Wide receiver Bennie Fowler III has spent the last two seasons with the Broncos, offering tantalizing glimpses of raw ability at times. When the Broncos drafted receivers Carlos Henderson and Isaiah McKenzie in the spring, Fowler understood that his promise had to turn into production.
Over the summer, Fowler lost 15 pounds after switching to a vegan diet, and the 26-year-old Michigan State product continued to turn heads during offseason workouts, training camp, and the preseason. In the Broncos’ season-opening win over the Chargers, he turned heads once more.
Fowler’s wildly athletic catch of a Trevor Siemian pass in the back of the end zone was good for a five-yard touchdown — and the first score of the game. In the third quarter, Fowler would nab a second touchdown from Siemian; a bullet through traffic that might have represented the third-year quarterback’s finest throw as a Bronco.
While fellow receivers — and Pro Bowlers — Demaryius Thomas (five catches for 67 yards) and Emmanuel Sanders (three-for-26) may have had slightly more impressive yardage totals, Fowler’s three catches for 21 yards and the pair of scores had the Broncos on cruise control. Siemian’s faith in Fowler had built up throughout the game, and in the fourth quarter, the quarterback tossed to Fowler once more. This one didn’t go as planned.
Fowler was being ridden to the ground by Chargers rookie Desmond King; an obvious case of pass interference that wasn’t noted by the officials. Siemian’s pass bounced off the feet of both Fowler and King as the two tumbled to the ground, and landed in the arms of Los Angeles’ Adrian Phillips, who sparked the Chargers’ thrilling, but ultimately futile, comeback.
Of course, that interception was neither Siemian nor Fowler’s fault, and as the Broncos continue to hunt for a reliable, third wide receiver, Fowler — who doubled his career touchdown totals on Monday night — looks to have stepped to the front of the line.
