The Denver Broncos have announce the signing of free agent tight end James Casey, formerly of the Houston Texans and the Philadelphia Eagles, to a one-year contract.
BREAKING: #Broncos and TE @jamescasey85 have agreed to terms on a one-year deal. pic.twitter.com/Mjj3aNtjtM
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) April 11, 2015
The Broncos had previously talked to Casey way back in early March when he was released from the Eagles, and the connection there is pretty obvious. Casey was drafted by the Gary Kubiak regime in Houston, and left for the Eagles when he saw a bigger opportunity within an offense and a new, hefty contract.
The Eagles decided they didn’t want to pay Casey that money after he was stuck behind Zach Ertz and Brent Celek on the depth chart.
A fit at tight end, h-back, and all units of special teams, Casey is going to be a nice veteran upgrade for the Broncos, who have seemingly solved all previous woes at the tight end position this offseason by adding Owen Daniels — another former teammate in Houston of Casey’s — and re-signing Virgil Green to go along with youngsters Joe Don Duncan, Dominique Jones, and Jeremy Kelley.
Casey graded out as one of the best special teams players on the Eagles last season, but didn’t have a great offensive showing statistically with the team. He’s a good blocker and a solid pass catcher, and will essentially replace what the Broncos would have liked from Jacob Tamme before he decided to leave for the Atlanta Falcons.
The signing of Casey also doesn’t factor into the Broncos’ compensatory pick formula for the 2016 NFL Draft, because he was released by the Eagles.