Denver Broncos: Full Position Breakdown and Depth Chart Analysis at WR

The Denver Broncos have wrapped up the second round of OTAs, and training camp is on the horizon, giving the team only a few more months to implement and perfect the offense that new head coach Gary Kubiak is going to run.

At 39 years old, Peyton Manning will have to make a quick transition from the style of play that former offensive coordinator Adam Gase preferred in order to pick up the nuances of Kubiak's system.

As good as Manning is, he will need the help of all of his teammates to be successful.

Manning has always asked a lot of his wide receivers, and that is the positional unit we will be focusing on here. Though the Broncos have been arguably the best passing team in the league with Manning running the offense, things will most certainly be different this season.

Manning may not pass for 5,000 yards or 50 touchdowns in 2015, but he will still need a solid corps of wide receivers.

The Broncos have parted ways with receivers such as Eric Decker and Wes Welker. Can they keep finding solid production? Let's break down the current depth chart.

Top Tier

The Broncos' top tier of wide receivers could also be described as the team's "sure things" at the position. Currently, there are only two of those: Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.

The team placed its franchise tag on Thomas in order to prevent him from hitting the open free-agent market this offseason. Though he has decided to skip organized team activities to this point, Thomas is an essential cog in the Broncos' system.

He has been nothing short of terrific since Manning came aboard. Thomas' stat line from their three seasons as teammates boggles the mind—297 receptions, 4,483 yards and 35 touchdowns.

That is the kind of production very few teams in the league are able to enjoy.

Because of that, Thomas has ascended to the level where he belongs in the discussion of best wide receiver in the league. Very few players can boast the same numbers, and he is still just 27 years old.

There is little doubt that Thomas will have to shine in order for the Broncos to contend for a championship. It will be very interesting to see when, or if, a long-term deal is reached with the star receiver. If you're a big fan of the team, you should want that deal to get done.

Sanders was on the cusp of a big season in 2014 after spending four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

That big season came in his first year with the Broncos, as he caught 101 passes for 1,404 and nine touchdowns. With numbers like that, an argument could be made that he was the best free-agent signing made by any team last year.

Player	Receptions	Yards	Yards Per Catch	Touchdowns	First Downs
Emmanuel Sanders	101	1,404	13.9	9	69
Eric Decker	87	1,288	14.8	13	63

Sanders and Thomas combined to make one of the best wide receiver duos in the league, perhaps even better than the one the team had with Thomas and Decker.

Sanders was more than a sufficient replacement for Decker, and because of his ability to provide a consistent deep threat, he was actually an upgrade.

Sanders and Thomas give Manning two excellent targets to throw the ball to, and both players should thrive in 2015. After that, however, the water gets a little murky.

Middle Tier

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Though Cody Latimer is completely unproven, he gets a spot on the middle tier because the Broncos are going to give him plenty of chances to succeed. But if you take only his rookie season into account, the second-round pick was a complete bust.

Latimer caught just two passes for 23 yards last season.

Whether that was because he didn't understand the playbook, wasn't trusted by the coaching staff or something else altogether is speculation. What isn't speculation is the fact that the Broncos need Latimer to bounce back in a big way in his second year.

The Broncos selected Latimer in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft because he can be a physical wide receiver who is dangerous after the catch.

Seeing a player with those abilities work the middle of the field would be a welcome sight for Broncos fans, as the team has been using smaller receivers such as Welker and Brandon Stokley in that role in recent years.

While Thomas holds out for a new deal, Latimer should be taking advantage of some much-needed time working with Manning to get the offense down.

Though Welker put up decent numbers during his time with the team, the physicality and youth that Latimer brings could make for a very dangerous trio of wide receivers.

Jordan Norwood hasn't put up big numbers during his NFL career, but because of the lack of experience behind him on the roster, he makes the middle tier—at least for now.

Norwood was the surprise of training camp last summer, as he not only made his case for a roster spot, he was all but guaranteed one before a knee injury ended his season. Now back and fully recovered, expect to see a hungry, motivated Norwood bring that same flash to camp this year.

"

Another welcome addition at workout: Jordan Norwood. Had team made last year as returner before knee injury #Broncos

— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) April 28, 2015"

In the team's first preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks last year, Norwood showed great hands and concentration when he reeled in this touchdown pass from Brock Osweiler. The score turned out to be the game-winner.

