DENVER — KUSA – Quick, who led Broncos tight ends in receptions last year?
A.J. Derby.
Hard to believe as Derby was waived with seven games left in the season after he had 19 catches. The previous year, in 2016, Virgil Green led Broncos tight ends with 22 catches.
Meanwhile, Kansas City’s Travis Kelce had 83 catches for 1,038 yards and 8 touchdowns last season. In case you were wondering where the Chiefs had the greatest advantage on the Broncos in recent years.
There were 22 tight ends who had at least 40 catches last year. The Broncos must stop lagging behind the rest of the league at this position.
In Jeff Heuerman and Jake Butt, the Broncos are counting on two young players to break out this season.
The Big Ten will be watching. Heuerman is a third-round pick from Ohio State who battled injuries his first two seasons before flashing some promise last year. Butt is a fifth-round tight end from Michigan who missed his rookie season last year to recover from surgery to repair a torn ACL suffered during his senior year bowl game.
With the Broncos holding their first training camp practice Saturday, 9NEWS continues its positional preview with a look at the tight end position.
Overview: The Broncos created playing time for Heuerman and Butt by not bringing back seven-year veteran Virgil Green, who became a free agent and signed with the division-rival Chargers.
Heuerman will start as the in-line, every-down tight end. While Butt can eventually become an every down tight end, he may begin the season in the receiver role.
The Broncos added a third Big Ten tight end to their room as they drafted Wisconsin’s Troy Fumagalli in the fifth round. He missed the offseason to recover from a sports hernia surgery.
Strength: There is young talent at this position with loads of potential. Butt had an encouraging offseason and new quarterback Case Keenum threw to his tight last year, Kyle Rudolph, in Minnesota. Rudolph had 57 catches and eight touchdowns.
Question mark: The most experienced tight end, Heuerman, hasn’t played much as he’s been in for 25.1 percent of the offensive snaps the past two years.
Pro Bowl material: Many believe Butt can be a Pro Bowl-caliber tight end if he can stay healthy. And Heuerman could emerge as a solid two-way player.
Sleeper: Austin Traylor. Another Wisconsin product, he got some playing time in the second half of last season, catching four passes against Cincinnati and hauling in a 34-yard reception against Oakland.
Given the injury histories of Heuerman, Butt and Fumagalli, Traylor needs to hang in there.
