juncture, we didn't know who the starting quarterback was, right? We know that now with Bo. So what the Broncos did and what Sean Peyton did was he rotated the quarterbacks almost every other day. You know, different guys getting first looks for the first team, second team, so on and so forth. That's not going to be the case here with Bo.

But I do imagine that'll be the case with the running backs. I think that you are going to see guys mix and match on a day-to-day basis. Maybe Audrick Estimate gets the first looks, R.J. Harvey, the second, or Jaliel McLaughlin, and just working these guys in and out. I think you have an opportunity here because the skill player position is a little bit different than quarterback. I think you'll see R.J. Harvey, Pat Bryant. You'll see guys like Troy Franklin, Marvin, Mims, Devon Bailey. I think all these guys are going to rotate in, not only just with Bo Nix, but with Jared

Stidham and the second team offense as well. And there's nothing to read into that. It's just get us more reps, get us more film on seeing what we can do with these guys and the totality of it. That's what I'm excited about. But also kind of like a subcategory of this conversation of our first look with the rookies. I also think it's our first look here at the running back competition for the Broncos. And obviously, R.J. Harvey, Adrick Esme, think Julu McLaugh, when we talk about them being the favorites right now on paper coming into the offseason program. But Tyler Biday, Blake Watson, they're also going to have something to

say this is going to be a full on competition. When we look at the offensive side of the ball, everyone's eyes are going to be on this one specifically because it's really the one position battle that is open. That is going to be very imperative for this offense. I know you and I have talked about him a number of times on this show. And I recently wrote an article predominantly orange about kind of some of the more underrated wildcard guys at every offensive position. I think Blake Watson is going to be one of the really fun guys to watch this offseason. Now, is he going to make the team? Is he going to crack the rotation?

We don't know at this point. but I think in terms of talent, in terms of kind of just the intrigue of the unknown in a way, sort of the devil you know versus the devil you don't. I think at a position where things should be wide open. I mean, he's an intriguing guy. And to me, he has the skills to be used in a variety of ways on the offense, whether that's as a receiver, you know, obviously as a running back, maybe even on special teams, as you and I talked about as a return man.

So there's a lot of intrigue at those positions. I wonder too, Cody, do you think that there was any reason to believe, like, last year, you know, Bo Nix didn't throw a touchdown pass till week four, right? He kind of struggled those first couple of weeks. Is that a direct result of the sort of fabricated competition that they had with Jared Stidham in the offseason? Like, do you think there's anything to that? I don't know if any of other fans are asking that question, but when it comes to rookies getting involved early, do you think that those sort of fabricated?

competitions make sense? Does it really bring out the best in these guys? Or does it kind of limit them from having immediate like, hey, let's hit the ground running week one? I think it's debatable, right? Because the more reps you get, I think, you know, the more repetition, you know, the more muscle memory that you're going to get, the more, you know, more confident you're going to get there. Certainly when you're getting, let's say, like the Broncos did. They would do, I think, four, they'd do six or seven plays of Bo, six or seven plays of Jared Stidham, six or seven plays of Zach Wilson. It's like, all right, could those additional, you know, 12 snaps that maybe

Bo didn't get between those two other quarterbacks, could that have made a difference? Maybe, maybe not. I just feel like for Bo, okay, we saw him in the preseason. He looked great in the preseason, by the way. I think that was one of the more exciting things that had us a little giddy for the regular season last year. And then you go in week one. It's like, oh, you know, starting defense, there's a learning curve.

They're a little bit faster than maybe the second, third team, fourth team defenses that you're going to be facing in the preseason. So I just think that the speed of it, the dynamic. I mean, football, the game is the same, but the pieces are going to make, I think, the puzzle, a little more challenging. I'd say it's probably harder for a quarterback in that situation, sir, than I feel like it is maybe for a running back. But with so many backs on this roster, I am curious what that workload is going to look like once we get to training camp, once we get to preseason, because these guys are probably going to be more of a mix and match based on personnel, I think more than anything. What's the down and distance?

