Sanders thrives in preseason victory
LANDOVER, MD.» Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders walks around the Broncos’ locker room these days like a kid on Christmas.
His present: offensive production. His Santa Claus: quarterback Case Keenum.
“I am very optimistic that we can do whatever we want as long as we put our mind to it,” Sanders told reporters after the final practice of Broncos training camp.
For all his talk about explosive play-making with a new leader under center, though, the first two preseason games left much to be desired. Sanders caught zero passes against Minnesota. He managed three receptions vs. Chicago.
But in the final preseason showcase for the starting offense Friday night at Washington, on the Broncos’ third offensive series, Sanders required just three snaps over four plays to prove his point.
Third-and-15 from the Denver 20: Sanders ran a crossing route, broke at the marker and snagged a dart from Keenum through traffic to keep the chains moving. speed and laid out for a Keenum dime between trailing cornerback Fabian Moreau and hard-charging safety Troy Apke for a 33-yard gain. Lindsay rush, Sanders lined up wide right, motioned toward the ball pre-snap, and took an endaround handoff left into the open field. Sanders stiff-armed Apke, ran through a gaggle of Redskins defenders and bowled over cornerback Adonis Alexander for the score.
“It felt really good to be able to put together some plays like that,” said Sanders, who totaled 88 allpurpose yards through two quarters. “At the end of the day, I just want to catch the football, keep the chains moving and score some points. We were able to do that tonight.” To punctuate his first Broncos touchdown in 2018, Sanders dropped the football, sprinted to the back boundary and slid to the grass. Then, with both hands folded beneath the right side of his helmet, Sanders took a quick … nap?
“I just went to sleep when I went there,” Sanders said, and then smiled. “It was fun.”
Sanders, in his ninth NFL season, strung together three consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 yards receiving to begin his Broncos’ career (2014-16). A QB derby and ankle injury caused that production to drop significantly last season (555 yards receiving). Sanders’ confidence that Keenum will reignite his numbers stems from a long series of offseason baby steps building chemistry.
When Keenum made way for quarterback Chad Kelly and Denver’s second team after halftime, Sanders led all Denver receivers with eight targets — four more than second-place Demaryius Thomas.
Sanders, whose contract expires after the 2019 season, is set to receive a pay bump to $12.94 million in the final year of his deal. Add in a pair of highly touted rookie receivers in Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton, and the pressure is on for Sanders’ return to Pro Bowl form should he aim to remain in Denver.
Although you could never tell in Friday’s postgame locker room after a 29-17 victory.
“It’s definitely a boost,” Sanders said. “We know what we’re capable of doing, we’ve just got to keep working.”