As the margins for mistake narrow late in the 2024 NFL regular season, the margins for where teams may improve become much, much smaller.
Teams can’t make deals anymore. Every rookie they drafted in April has demonstrated their ability to contribute. Finding an advantage at this stage is tough.
However, there are some chances available. One move that might have a significant impact on the Denver Broncos is the signing of free agent wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, who spent the previous five seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders and was a Pro Bowler in 2021.
According to Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine, wide receiver is one of the Broncos’ major weaknesses heading into a Week 12 road game against the Raiders.
The Broncos are now 6-5 and hold the AFC’s seventh and final playoff spot. This would be their first postseason appearance since winning the Super Bowl following the 2015 season.
Broncos Receivers Not Setting World on Fire
The Broncos’ continued playoff run is a direct result of their excellent defense and the remarkable evolution of rookie quarterback Bo Nix, who appears to improve every week.
Outside of veteran Courtland Sutton, who leads the club with 49 receptions for 647 yards and three touchdowns, the wide receivers’ performance cannot be attributed to the team’s success. The next leading wide receiver is rookie Devaughn Vele, a seventh-round pick from Utah with 26 receptions for 281 yards and one touchdown.
Sutton still has the opportunity to become the first Bronco since 2019 to pass 1,000 yards rushing or receiving in a single season. He’s averaging 58.5 yards per game this season, which would put him at 1,000 yards for the year.
Sutton’s current performance could propel him above that mark. He’s averaging 92.5 yards over the last four games, putting him on track to reach 1,200 yards for the season if he sustains this pace.
Renfrow’s NFL Absence Kind of a Mystery
Renfrow is out of football just three years after making the Pro Bowl with the Raiders in 2021 – a wonder in and of itself, given two down seasons in 2022 and 2023.
“Yes, Renfrow’s production has dipped in recent years, and he has dealt with some injuries, but it’s crazy to think his days as an NFL player are over,” Silver and Black Pride’s Bill Williamson said on October 1. “… Now, he sits at home at a time when he is supposed to be in the prime of his career.”
Renfrow rose to the attention of football fans everywhere after winning two College Football Playoff national titles in 2016 and 2018, most notably collecting the game-winning touchdown pass with four seconds remaining to defeat Alabama in the 2017 CFP National Championship Game.
Renfrow was taken in the fifth round (No. 119 overall) by the Raiders in 2019, and he had over 600 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons before going on to have 103 receptions, 1,038 yards, and 9 touchdowns in 2021, earning him a Pro Bowl spot.
Renfrow got a two-year, $32 million contract before the 2022 season, which coincided with a significant dip in his output – he only had 81 receptions for 585 yards and two touchdowns over the next two seasons before being released by the Raiders in March 2024.
