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Denver Broncos: Wrong To Let Julius Thomas Get Away

By Khaled Abdallah

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It appears that Pro Bowl tight end Julius Thomas appears to be on his way out of Colorado and the Denver Broncos and is taking his talents down to not-quite South Beach to join the Jacksonville Jaguars. Via Twitter, Bleacher Report’s NFL reporter Jason Cole claims that Thomas has decided to make the move and the deal “is just about done/signed in Jacksonville.”

According to Mike Klis of The Denver Post, the Broncos apparently made no effort to try and re-sign the tight end when they should have pulled out all the stops to do so.

Jan 11, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) against the Indianapolis Colts in the 2014 AFC Divisional playoff football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Colts defeated the Broncos 24-13. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

It took a few years after he was selected in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft for Thomas to make much of an impact in a Broncos’ uniform. He played in nine games in his first two seasons with a grand total of one reception for five yards. It was not until Peyton Manning‘s second season with the club did  Thomas’s career truly take off. He finished off the 2013 season with 65 catches for 788 yards and 12 touchdowns in 14 games, earning himself a trip to Hawaii for his first Pro Bowl.

As it turned out, 2014 was a down year for Thomas as he was dealing with ankle and foot injuries and was limited to just 13 games. He managed only 43 catches for 489 yards but still scored 12 touchdowns, becoming the first tight end in NFL history with at least 12 touchdowns in back-to-back seasons. It was clear where the 6’5″ pass catcher was doing most of his damage to opposing defenses. Even though he was hobbled with ankle and foot injuries, Thomas still managed to be one of the highest scoring receivers in the league.

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The NFL is slowly becoming a more tight end-centric league. Athletic tight ends in the mold of Jimmy Graham, Travis Kelce, and Greg Olsen have become the centerpieces of their respective offenses and are proving that tight ends can stretch the field just as often as they serve as security blankets for their quarterbacks. Although Thomas is not in the same league as players like Martellus Bennet or Graham in terms of receptions, he is just as dynamic and athletic as any tight end in the league.

Teams are now scouring the college ranks for tight ends who were once considered tweeners, too big to be an effective receiver and too small to play inside as a tight end. At 6’5″, 250 pounds with 4.64 speed and a 35 1/2 inch vertical,  Thomas is precisely that type of player. He has shown flashes of greatness and while he is not quite the player Graham is, he is also two years younger and has considerably less experience at the NFL level.

Nov 30, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (88) celebrates his touchdown reception with wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (10) and tight end Jacob Tamme (84) in the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Julius Thomas is the type of player who can transform an offense from an average one to an excellent one. His ability to beat coverages between the hashes opens things up for Peyton Manning to find Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders outside. At just 26 years old, Thomas can also be the type of cornerstone player that will help ease the eventual transition from Manning to Brock Osweiler or whoever the Denver Broncos decide to promote to the starter.

The Broncos are also in “win now” mode with Manning’s best years clearly behind him. The window is closing fast in Denver and letting talented players with great potential like Thomas possibly depart may be slamming the door shut just a bit sooner.

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