Denver Broncos Offense Finding Added Versatility Through Deep WR Corps

The Denver Broncos are getting their passing game on track this season. That was shown in Week 3 as the Broncos beat the Detroit Lions 24-12 on Sunday night.

The Broncos used the pistol formation to help jump-start Peyton Manning and the passing attack. In the game against the Lions, they ran 29 plays out of the pistol, 29 plays out of the shotgun and only three plays from under center. Out of the pistol, Manning went 11-13 with 118 passing yards.

The team got huge contributions from both Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders against the Lions. Thomas ended the game with nine catches for 92 yards with one touchdown. Sanders made some key catches to extend drives and ended the game with six catches for 87 yards against the Lions.

Behind those two stars, the Broncos also got contributions from some talented reserve receivers. Overall, six wide receivers were active against the Lions in Week 3 and all but one of them caught at least one pass.

Let’s take a look at how the Broncos offense is finding added versatility through their deep wide receiver corps.

Jordan Norwood in the Slot

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After missing last year due to a knee injury suffered in training camp, Jordan Norwood came back with a vengeance this season. Last year in camp, Norwood seemed to be on track to make the final roster. A knee injury in late August ended his chance of doing that.

Not even 12 months removed from the injury in training camp this year, Norwood made several difficult grabs in practice. He proved to be fearless when running routes over the middle, and Norwood would sacrifice his body and personal safety to leap, dive or fight for a catch. Even though he’s not the biggest guy, Norwood shows toughness after the catch.

Years ago, Norwood came into the league as an undrafted free agent for the Cleveland Browns in 2009. He bounced around the NFL (including two stops in Cleveland) before finding a home with the Broncos. Before catching two passes in Week 1 of this season, the last time Norwood caught a pass was in Week 5 of the 2012 season when he was with the Browns.

In college at Penn State, Norwood was part of a trio of talented receivers. Derrick Williams, Deon Butler and Norwood gave the Nittany Lions a strong group of weapons to attack defenses with. Both Williams (Detroit Lions) and Butler (Seattle Seahawks) were third-round picks in the 2009 NFL draft. Both of those receivers have been out of football for years.

Norwood is still grinding.

The son of a coach, Norwood has football in his blood. He’s a humble, focused and dedicated player who works hard at his craft. That hard work has been paying off for the Broncos so far this year. Over three games, Norwood already has eight catches for 66 yards.

His role may continue to grow as the Broncos passing attack finds a rhythm and he continues to prove himself as a reliable target for Manning.

Bennie Fowler Emerging

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The Broncos have a knack for finding quality talent from the college free-agent pool. They seem to have found another playmaker for the offense in Bennie Fowler.

Coming out of Michigan State, Fowler was known as a fast receiver who could create after the catch. Fowler measures in at 6’1”, but he plays like a larger receiver because of his wingspan, leaping ability and “my ball” mentality. He fell undrafted in part due to concentration problems that led to unnecessary drops. Fowler was also unrefined as a route-runner and would often tip off the direction he was going before making his break.

His skill set is reminiscent to that of San Francisco 49ers receiver Anquan Boldin. Fowler is big, physical and dangerous with the ball in his hands.

Last year at rookie minicamp, Fowler immediately stood out as a player to watch. Through OTAs and into training camp, Fowler kept making acrobatic plays. He was still a work in progress as a route-runner, but Fowler had no problem wrestling contested catches away from defenders who read his routes and made a play on the ball.

Fowler didn’t make the 53-man roster, but the Broncos liked him enough to keep him around on the practice squad in 2014.

This year in camp, Fowler seemed to play with a better edge. He was savvier when setting up defenders, and this allowed him to get better separation after making his break.

Back home in Michigan, Fowler had a breakout game against the Lions in Week 3.

Fowler played 15 snaps against the Lions, was targeted four times by Manning and hauled in all four passes for 50 yards. He just keeps getting better, and this performance against the Lions could prompt the coaching staff to keep using him.

Head coach Gary Kubiak was impressed by Fowler’s performance on Sunday night.

“Just watching Bennie practice, you tell your players how important practice is. Bennie has practiced exceptionally. Really, Cody (Latimer) and Bubba (Caldwell) have too. I told Tyke (Tolbert) going into the game that I want to get them all involved as best we can and Bennie is making plays on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and we gave him a chance on Sunday and he did it again.”

Kubiak summarized, “I think it’s Bennie’s work. He deserves the credit, it’s his work.”

Where is Cody Latimer?

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After a disappointing rookie season when he was barely used, this was supposed to be the season where Cody Latimer got to showcase his talent. During the offseason, Sanders was talking about having a reduced role and moving to the slot when the team went with three-wide receiver sets to get Latimer on the field. We saw this come to fruition during minicamp, OTAs and early in training camp.

It was the preseason when things began to change for Latimer.

During that time, Latimer did get on the field with the first-team offense, but he struggled to get on the same page with Manning. Dropped passes and wrong routes were seen in the preseason, and Latimer seemed to have his confidence shaken.

Broncos fans should continue to have patience with Latimer. He’s got incredible natural talent and can make plays in many different ways.

Latimer is first a fantastic blocker. One of his best attributes coming out of Indiana was his ability to blot out a defender to help out the rushing attack. Latimer is strong and physical at the point of attack. He’s not afraid of contact, and he loves to mix it up on the field.

He measures in at 6’2” and can fly down the field. Latimer does a good job of tracking passes deep, and he doesn’t lose speed when turning to look over his shoulder. Due to his size, Latimer can box out smaller defenders from the ball. This makes him a fine option when in the red zone.

Of all the six receivers active on Sunday night, Latimer was the only one to not record a reception. In fact, he wasn’t on the field for a single snap and has only played nine snaps total this season.

The Broncos need to find a way to get Latimer involved, but the other receivers above him on the depth chart keep making plays. Latimer needs a boost in confidence, and he needs to make sure he maintains focus while not playing.

Summary

The Broncos have added talent to their wide receiver corps through various ways. Norwood was a longtime veteran the team picked up as a free agent. Fowler came to the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2014. Latimer was acquired as the team moved up in the 2014 NFL draft to select him in the second round.

The passing game is going to continue featuring Thomas and Sanders. However, having young playmakers like the three listed in this article gives the Broncos the capability of presenting different looks. This versatility could help the Broncos passing game continue to produce at a high level.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos' media department unless otherwise noted. Advanced stats via ESPN's employees-only database.

Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions.