What Demaryius Thomas' Deal Means for the Denver Broncos in 2015

Denver Broncos fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Demaryius Thomas is back in orange and blue, officially signing a five-year, $70 million contract with $43.5 million guaranteed, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Now that pen has hit paper, Denver's offense is poised to remain one of the best in the National Football League.

Last season, the Broncos ranked second in the league in total points and fourth in both total yards and passing yards. Thomas was the centerpiece of Peyton Manning's passing game, catching 111 passes for 1,619 yards and 11 touchdowns. That led the team in all three categories for wide receivers.

Broncos general manager John Elway made it a point to target Thomas this offseason and showed his excitement for the future:

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Thrilled to reach a long-term deal with Demaryius. He is one of the NFL’s top WRs & will continue to be a big part of the Broncos' success!!

— John Elway (@johnelway) July 15, 2015"

Last season was Thomas' best overall through five years in Denver, helped by the fact that he was Manning's favorite target. Thomas also benefited from sharing the field with wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (nine touchdowns) and tight end Julius Thomas (12 touchdowns), though, the latter is now in Jacksonville.

Bringing the 27-year-old back will keep Denver's passing game a threat to defenses. Though Manning can't throw the long ball the way he once did, he doesn't need to with Thomas.

In 2014, Thomas was fourth in the NFL in yards after the catch, many of which came from screen passes. Expect a similar anecdote this season.

"Smoke screens are my favorite thing to do," Thomas told the Associated Press' Arnie Stapleton (via Yahoo Sports) back in 2013. "After that catch, I feel, is my thing."

While Manning has been known to make his receivers better, Thomas can also make his quarterbacks better. After all, there was his 80-yard touchdown pass from Tim Tebow in the 2012 Wild Card Game.

Although Thomas will provide Denver with a deep and short passing threat, the Broncos run the bulk of their offense on the ground under new head coach Gary Kubiak.

At the scouting combine in February, Kubiak discussed how he would begin putting together a game plan with Manning at quarterback. 

"If you run the ball well offensively in this league, it opens up some other avenues," Kubiak said in Jeff Legwold's article on ESPN.com. "We're going to run the ball and we're going to be physical."

Kubiak has a history for a strong running game and one that Denver fans might still remember quite well. He was the offensive coordinator for the Broncos when they won the 1997 and 1998 Super Bowls.

The Broncos used a running back-by-committee approach to start last season before settling on C.J Anderson, who finished with 849 yards and eight touchdowns. Legwold went on to mention just how important Kubiak will be for the Denver running game:

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Last season, in Kubiak’s only year as Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator, the Ravens finished among the league’s top 11 in rushing attempts, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. The Broncos have not had a season in which the team finished in the league's top 11 in those three categories since 2005, when they were second in rushing attempts, second in rushing yards and third in rushing TDs. That was the last year Kubiak was the Broncos offensive coordinator before he accepted the job as head coach of the Houston Texans.

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Does that mean Thomas won't have an impact next season? Not really.

Once Denver develops its running game, expect to see Kubiak throw more play-action passing plays into the offense. He said as much to The Denver Post's Nicki Jhabvala in May:

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It's hard to find big chunks in this league. It's hard to get the ball down the field and make big plays, but you got to make them to be successful. So we feel like if we run the ball well and we play-action pass and they look the same, then we'll be able to get the ball down the field.

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Though there might be a slight decrease in some stats, Thomas will still be Manning's No. 1 target as arguably one of the top five wide receivers in the league. Sanders is the next best option, but he might have struggled as the team's No. 1 receiver each week without Thomas.

Thomas is entering his prime and is coming off the second-best season in Broncos' history.

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No player in DEN history had more rec yds than Demaryius Thomas in 2014 Only Rod Smith had more catches in a season pic.twitter.com/9USvfxKXBI

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 15, 2015"

He will be a centerpiece in Manning's offense for at least next season, and he will serve the same role with a new quarterback under center in the future. Though the future of Denver's offense after Manning is uncertain, the signing of Thomas has at least brought certainty back to the receiving game for many years to come.

For now, Elway and company have their eyes set on getting back to the Super Bowl and avenging a disappointing performance in 2014 against the Seattle Seahawks.

To do that, Denver's running game will need the resurgence that Kubiak should bring into the fold. The Broncos will also need their strong secondary and linebacking crew to allow Manning more time on the field.

With Manning leading the offense, expect Denver to win its fifth consecutive AFC West title and make it back to the postseason. The Broncos might be put to the test against the Kansas City Chiefs or the San Diego Chargers, but Denver beat those teams in both matchups last season.

The real test for the Broncos will come if they end up against the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots or the Indianapolis Colts, who knocked off Denver in last year's divisional game. Manning is 1-2 against his old team since joining Denver in 2012, but he did beat Tom Brady in the AFC Championship in 2013.

Look for the Broncos to at least make it to that game again in 2016.