ENFIELD, U.K. — The Bo who would be King would not have ruled without his Court.
From the moment Bo Nix became the Broncos’ starting quarterback, he has leaned on his No. 1 receiver Courtland Sutton.
It was an unlikely pairing, a rookie with modest expectations and a veteran with an uncertain future. It is a good thing that Sutton did not listen to talk that he would be phased out for a younger player when coach Sean Payton was hired, secretly knowing he was aging like Benjamin Button.
When Sutton found a connection with Russell Wilson in 2023 — few did on or off the field — it hinted of a rebirth.
When he remained a joyful presence in the locker room last season, following a win at New Orleans after receiving zero targets, it seemed obvious.
When he caught four passes for 77 yards in the fourth quarter of the improbable comeback over the Eagles, it was confirmed.
Sutton is having the greatest renaissance by a player who has spent his entire career with the Broncos.
One cannot ignore what Craig Morton did in 1977. Of course, he deserves his flowers. However, he came from somewhere else before winning the NFL’s comeback player of the year. Current left tackle Garett Bolles evolving from the most hated man in town to the longest-tenured player on the roster will forever remain notable.
But Sutton has followed a path carved by no one else, creating a road to the franchise’s Ring of Fame if his statistical explosion couples with playoff wins over the next few years.
Sutton has gone from Pro Bowler in his second season to witness protection for three seasons to a coronation this season.
He stands alone as the Broncos’ best offensive skill player over his past 39 games.
“It was unwavering faith. God promises his plan is bigger than anything we want to think,” Sutton said Wednesday after practice on a pitch at the Tottenham Spurs training ground in North London. “You know, everybody kept telling me after my new (four-year, $96-million) contract (extension), I could have gotten more. It wasn’t really about that. I believe in this team. We have a quarterback, a coach and an offense where they have full confidence in me.”
Sutton’s transformation is staggering. From 2020 to 2022, he averaged 42 catches, 557 yards and one touchdown per season.c In 2023 and 2024, he averaged 70 receptions, 927 yards and nine scores. This season, he remains on pace for a career-high 88 receptions.
Before the 2018 draft, Sutton was considered the top prospect at contested catches. But after working with 10 starting quarterbacks and a carousel of offensive coordinators, he appeared poised to fail, never reaching lofty expectations.
Payton changed everything. He is a play-caller with a vision for Sutton, seeing shades of Saints dynamo Michael Thomas.
“He has the skillset you look for,” Payton said. “I love coaching him. You are never surprised.”
Look at the Broncos’ offense. Think about where it would be without Sutton.
He is a walking third-down conversion. Teams know that he will be running a crossing route, and they still can’t stop him. Sutton caught three passes for 64 yards against Eagles star corner Quinyon Mitchell in the fourth quarter. According to NextGen stats, Mitchell had never allowed more than two receptions or 49 yards to a receiver in an entire game.
See what I mean? No Broncos play has flipped the script like this.
“He always had the talent,” said former Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr., a Sutton teammate in 2018 and 2019. “Now he has better coaching and a quarterback.”
In Sutton’s previous game in London in 2022, he caught one pass for 13 yards. Three years later, he returns with a partner in Nix and a coach who loves him back.
His teammates see it well beyond his series of Wows! on Sundays.
“He stuck with the process. He always worked, never got complacent. When you do that, your blessings start to come,” cornerback Pat Surtain II said. “And with us winning now, he is more comfortable. He is exuding a lot of confidence.”
For a $13.9 million cap hit, Sutton is expected to make an impact. But he has earned every penny. On Wednesday, he ran sprints like he was a practice squad player fighting to make the team. And his love of the game is obvious in how he tutors young receivers and serves as a sounding board and safety net for Nix.
“He’s a fierce competitor. He gets tougher as games go on when guys get tired. He trains for these moments,” Nix said. “And I think he’s just really excited and happy right now with his situation.”
Part of why the Eagles lost last Sunday is what makes Sutton so valuable. Philadelphia focused on feeding its needy receivers, namely A.J. Brown. It resulted in short drives and misplaced priorities, helping fuel Denver’s comeback. (The Broncos are 2-112 on the road when trailing by at least 14 points in the fourth quarter.)
Sutton places winning over whining. He leads by example, not posturing.
Last season after the New Orleans victory when he failed to make the stat sheet, Sutton caught 36 passes for 436 yards and three touchdowns over the next five games. After one catch in the loss to the Colts this September, he has responded with 19 receptions for 298 yards and two touchdowns over the past three weeks.
Bolles is a survivor. He belongs in his own category. Lose the romantic notions of the Orange Crush. Separate the myth from the Morton. The 1977 quarterback will always have his place in Broncos’ history.
But no one has enjoyed a career quite like Sutton.
His career revival mirrors his team’s, runs on a parallel track to Payton and in a sidecar with Nix.
Sutton is the Broncos’ Renaissance Man.
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