How has Denver's replacement for Demaryius Thomas fared?
Demaryius Thomas has officially retired from the NFL. His last recorded stat came with the New York Jets in 2019. While the New York Jets were the last team to use him in a game, Thomas decided to retire as a Denver Bronco.
The beginning of the end for him came in 2018 when Courtland Sutton was drafted in the second round as a replacement for Thomas. How has the second-round wideout fared so far?
Courtland Sutton vs Demaryius Thomas
2018
Demaryius Thomas was not traded from the Denver Broncos immediately following Sutton's acquisition. He ended up playing eight games that season before being shipped to the Houston Texans when it became clear Denver was not in the hunt for a playoff spot. The Broncos elected to trade him sooner rather than later in an effort to maximize their return.
Even as a third string receiver behind Thomas and Sanders, Sutton showed flashes of potential. By Week 8, he had already caught two touchdowns. By the end of the season, Sutton earned 704 yards and four touchdowns.
2019
2019 was Sutton's sophomore season and his best with the team to date. Even with a mix of Drew Lock, Joe Flacco and Brandon Allen, Sutton eclipsed 1,000 yards. He caught six touchdowns as well. Drew Lock and Sutton appeared to have a good level of chemistry. 2020, it appeared, was going to be even better.
2020
Unfortunately for Sutton, it was a lost year. Sutton suffered a torn ACL and missed the season, earning only three catches for 66 yards. However, one of the catches was a 45-yard completion.
Could Sutton return to a 2019 level of production? With the addition of Jerry Jeudy, now in his second season, he could see more open secondaries which could open him up more.
Sutton vs Thomas
How have Sutton's first few seasons compared to Demaryius Thomas'? Did Denver find a good replacement? Looking at Demaryius Thomas' early career numbers, it seems the answer is yes.
In Thomas' rookie season, he earned only 283 yards and two touchdowns. Sutton earned over 700 yards and four touchdowns. In Thomas's second season, he earned 551 yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile, Sutton earned over 1,000 yards and six touchdowns.
Thomas started slower than Sutton. That said, Sutton had a much worse third season than Demaryius Thomas. Thomas exploded for 1,434 yards and ten touchdowns. Meanwhile, Sutton missed almost the entire season.
2021 will be a massive season for Sutton in answering the question of whether he is a true successor to Demaryius Thomas. If he comes out flat or gets injured again, it will start to look like he was a stepping stone to Jerry Jeudy, depending on the year Jeudy has.