3. Emmanuel Sanders
Age At Signing: 27 Contract: 3 years / $15 million ($6 million guaranteed)
Best Season Before Denver: 67 receptions; 740 yards; 6 touchdowns (2013, Steelers)
Best Season In Denver: 101 receptions; 1,404 yards; 9 touchdowns (2014)
What he’s done: This one came down to Emmanuel Sanders and Wes Welker. In the end, I went with Sanders for two reasons: (1) He was cheaper and (2) he was simply better.
While Welker is the one that will likely be going into the Hall of Fame, and while Welker is the one that helped power the greatest offense in NFL history, the numbers don’t lie. Sanders’ two years in Denver have been much more effective than Welker’s:
Sanders: 177 receptions; 2,030 yards; 15 touchdowns
Welker: 122 receptions; 1,242 yards; 12 touchdowns
Not to mention, Sanders is an absolute blast to watch. And unlike Welker, whose game dropped off significantly in his second year, if Sanders had just had a competent quarterback situation, I have no doubt that he could have matched his ’14 numbers.
And at the price of $5 million a year, 26th highest amongst all wideouts, I’d say Denver is getting a steal.
