Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton revealed during a media session earlier this offseason that he’s been studying film of New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas. Jerry Jeudy said he’s done the same.
Thomas, of course, played under new Broncos coach Sean Payton from 2016-2021. During that time, the receiver led the NFL in receptions twice and earned three Pro Bowl nods.
Payton was asked about Sutton watching Thomas clips last week.
“He’s looking at Mike’s tape because Mike played ‘X,'” Payton said on June 13. “That’s what he’s playing, and the offense is similar. I was encouraged when I read that because he’s going to line up in a lot of those spots. Now, both of those two players have [had] exceptional starts to their careers and have accomplished a lot of things. I’m learning Courtland’s progress. He’s doing well. Man, he’s transitioning well.”
Sutton had ad breakout season in 2019, catching 72 passes for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns, but he’s failed to have that kind of production since then. Last year, Sutton hauled in 64 receptions for 829 yards and two scores. Payton wants to see him return to his 2019 form this fall.
“I give him a hard time — that 2019 album he put out was pretty good,” Payton said. “We’re looking for another really good soundtrack in 2023. He wants to please, and he works his tail off. He’s big [and] he’s strong, so those are similarities [to Thomas]. He’s passionate. Michael was passionate. Of course, Michael hadn’t been healthy because of a handful of injury complications. I think the natural thought is he’s looking at the tape because he’s in an offense now that he can see the schemes that we’re installing.
“We have cutups — hundreds of plays for the players to see examples. It doesn’t have to be our team. It could be any team in the league. If you see something you like, you cut it up, and there’s a picture that says a thousand words for the player. Yes, I like that he was looking at that.”
Thomas has only played eight more games than Sutton in his career, but he has 287 more receptions and 2,634 more receiving yards. If Sutton wants to reach that level of production, he has to learn what made Thomas so effective as a receiver. That starts by studying the film.
The next step is putting it into practice. We’ll find out this fall if Sutton is able to turn the off-field study into on-field results.
Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts
