Denver Broncos Player Profile: Demaryius Thomas

Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas has come a long way from being an 11 year-old hiding in his bedroom while police raided his Mother’s home. ESPN did an excellent piece on the Broncos receiver that you can read here:

ESPN.com ’s Eli Saslow on the life of Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas.

The piece outlines everything that happened and how much Thomas has overcome to get where he is, and I’m not here to tell you that story again.

However what the story does confirm is the fact that the Broncos must sign Thomas to a long-term deal after the season. It’s bothersome that a deal has not been done already but that’s in the past.

Thomas is everything you want a player to be and the Broncos cannot afford to let him go. I understand that John Elway and his staff have a difficult offseason in front of them with a number of key players set to hit free agency. Some of those players include: Julius Thomas, Chris Harris Jr., Orlando Franklin and many more.

There’s no way the Broncos can sign everyone and there are going to be some very good players that leave, but Thomas cannot be one of those.

If you read the ESPN story, then you would probably agree that Thomas had every reason to go down the wrong road. He had every reason to be bitter, distant or angry.

Instead Thomas is one of the few athletes in this day and age that truly gets it. He understands how lucky he is to be where he is and never takes it for granted. Peyton Manning has said many times that he’s never worked with a receiver who put in more time than Thomas, and Manning worked with Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne.

In an era where a lot of top flight receivers are considered divas and more concerned with their numbers than the number of wins their team has, Thomas is the opposite. He’s soft spoken and would much rather win a game, even if it meant zero receptions for himself.

Thomas got off to a slow start this season and all you heard for him was accountability. Not once did he blame the offensive coordinator for not getting him the ball, not once did he point the finger at Manning for failing to look his way. Thomas told everyone, including the media and the fans, that the slow start was his fault and he would put in the time to correct it. Since that point, no receiver has been better than Thomas.

When people around the league start talking about the best receivers in the NFL, Thomas does get mentioned but it is usually an afterthought. It’s not because they don’t think Thomas is an elite receiver, it’s because he never promotes himself.

Thomas represents everything and organization and a fan base should want in a star player. He’s supremely talented on the field, he’s humble off of it and he knows where he came from. Thomas also understands how fast it can all be taken away because he saw it happen to his family when he was a scared kid hiding in his bedroom.

It would be sad for fans if the Broncos were unable to sign J. Thomas or Harris Jr. but it would be a tragedy if Demaryius Thomas was allowed to leave via free agency.

Thomas is a great player but he’s even a better person and he’s the kind of player the Broncos want as a face of the franchise.