Broncos' Emmanuel Sanders: Expecting plenty of opportunities

Sanders expects the Broncos to get back to a pass-oriented offense under offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, Nicki Jhablava of The Denver Post reports. "I'm excited. I believe it's going to be a pass-happy offense," Sanders said. "I had the opportunity to play in this offense my first year here in 2014 and had 1,400 yards. Hopefully we can simulate that some type of way and put up points and score and help our defense. That's our goal."

Analysis:

McCoy served as the Broncos' offensive coordinator from 2009 to 2012 before passing his system on to Adam Gase, who directed the Denver offense in 2013 and 2014. Sanders joined the Broncos in 2014 and immediately enjoyed what still stands as his finest season, catching 101 passes for 1,404 yards and nine touchdowns on 141 targets -- all career-high marks. He fell far shy of those marks in Gary Kubiak and Rick Dennison's more run-oriented offense the past two seasons, but the change probably had more to do with quarterback play than scheme. While it appears Sanders will again have to catch passes from Trevor Siemian and/or Paxton Lynch, the return of McCoy -- in combination with an improved offensive line -- does justify optimism that Denver's passing game will take a big step forward from last season. Sanders should be healthy for offseason workouts, as he played in the Pro Bowl in late January despite injuring his foot in Week 17.