When the Denver Broncos kick off the 2020 season, the offense is going to lean pretty heavily on their rookie class. On Broncos Country Tonight Ryan and Ben were joined by PFF’s George Chahrouri, and they asked him about what to expect from an exciting young group.
When looking at what each team needs from their rookies, PFF focused on what the rookies can do for Drew Lock. Obviously, Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler will play a big role in Lock’s development.
Both Jeudy and Hamler have had good practices, and as Ryan said, from day one, Jeudy has been making his mark on the field. He’s obviously the top WR from the rookie class. Hamler has been a bit more of a rollercoaster. A few drops here and there, but his speed just blows guys away.
Chahrouri compares what the Broncos have to the Chiefs. Comfortable with the top two targets, like Courtland Sutton and Jeudy, but Hamler will play that Mecole Hardman role.
The third rookie that could have a huge impact on the development of Drew Lock is Lloyd Cushenberry III. He finally got some play with the first team, and many in Broncos Country (myself included) have been wondering why it has taken so long.
Chahrouri brought up an interesting point about Cushenberry. He talked about how a center can’t forget to block one out of every five plays. That hit me funny. Maybe I missed something in the scouting report, or maybe that’s why he dropped all the way to the third round of the draft, but it was his reason for preferring a veteran over the rookie to start.
There seems to be a philosophy issue here. As Ian and I discussed on the MHR Radio Podcast, this might be a miss by Vic Fangio. Old school says the vet gets the spot until the rookie takes it. These being strange times, it doesn’t make sense that a coach would take reps away from a rookie that needs to build rapport with the offensive line and his QB.
It will be interesting to see how Cushenberry progresses, and if the Broncos move him into the starting role, or if they stick with Austin Schlottman at center.
Bonus Listen
AJ Johnson joined Ryan and Ben for a conversation about how camp has been going, and how different this year is compared to fighting for a roster spot in 2019.