Like the Broncos will script out everything in terms of training camp. They'll run. They'll have a day where they focus on first down. They'll have a day where they focus on second down. They'll have a day where they focus on third and medium, third and long. Like they put themselves in these situations, goal line. And the personnel vision is different for every single one of these guys. I feel like it'll be easier for the running backs, though,

to not have that kind of three. week low that kind of Bo Nix had when he started off as a rookie if that makes sense. Yeah, that's exactly what I'm kind of wondering too, and especially as complicated as Sean Payton's offense is, right? We know that it's very tough for young guys to pick up. It's tough for veterans to pick up. And so getting those guys as many reps as possible, especially something as important as the running back in this offense, which we know, you're going to be asked to run routes. I think that's been referenced a number of times by both Sean Payton and George Payton is that at UCF, R.J. Harvey wasn't asked to run a very diverse route tree. And in the

Sean Payton offense, he's going to have to in order to be, you know, sort of that Joker that the team, I think, I believe in visions, maybe that'll be a question that he gets asked this week is like, hey, do you view RJ Harvey as the second joker in the deck? If they envision him that way, he's going to need those on-field reps to run those routes, to practice, to get the timing down, all those sorts of things. And I just, that's where I'm saying like, hey,

let's not fabricate the competition for too long. Let's decide things early on. Let's, let's pick a lane. You know, let's take, hey, we're getting off at this exit.

This is where we're going. Let the competition go as long as you need, but let's pick the exit. Like, we're stopping here or we're getting lunch here. We're getting food here. Like, we've got to get gas here.

We're picking a lane. We're going this exit and we're not stopping for anything. Right. That's where we're going. So I think that the running back, position, that's going to be crucial. Maybe preseason game number two after that, maybe that's that exit point that maybe we find a little bit of clarity at this running back position. But Broncos country, we want to hear from you as well. What are you most looking forward to this

week here with Broncos OTA's beginning on the offensive side of the ball. We're not done yet. We're going to discuss Clay Webb and his potential role inside this offense. When we look at Ben Powers, where he's at how much money he's set to make and how that could impact the Broncos decision making going forward. We'll look at that much more here on today's episode, Lockdown, Broncos. Broncos. Brocos country. Today's episode, the show was brought to you by friends over there at Monarch

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There could be a little something brewing on the Denver Broncos offensive line. We'll see if undrafted free agent Clay Webb can potentially be the heir apparent to one of the highest priced players on that offensive line. Is Ben Powers have anything to worry about? Should he be looking over his shoulder or does he have a little bit of time here? We're going to talk about that on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. But Broncos country, we appreciate all of you so much for making us part of your day. however you choose to do so all you everyday listeners of the show and mile high salute to every single one of you and happy holidays to everybody out there memorial day cody i think uh it's just i live in a military community here in omaha i just want to give a shout out to all the military families especially those of you who have lost

loved ones through the years man we appreciate every single one of you and um just the sacrifice that you made and for making us part of your day we're honored and privilege for that and just appreciate all of you who serve in the military as well. But Cody, let's talk about Clay Webb and Ben Powers on the offensive line here for the Denver Broncos because I think there's not a lot of people that really view a change on the offensive line anytime soon as being a realistic possibility. But, man, you start to look at contract situations. You start to look at how the Broncos have invested in young players and brought a number of guys along as well. I think it's maybe something to put on the radar, right? I'm not saying that

we're going to have a situation right away, but first of all, you never know when injuries are going to happen. Second of all, you never know when you're going to see something from a guy out there on the field that says, hey, like this dude should be playing and we could get, we could get things going. We get the ball rolling right now. Clay Webb, Ben Powers. I know you and I have talked about this. You're really interested to see what the vision is for Clay Webb here at week one of OTAs. Yeah, and look, I think so much of that, you look at the financial picture. First off, let's take a look at Ben Powers, right?

