When the Denver Broncos drafted WR Eddie Royal they knew they had a player with a lot of upside, but they were mostly thinking of him in the return game. Well, things are starting to change. It looks as though Royal has a decent shot to get a lot of playing time as a WR this year and he might even be challenging for a starting spot!

This can only be considered good news to Bronco fans….and Jay Cutler. Royal has shown good hands, the ability to get open, and the ability to make plays after the catch. He has blazing speed, which is something much needed in the Denver offense.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves quite yet. What a player does in camp, and pre-season games, is not an absolute guarantee of future success, but with Brandon Marshall being suspended for the first two games of the season Royal has a chance to get a lot of playing time. And when a young, hungry, and gifted guy gets a chance to play early they really have a shot to have a big impact on the offense.

At one starting spot there will be Brandon Marshall, one of the top young receivers in the game. The slot will go to Brandon Stokely, so that leaves the number two WR position. Darrell Jackson has been banged up in training camp but he figures to be the number two guy to start the season. But since Marshall is suspended that means that Jackson moves to number one for a couple of games and probably gives Royal a shot at the number two spot.

What Royal has that the other Denver WR’s don’t have is SPEED…and plenty of it. He has great acceleration, great quickness, and he can make guys miss. What has surprised the Denver coaching staff is his ability to run routes and consistently make the catch.

A starting WR combination of Marshall, Royal, and Stokely would give Denver everything a good WR corps needs. The Broncos are building the offense around the immense talents of Jay Cutler, so it only makes sense to make sure he has the guys to throw to…and it looks like they found a gem in Eddie Royal. Time will tell for sure.

See the Broncos play this year!