Norwood could also be a contributor on special teams, as the Broncos could look for a receiver to step up and handle either kickoff or punt return duties.

Norwood was placed in the role of punt returner in camp last year and probably would have won that job for the regular season.

Andre Caldwell is still with the team, but it's time for him to step up or move on. In three seasons, he has done next to nothing. Perhaps John Fox was fond of him? Whatever the reason he has earned an extended stay in Denver, he needs to become more of a contributor.

It would be a bit of a surprise to see him make the team again.

Bottom Tier

The Broncos have seven other wide receivers on the roster who all fall into the bottom tier, and each of them will be considered to be on the roster bubble until further notice.

However, with only three guys really guaranteed roster spots in front of them, there is plenty of room for these players to make a name for themselves.

That is why the wide receiver position will offer one of the most intriguing camp battles to watch this year.

First, we have Isaiah Burse. An undrafted rookie out of Fresno State, Burse appeared in 12 games for the Broncos last season as the team's main punt returner. He greatly benefited from the injury to Norwood but never really shined.

Burse fielded 29 punts and averaged just 7.2 yards per return. His longest return was 22 yards, and he was eventually released and then re-signed to the practice squad when the team chose to keep Brandon McManus as a kickoff specialist.

If the Broncos decide to keep five wide receivers, the No. 5 position is likely Burse's to lose.

However, that is only due to the fact that he has some actual game experience. Several players on the roster could easily leapfrog him.

One of those players could be Bennie Fowler. Undrafted out of Michigan State last season, Fowler spent the entire season on the team's practice squad learning how to be a professional wide receiver.

At 6'1", he has the size to play the position and combines the ability to make tough catches and block downfield. He will get his chances this summer, and though most of them will come with Osweiler, Zac Dysert or even Trevor Siemian on the field, he needs to make the most of them and display what a year in an NFL system has shown him.

Nathan Palmer has spent time with the San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins, almost exclusively on their respective practice squads. He has been with the Broncos since December 2013 and was even called up to the main roster for one game last September.

Palmer has caught just one pass in his NFL career, and his chances of making the roster won't be great.

Players are only eligible to be on a practice squad for two seasons, a limit Palmer has reached. The Broncos may just use him for his limited experience and see if there is anything he can pass on to the younger players.

Speaking of experience, Kyle Williams is a name some fans may recognize. Though he spent part of the 2014 season with the Kansas City Chiefs, Williams caught 47 passes during a four-year stint with the 49ers. But he is probably best remembered for two major blunders in the 2012 NFC Championship Game, one of which was this fumble.

Williams has shown the ability to return kicks in his career, but he has only played in 38 games. It's hard to see him making the final roster unless he has the type of camp that Norwood did last year.

The Broncos also have two undrafted rookies on the roster.

Jordan Taylor is a 6'5" player out of Rice. During his last three years at the school, he caught 162 passes and 18 touchdowns. With long arms and good hands, Taylor has the ability to go up and win jump balls. He should be a strong candidate for the practice squad.

David Porter caught 74 passes for 954 yards and 10 touchdowns in 51 games while at TCU. He will likely have the biggest uphill climb of any receiver on the team looking to make the final roster.

Finally, the Broncos made a roster move in May that has likely flown way under the radar. That would be claiming Solomon Patton off waivers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Broncos need a player who can return kicks and punts, and while that player may end up being someone who was already on the roster such as Burse or Omar Bolden, Patton is a player to watch. He gives the team many more options.

In Tampa Bay, Patton appeared in seven games in 2014 and was able to average 23.1 yards per kickoff return. He is just 5'9" but has the type of speed that teams covet in returners.

Plus, the Broncos have been known to keep a wide receiver on the roster even if all they do is return kicks. Remember Trindon Holliday?

Patton could add an important missing piece to the roster and at the very least will make the battle for roster spots at the wide receiver position even more interesting.

The Broncos have set themselves up nicely with the crop of wide receivers they possess. We can expect Thomas and Sanders to play at a Pro Bowl level while the team looks to make the most of the youth that sits behind them.

The key questions once training camp begins will surround Latimer and whether or not the team can find a reliable return man.

If the Broncos are able to do that and Latimer has the breakout season fans are hoping for, then the Broncos could again have one of the best wide receiving corps in the league.