He's got two years left on his deal here with the Broncos. And here's an interesting stat and factoid here. I don't know if anyone in Broncos country knew this, but we already know the highest paid player on the Broncos right now in terms of overall cap hit in 2025. You want to take a quick guess at that one? Mike McGlinchie. Yes, correctamundo. Number two.

Who do you think it is? Corlin Sutton. Correctamundo. Two for two for Sarah. Number three. Ben Powers? No, Zach Allen. Ben Powers is actually the fourth highest paid player on the Broncos this year in terms of overall cap hit, set to come in around 17.4 million this year in terms of overall cap.

Next year, that jumps up to around 17.9 million. So obviously, I think when you look at Ben Powers, I think there's a conversation to be had here. I think his first year in Denver, there were some struggles. There was just, I think, maybe a blend of trying to get used to a new scheme and a new system. Obviously, you know, you have Lloyd Cushingberry, I think at center at one of those junctures for him. I felt like it was better last year. I felt like Ben Powers took a step forward in 2024, right, which I think was needed considering the contract that he got initially in free agency. He was one of the Broncos, he and Mike McGlinchie in one year were some of the biggest spends for the Broncos for Sean Peyton when he came in and said,

we really need to solidify the trenches. Well, I think now it's like, all right, you really want to see. a little bit more to Ben Powers this upcoming season, right? If you're getting paid, if you're the fourth highest paid player on the team, you need to see some tangible, I'd say progress forward. There is a chance, though, I think that the Broncos, I don't know if it's going to happen this year. It's very possible.

They could approach him and ask him to restructure his contract a little bit to lower that cap hit. Maybe you get it converted into a signing bonus. It creates some cap space for you. Maybe if they start to work on some of these other contract extensions, that could be a reality here. But here's where I think Clay Webb, could potentially come into the mix a little bit, right?

Obviously, he's an undrafted guy. You allocate some money towards him because you believe in what he could do. The Broncos had a draftable grade on him. And he's also, you know, for other NFL teams, had a draftable grade. He is now clear of the legal issue that was persisting. The lawsuit that was ongoing was dismissed. And the Broncos and Sean Payton acknowledge how they feel about this guy. When I look at a guy like Clay Webb and you watch his tape and you watch him at the senior bowl,

you can see that this guy, he moves well lateral. I think he's best positioned for a guard role than I think a center position at this point. But you see the anchor. You see the strength that he has. Upper body strength, lower anchor ability. This is a guy that I feel like can be impactful as a guard at the NFL level with the proper development. And with Ben Powers having really two years left on his deal, these two years can be important for his development to potentially step in and replace Ben Powers at some point.

But here's also the other situation. you would need to find a capable backup to Ben Powers in the event of an injury. This is where I think Clay Webb has a chance to step in maybe right away and have an impact in 2025, maybe not playing, but if he has to step in and play, maybe you have that confidence level that he can. There's a lot that has to have between now and the season. For that, I think, to come to fruition. But I think the vision is there. Yeah, some outlets had this guy as a five-star prospect coming out of high school,

initially committed to Georgia and then transferred to Jacksonville State, where he was a star. for I think three years at left guard. So a lot of times nowadays, do you see guys that, okay, this guy started off at right tackle. He kicked over to left tackle or he started at right guard and then became the left tackle because guys get recruited to big time schools. They just slot wherever. And then they find their, you know, forever home, so to speak.

After showing versatility, this guy kind of just played left guard and dominated there for Jacksonville State. And like you said, got invited to the senior bowl, played really well there. I think there's something to this guy. I know you and I have talked about Clay Webb a number of times since he was cleared of his legal stuff that he had going on. And I think it's valid. I think the Broncos didn't draft an offensive lineman this year, but I think Clay Webb is that guy.

