ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — If nothing else, Jake Butt has proven he carries an enormous capacity for suffering.
There’s been little else to show for his three years with the Broncos, and yet Butt continues to toil for a fourth season.
He had a heartbreaking second torn ACL injury in his final college game for Michigan – deciding to play in a bowl game as other top NFL prospects were choosing to opt out of their team's finale -- that caused his draft stock to fall to the first pick of the fifth round. Yet, he didn’t quit.
He missed his rookie year before he fully recuperated, played in three games in his second season for the Broncos in 2018, then suffered a torn ACL for a third time during a non-contact, special teams drill in practice. He still didn’t quit.
His third ACL recovery took longer than expected and he missed not only the final 13 games of 2018, he sat out all of last season. Still, no quit in Jake.
As George Kittle, taken one pick after Butt in the 2017 draft, built up his resume until he received a record $15 million a year deal from San Francisco, Butt continued the lonely grind through rehab hour after hour, day after day, year after year. Still, Butt perseveres.
Healthy enough to give it another go for training camp in 2020, Butt was seen catching a few passes Monday in the Broncos’ first padded practice, including one from No. 1 quarterback Drew Lock.
“There’s nobody in our locker room that doesn’t want to see Jake Butt succeed,’’ Lock said in a Zoom media call Monday. “One of the best teammates that we have in this locker room. For him to push and grind through all the injuries he’s had, for him to come out—he reported early with us, right from the get-go I could tell.
“He’s not 100 percent back to normal. Obviously, you can never get back to normal after a knee [injury], but he’s as close as you can possibly get after having those surgeries. The guy is playing some really good ball. He’s super smart and little more athletic than people give him credit for.’’
It won’t be easy for Butt to make the Broncos’ 53-man roster no matter how well his recovery is viewed. Three tight end spots are already secured for Noah Fant, Nick Vannett and fourth-round rookie Albert Okwuegbunam. A fourth spot will go to Andrew Beck, a fullback/tight end hybrid.
The Broncos are unlikely to keep five tight ends, but if they do, it would go to either Butt or Troy Fumagalli, who is also having a nice camp. Butt does have practice squad eligibility – just about everybody does with the new and amended collective bargaining agreements – which could be a nice option as he continues to recoup his overall strength, flexibility and athleticism.
At some point, though, the football gods have to reward such resolve – both by Butt and the Broncos’ brass for sticking with him through all his injury-riddled disappointment. It says something about his character and talent potential that the Broncos have continued to hold out hope for Butt so long as he does in himself.
“I think Jake is way ahead of where he was last year at this time,’’ said Broncos head coach Vic Fangio during his Zoom media call Monday. “To quote him, he feels the best he’s felt in a long, long time. I think he’s looked good out there not just today but all the days he’s been out there. He had a great offseason. Hopefully, we’ll see the real Jake Butt here this season.”
