'He's going to be big for us': WR Courtland Sutton impresses teammates with career night

[Miles]

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — It couldn’t have been an easy offseason for Courtland Sutton.


The 2018 second-round pick caught 42 passes for 704 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie, but after Emmanuel Sanders suffered an injury in December, Sutton seemed to struggle to shoulder the load of a No. 1 receiver.


Ahead of this season, he faced a multitude of questions about his ability to be a No. 1 receiver — and about if he could be more than just a jump-ball receiver.


Sutton’s likely heard the criticisms. And it’s a certainty that his teammates have, as well.


“I’m proud of him,” running back Phillip Lindsay said. “People were talking down a lot about him last year, about his route-running ability [and] his short game, and he proved that he can do that. Now people can get off of that and just let the man play.”


Against the Bears, he did just that.


Sutton set career highs in catches and receiving yards as he hauled in eight receptions for 120 yards. Five of those catches went for at least 15 yards, including a long of 30 yards.


And rather than run exclusively deep routes, a majority of Sutton’s catches came on intermediate routes in tight windows.


“I thought he made some catches in traffic and had strong hands," quarterback Joe Flacco said. "I thought he did a good job getting some yardage after the catch also. It wasn’t like he was wide open, but he’s a big physical guy that I can feel comfortable throwing the ball to in some of those situations. It was good to see him play the way he did and really rise to the occasion and get himself going. I think he’s going to be big for us obviously as the year goes on, but it definitely helps to have a big, physical guy like him playing well because it just makes everybody else go that much more.”