Like if you want to talk about somebody that, hey, basically they drafted and they paid, I think, $225,000 to get him as an undrafted free agent, which is more than six-round picks get in guaranteed cash. It's more than most six-round picks, in fact. So I think it's really a fascinating overall situation for him, given Ben Powers contract situation. I don't know that the Broncos are necessarily going to say, hey, here's an open competition out left guard, go get it. But man, if he goes out there and impresses and Ben Powers is struggling because he's going to get tested every day at practice, right? If he's struggling out there, maybe they give it a shot. Well, and when you're working against Zach Allen, DJ Jones, John Franklin, Myers, I mean, Malcolm Roach, you work with that defensive line,

it should make you better. And I think at times at training camp, when we see like an offensive line struggle, like there were times where Garrett Bulls and Mike McGlinchie in training camp last year, we're like, wow, Nick Benito, Jonathan Cooper, they're working them right now. You kind of have like this,

should we be concerned about this? But no, you're going up. And as we saw, you went up against one of the best defenses in all of football last year. Obviously, the leading sack producing team in the trenches there. Okay, it makes sense a little bit. You know, I think we can look into practice sometimes a little too much

you maybe have some concerns or get overly excited. That's just the mystery of not knowing what's going to come in the season. You know, we can only go up based on what I see, but there's always context there. Like when you're going against the same defensive look or the same offensive look every single day, you start to pick up on tendencies, and that's where we see some units start to shine. But overall, I think even another thing to monitor here as well,

because Luke Wattenberg's entering the last year of his deal, could the Broncos maybe look at some competition between like Alex Forsyth and a guy like Clay Webb? as well. You and I, we talked about Forsyth. We thought when he stepped in at center this year, he did a really good job filling in for Wattenberg, make the argument the run game at least looked better in terms of the consistency factor there. But is there a chance for maybe Clay Webb to step in and play a couple of the roles? Because I know Sean Payton wants guys to be able to do a little bit of both, right? You've seen Alex Paucheski learn how to play some guard.

You've seen obviously other guys, you know, mix and match. Can he be a swing player at guard tackle or guard center, that is important here in terms of flexibility because then it gives you, I'd say, breathing room from a roster construction standpoint to say, okay, hey, if we have an injury, we already have a plan here. We can move this guy here. We can move this guy here. And we won't have a drop off. At least that's the belief of the developmental system that the Broncos have internally.

So I'm excited to see how it's all going to play out. Sarah Wobbsey, we'll get our first look at Clay Webb, see where he works in this week at Broncos OTAs here. But in Broncos country, the third storyline, we're excited for on the offensive side. the ball going into OTAs. Has there been any progress on contract talks with Cortland Sutton? We'll discuss this and more on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. Now that the NFL draft has concluded, the Broncos have a chance to get to work on some potential contract extensions with players like Cortland Sutton, Zach Allen, Nick Benito, maybe even John Franklin Myers in the mix as well. But when you break it down from a priority

standpoint, you got to take care of Bo Nix's top target. Broncos country, thank you once again for tuning in making us your first. first listen. We appreciate you all, as always, for taking time out of your day to listen or to watch the show wherever you get your podcast. If you're not yet and every day, be coming by hitting that subscriber with that follow button. And I promise you, you're never going to miss out of what's going on with your favorite team. You're going to go to work talking with your buddies at work who may not know as much as you do, and you're always going to have the upper hand because you tune into the best Broncos podcast every single day. Sarah, contract extension

talks. This is something I think Broncos country is very eager to see. Obviously, the Cortland Sutton has been attending the team's voluntary offseason program. We are expected to see him at OTAs this week as well as a sign of good faith as he looks to maybe get a contract extension with Denver. The number one thing that I see in terms of commentary is Broncos country is uncertain as to how much money they believe the Broncos should pay. And I think it's important to have this conversation because the estimated market value here for Sutton is, I think, in a fair and ideal spot for him. Yeah, I think that you're talking north of 20 million per year on a new deal, no matter what in this market, which is going to catch a lot of people by surprise.

