Denver Broncos depth chart prediction: Tight End

Denver Broncos depth chart prediction: Taking a look at the tight end position, featuring Virgil Green, Jeff Heuerman, and Garrett Graham…

With Julius Thomas departed to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Denver Broncos saw a major drop off in production from the tight end position, but seemed to always get it when they needed it most.

After losing Thomas to the Jaguars, the Broncos immediately signed Owen Daniels from the Baltimore Ravens, and then promptly re-signed Virgil Green, who was flirting with signing in Chicago. They seemed to pick up another 15-20 tight ends over the course of the offseason in a never-ending carousel.

That included the drafting of Ohio State tight end Jeff Heuerman in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft, but he was placed on injured reserve after tearing his ACL in the first practice of his Broncos career.

With Daniels and Green sharing the primary load, the Broncos lacked a true top flight weapon at the TE spot, and it was a huge issue for Peyton Manning and the offense as the year wore along.

In 2016, the makeover we’ve seen from the Broncos at tight end hasn’t been as drastic as many had initially predicted. There were a lot of folks predicting the Broncos would draft Arkansas tight end Hunter Henry with their first round pick, but we all knew that wasn’t John Elway’s M.O.

The Broncos will rely on a mixture of youth and veteran leadership, but perhaps a significant boost in athleticism to upgrade the TE spot this year. Let’s take a look at how the depth chart at this position will shake out over the course of the next couple of months.

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