LOOK: Russell Wilson Sends Big Courtland Sutton Message on Twitter

QB1 to WR1?

Denver Broncos fans are giddy about what joys await this fall when the team finally takes the field with newly-acquired franchise quarterback Russell Wilson under center. Suddenly, the Broncos' grip of formidable skill-position players will no longer be squandered. 

At least, that's the hope. That's the expectation. 

Wilson seems to have already forged a strong bond with Denver's projected No. 1 wide receiver Courtland Sutton. Wilson shouted out Sutton during his introductory presser back on March 16 and has already organized offseason throwing sessions that included his WR1 and arsenal of pass-catchers. 

Wilson continues to build up Sutton in the press and on social media. One of Wilson's most recent social media posts was a quote tweet from the Broncos' official Twitter account celebrating the Sutton draft pick back in 2018. 

👀👀👀 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 @SuttonCourtland https://t.co/Fiuo3YH6Gm

— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) April 6, 2022

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Wilson's emoji game is obviously on point. Indeed, the Broncos' new quarterback is likely thanking his lucky stars that he landed on a roster absolutely replete with receiver talent. 

Sutton was Denver's second-round draft pick back in 2018. The selection was a preemptive one as both Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders were still on the roster. 

By midseason, Thomas had been traded away to the Houston Texans. Enter the stretch run circa 2018, and Sutton had become the Broncos' WR1 as Sanders suffered an injury that cost him multiple games to finish the season. 

That next training camp, Sutton and Sanders had a dust-up during practice. The veteran Sanders, who'd arrived in Denver as a free agent back in 2014, could see the writing on the wall as Sutton's ascension to WR1 status could not be stopped. 

The Broncos traded Sanders later that season to San Francisco, fully opening the way for Sutton to be the man. Despite the uneviable task of catching passes from three different starting quarterbacks in 2019, Sutton finished with 72 receptions for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns. 

It earned Sutton his one and only Pro Bowl nod. The next year, he suffered an ACL tear in Week 2 and missed the rest of the season. 

Sutton worked back from his injury to appear in all 17 games for Denver in 2021, starting 16. Similarly to his Pro Bowl year, however, the quarterback situation was less than ideal as the combined efforts of Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock failed to maximize the wealth of talent Sutton and his fellow receivers possessed. 

Sutton still caught 58 passes for 776 yards but saw his touchdown total dwindle to only two. Broncos' GM George Paton still recognized what he had in Sutton, though, and signed him to a multi-year extension during the season. 

All that quarterback tumult is water under the bridge now. With Wilson in tow, Sutton is poised to return to the elite echelon of NFL wideouts in 2022. 

This now has all the markings of a burgeoning top-flight QB/WR chicken combo, for those fantasy football owners. I often get asked on the Huddle Up Podcast's nightly live-streams what sort of production I expect Sutton to have in 2022. 

My answer remains the same: It's 1,200 yards and double-digit touchdowns — or bust — for the talented wideout out of SMU. Sutton will be a Pro Bowler again as he catches the deep-ball passes of Denver's new nine-time NFL all-star quarterback. 

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