'Above and beyond': Not satisfied with standard return, Courtland Sutton looks to push past 2019 success

[Miles]

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Courtland Sutton isn't concerned with getting back to his 2019 level of play.


He isn't looking to equal his 72 catches, 1,124 yards or six touchdowns from his second pro season.


As Sutton prepares to return from a 2020 ACL injury, he wants to be better.


"The way I've been attacking rehab, my mindset is to be able to come back and not be where I was when I got hurt," Sutton said Tuesday. "It's to be able to go above and beyond that. I know that it's there. I look at a list of other people who have had a similar injury and I look at the success that they've had post-surgery. It's there. It's all about how you attack the rehab and how your mindset is when you go into the rehab, the practices and the games. Just taking everything as, how can I get better in this situation? I don't see myself coming back and playing anything under the standard I've set for myself already."


That standard was impressive in 2019, as Sutton identified himself as one of the league's best receivers in just his second season in the NFL. The 2018 second-round pick made a living that year making acrobatic catches and snagging 50-50 balls out of the air.


In 2021, Sutton doesn't expect to lose any of the explosive athleticism that made him so difficult for cornerbacks to contain.


"I don't see myself coming back and having any setbacks, any hiccups or anything that I'll say, 'I can't do that in my game anymore,'" Sutton said. "I've been working my butt off in rehab and really attacking it so I can come back and not just be at the standard that I was before I got hurt. I'm trying to exceed that even more so. I don't see myself coming back and losing any of those things that I was able to do. If anything, we're going to be adding to that."


Sutton still has a few more steps before he is back to hauling passes in over defenders, but he has taken key steps in recent weeks as he's returned to the field. Head Coach Vic Fangio said Monday that Sutton didn't run routes during 7-on-7 drills, but Sutton has done individual work as OTAs begin.


"He's not doing everything," Fangio said. "I don't think he ran routes today in the 'skelly' periods. We're kind of easing him in. Some days he will and some days he won't. His rehab has been fantastic thus far. He's had a great attitude. I'll be surprised if he's not ready to go sooner than what the timetable might be. He's had a great offseason and he's had a great effect in the training room with the other guys that are rehabbing. He's been infectious in that way.


"Courtland is a stud, and it won't be long before he's out there."


And though he's not catching touchdowns quite yet, Sutton has appreciated being back on the field after eight months of rehab and several more still to go.


"It was a blessing, man," Sutton said of being back on the field. "For myself, I'm just grateful for the chance to be able to go back out there. I hear all the stories about how ACLs used to be career ending type of injuries. Then with technology, getting the surgery, seeing the progress day-to-day and month-to-month, seeing all these different things and being able to progress through. Being able to be out on the grass, doing individuals with the guys, being able to run routes with the guys and being able to be out there and just talk to them, coach them up and ask them, 'What made you do this here?' Just being able to be out there and be hands on with the dudes has been so much fun.


"It's definitely something that I'm very grateful for, for sure."