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The Broncos went into last season with Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders as their starting receivers. They traded Thomas during the season, and Sanders tore his Achilles’ late last season and continues to rehab.

That left rookie Courtland Sutton to assume the No. 1 receiver role in the final four games of last season. He averaged 6.3 targets, 3.5 catches and 36.5 yards per game.

“The No. 1 role, you can’t go into a game and have one or two catches,” Sutton said Tuesday, via Mike Klis of Denver’s 9News. “You have to go into a game and be that guy. I accept that role.”

Sutton, 23, finished his rookie season with 42 receptions for 704 yards and four touchdowns. The Broncos expect more from him this season.

“It’s a little different,” Sutton said of expectations for his second season, via video from Kyle Fredrickson of The Denver Post. “Coming in as a rookie, you’re just trying to feel it out. You don’t know what to expect. There’s nothing you can really dive through to say this is how I’m supposed to come into it. But having a year under my belt, I know what to expect from myself and what my teammates expect from me. I’m excited going into this season, knowing I’m going to get to be the No. 1. I’m going to get all that look and all that pressure. I’m excited about that. I want my teammates to look at me as that leader and that guy who is going to assume that role and take it and go with it.”