Denver Broncos Have a Huge Upgrade with Emmanuel Sanders
The Denver Broncos were one of the most active teams in free agency this year. They made some tough calls, including the decision to let fan-favorite wide receiver Eric Decker move on. Decker signed a 5-year, $36.25 million contract with the Jets, including a $7.5 million signing bonus, $15 million guaranteed and an annual average salary of $7.25 million.
The Broncos made the move to replace Decker by signing former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. He called Denver “wide receiver heaven” after he signed a 3-year, $15 million contract with a $3 million signing bonus, $6 million guaranteed and an annual average salary of $5 million.
While Decker was coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons (with 24 touchdowns scored in that time) for the Broncos, Sanders had not reached the 1,000-yard mark during his four-year career with the Steelers. Over the last two seasons, Decker had seven 100-yard games with Denver, and Sanders had never eclipsed that mark in his entire career. Decker scored 11 receiving touchdowns in 2013, and Sanders had scored 11 touchdowns during his entire time as a pro.
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There were some who initially doubted this move could be an upgrade for the Broncos. Those doubters were wrong.
Fans should not look at the numbers from this year as a direct comparison between the two.
| Player | Team | Catches | Yards | Touchdowns |
| Eric Decker | New York Jets | 14 | 204 | 2 |
| Emmanuel Sanders | Denver Broncos | 32 | 435 | 0 |
Decker has been banged up with a hamstring injury, and he’s catching passes from second-year pro Geno Smith. Sanders has stayed healthy and is a favorite target of Peyton Manning.
Sanders gives the Broncos different and better looks that open things up for the passing game. After four games with the Broncos, here’s Sanders' statistical comparison to what Decker put up over the same amount of time in 2013.
| Player | Year | Catches | Yards | TDs | Drops | Targets |
| Emmanuel Sanders | 2014 | 32 | 435 | 0 | 0 | 42 |
| Eric Decker | 2013 | 24 | 340 | 1 | 4 | 36 |
So how does Sanders upgrade what the offense can do? Let’s take a look.
Short Routes
Sanders is fast, but he also has lightning quick moves off the line of scrimmage. This makes him a great option on short routes, including wide receiver screens and drag routes.
This plays shows the Cardinals lined up in a press formation on a key third down in the first quarter. Sanders is going to beat the jam and run a short route across the field to his left.
This picture shows how Demaryius Thomas is incoming, and he will essentially pick the Cardinals defender to spring Sanders open.
Sanders catches the ball four yards from the line of scrimmage, then he turns upfield for a gain of eight yards total. It’s a first down, and the Broncos move the chains to keep the drive alive.
Intermediate Routes
Over the course of his pro career, Sanders has developed as a fine route-runner. In addition to creating separation at the stem of his route, Sanders is also tough as nails over the middle of the field.
In this picture, the Broncos are lined up in a double-slot formation with Sanders at right slot and Wes Welker at left slot.
As Sanders is about to make his break, Manning is getting ready to release the pass. Highlighted with the white box is the spot Manning is throwing to. Notice how the Cardinals defenders are beginning to anticipate where the ball is going.
This picture from the coaches' film shows that Sanders was sandwiched between two defenders as he hauls in the catch for a gain of 13 yards. He gets up, pulls some of the turf out of his helmet and goes back to the huddle for the next play.
Sanders is not the biggest receiver on the field, but he might be the toughest.
Deep Routes
Sanders has the speed to take the top off the defense in the blink of an eye. His speed is his greatest asset as a pro, but his ball-tracking ability is of high caliber as well.
This play shows the Broncos lined up in a bunch formation on the left side of the field. Sanders has the inside position with Welker lined up in front and Demaryius Thomas to his left. The ball is snapped, then both Welker and Thomas cut their routes short while Sanders goes long.
Here we see Sanders looking in the pass over the outstretched arm of All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson.
This picture shows Sanders gathering in the catch. He falls to the ground, then Sanders runs for what would have been a 77-yard touchdown. Instead, the refs say that his knee was down when Peterson touched him after the catch—but the play is still good for a 30-yard gain.
Red-Zone Targets
| Player | Year | Targets | Catches | Yards | TDs | Drops |
| Emmanuel Sanders | 2014 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| Eric Decker | 2013 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
This is the one area where Decker has an advantage over Sanders—but most Broncos fans should have expected this.
Sanders has only run 26 routes in the red zone this year. Of those 26 times he’s worked to get open, Manning has only targeted him four times.
Sanders has caught all four passes thrown his way in the red zone for 23 yards. With so many other weapons in the passing game—especially big targets like Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas—Sanders isn’t getting much of an opportunity to score.
However, we see similar numbers for Decker last year after four games. Take a look at his end-of-the-year numbers. While expecting Sanders to score 11 touchdowns is a bit outlandish, we could easily see him haul in six or seven scoring grabs this year.
| Targets | Catches | Yards | TDs | Drops | Routes Run |
| 22 | 13 | 88 | 7 | 2 | 94 |
Summary
It’s always tough when a fan favorite like Decker moves on in free agency. The Broncos made the call to replace Decker with Sanders, and so far it has worked out tremendously.
Sanders uses his quickness to get open on short or intermediate routes. He also has the speed to challenge the edges of the defense, and it’s this field-stretching ability that really sets him apart from what Decker provided for the team.
Even though Denver is “wide receiver heaven” in Sanders’ mind, it’s he who has been heaven sent in 2014.
All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via email from the Denver Broncos unless otherwise noted. Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac.com. Transaction history provided by ProSportsTransactions.com.
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