But in reality, it's a pretty similar chunk of the salary cap high as we saw Cortland Sutton sign on for a handful of years ago when everyone thought it was kind of a bargain. And the way that he's played the last two seasons, man, he does deserve a pay raise and things like that. I think the Broncos, what they're probably working out as, as they want Cortland part of the core, obviously, they've refused trades to, you know, get rid of him in the last couple of years. So they obviously want him around. I think they're probably weighing the, what's next year's free agent market look like? What does next year's potential trade market look like? That's where you get into, hey, we got to really lean on our pro scouts, our personnel department, things like that,

to give us all the scenarios to say, all right, if we commit, let's, let's call it. at 48 or 50 million to Cortland Sutton and cash over the next two years, you may not do X, Y, or Z. What are we sacrificing if we commit this cash to Cortland Sutton now? And maybe that's the conversations that are happening behind closed doors. Or maybe it has nothing to do with that. Maybe it's all just, hey, we're trying to figure out years and guaranteed money. We're trying to figure out average annual value. At this point, I think Cortland Sutton is probably fixed to finish his career of Bronco potentially, depending on how things go with this deal. So is it an extension?

Do you rip up the current last year of the deal? Right. And like you said earlier, he's the second highest cap hit on the team right now. Do you want to get that down now or do you want to eat more money now and have more freedom later? So there's a lot of interesting questions that come from the Bronco side and team building to obviously Cortland being a big part of Bo Nix's success to Cortland being 209. years old, right this year, Cody, going on 30. I can't remember how old he is now, but there's all

sorts of factors to this discussion that I think lead to, it's going to be divisive. Whenever he signs the deal, as long as the Broncos give him one, it's going to be divisive one way or the other. Well, I think that the Broncos should take care of him. Look, I think as you constantly see every year, Sarah, every position, the market changes. The wide receiver market has certainly changed. Thank you so much. Initially, it was Justin Jefferson, and then it was C.D. Lamb. And then now it's Jamar Chase, what he was able to do. But when you look at like the estimated market value that is kind of being thrown out there for Cortland right now, according to our friends over there at Spot Track, they

estimate him as a three-year, $79.7 million contract with a 26.6 million average annual value. And I know for a lot of people like 26 million a year, the market has changed, right? And I think here's the example that we look off of right now. You look at like 26.6 million per year for Cortland Sutton, that would be about. six million per year less than guys like D.K. Metcalf, Brandon Iyuk, A.J. Brown, even Jalen Waddle at this point. So still significantly, six million dollars per year when we're talking about that, less than other guys, that's a significant amount of money when we talk about

and put it into perspective. Some of those guys are making 33 million a year. That's where the market is right now. When we look at Cortland Sutton the last two seasons, 18 touchdowns, He has been the Broncos most reliable wide receiver. Yes, he's had some drops here and there. He's got a high volume of targets, though. But he's been the most productive, the most reliable wide receiver in the last two seasons here for Sean Payton because Jerry Judy couldn't figure it out. Your other guys, you've had some ups and downs.

Russell Wilson wouldn't throw it to Marvin Mims. And now we're starting to see Marvin, you know, in his system now, or now he's starting to thrive a little bit. And you also have Bowdo Nix on a rookie contract. Devon Bailey's on a rookie deal. Troy Franklin's on a rookie deal. Marvin Mims for the most part right now. still in a rookie deal.

You have time here. And look, here's to say this as well. You could still next year, wouldn't shock me one bit if the Broncos go wide receiver in the first round of the NFL draft that they find a player that, you know, really sticks out to them. Even though now, and I also forgot Pat Bryant, he's on a rookie deal.

You have flexibility. And Sean Payton has always been a believer of more, I'd say, than less guys. You want as many guys as you can. But with the moods that they made with Evan Ingram, hopefully the run game gets going with RJ Harvey Harvey. Now it'll allow Cortland Sutton to actually eat and play even better football, I think, this upcoming season.

I am for $26.6 million per year. I think he deserves that. It's not my money. When you look at the market, in my opinion, it makes sense. But I agree. It would be a divisive topic no matter what he signs for. Right. And the guaranteed money is probably where this is Cortland Sutton's like last

massive deal, right? I mean, when we're talking about his legacy and what he's already done in the NFL and what he's done with the Denver Broncos and financially the amount of money that he's made. Like he'll probably still get more contracts after this one in the NFL, at least a couple because he'll be in his early to mid-30s. But Corey, at that point, he ain't signing a big money deal. Like, I don't think that's going to happen. I think this is kind of the last one that he's going to get.

So you want to get this one right. And for the Denver Broncos, you're kind of stuck between that rock and the hard place of, well, maybe we do want to take a first round receiver next year. And we really do like Mims and Velae and Franklin and obviously Pat Bryant. You know, we like all these guys and we like the fact that we can draft and develop. And we're feeling pretty good about our ability to do that. And so there's aspects of this that are so complicated to me that I just kind of want to see one way or the other. Like is this not, it's maybe not a question of whether it's going to happen more so of like when it's going to happen.

But I'm fascinated to find out, I think we'll be able to read a lot into it whenever it does happen. or if it doesn't, like, what do the Broncos really think of Cortland Sutton and his value to this offense now and going forward? What do they really believe about how much of an impact he's going to make in his early 30s? Because that is the key right now. He's not a not necessarily a speed guy, right? He's a big body, win at the catch point, be a great teammate, block, do those sorts of things. That's his game. And so what did the Broncos believe that's going to transition to as he gets into his 30s? I know Cortland's a hard worker takes care of himself really well. You can always tell when he's rocking his t-shirts and his cutoffs,

like the dude is cut. He works hard in the gym and he's very in good shape. So the Broncos are going to be making an investment based on the guy as much as the player at this point. Well, and I think if there's any precedent, I look at what the Broncos did with Garrett Bulls. I mean, Garrett obviously came into the NFL a little bit older and has went through a variety of highs and lows and ups and downs and just got rewarded with a, you know, a contract.

track the extension that's going to keep him in Denver for the rest of his career. You talk about foundational pieces, core guys. Sutton is that. And I did catch out the locked on NFL scouting podcast with Kyle Crabs, Joe Marino. And they were kind of hesitant on giving that whole conversation about Cortland Sutton being, you know, a foundational piece. I disagree with him. I think he is.

And I think the last two years are a clear cut sign that, hey, once you, even with the up and down quarterback play that we've seen since Cortland Sutton. Sutton's been a Bronco, he's kind of been QB proof in a sense. He's catching passes from everybody. But I think they got the right guy in Bo Nix. I think they got the right pieces around Sutton to where now he can thrive a little bit more than I think he ever has been able to. I think maybe going back to 2018 and even 2019 when he put up some of the best

numbers from a yard standpoint in his career. The last two years from a touchdown standpoint, it's been the best of his career so far. I still think there's a two to three year window where Cortland is going to play the best football of his career. I believe we'll see that come to fruition here. But Broncos Country, let us know your thoughts on today's episode of the show. $26.6 million per year is that too high for the Broncos and for Cortland Sutton?

Make sure you let's know your thoughts on today's episode of the show. But Broncos Country for all you every day is tomorrow's episode. You know, we're going to flip the script. OTAs are here. We're going to look at three of the top defensive storylines we have our eyes on, including the competition between Jada Baron, J-Quam MacMillan, and the quarterback room. What is that going to look like?

And we'll also get a first look at Alex Singleton upon his return from ACO Surgery. We'll discuss that and much more on tomorrow's episode of the show. We'll see you then.