Denver Broncos rookie tight end Jeff Heuerman sadly tore his left ACL in the first rookie minicamp of the 2015 offseason after getting drafted in the third round of Ohio State. His injury occurred just one day after Jacksonville Jaguars rookie and third overall pick in the draft Dante Fowler Jr. had torn his ACL.
Now, Heuerman and Fowler have to embark on a journey of recovery through their rookie seasons instead of getting on the field and helping their teams that way.
Remember this day.. @dantefowler pic.twitter.com/bdABZMRtgT
— Jeff Heuerman (@JHeuerman86) May 27, 2015
Coming out of Ohio State, it’s clear that Heuerman is a physically gifted player that can be the type of seam-stretching, in-line blocking, ‘Y’ tight end that the Broncos need for Gary Kubiak’s offense, but getting him on the field will have to wait.
As this picture illustrates, Heuerman has a year ahead of rehab, recovery, watching, learning, and as Gary Kubiak stated — coaching.
Despite the injury, Heuerman appears to be in good spirits, at least.
Thank you for all the support recently, you don't know how much I appreciate it. God has a plan for us all. I'll be back stronger than ever.
— Jeff Heuerman (@JHeuerman86) May 11, 2015
It will be exciting to see this young tight end on the field. He has great athleticism for his size, and looks like a guy that could provide the Broncos with a red zone mismatch nightmare in the future. He’s probably not as fast as Julius Thomas, but he can scoot down the field.
Fortunately for Heuerman and his peer Fowler, the ACL surgery is not the end of the road. In fact, players have come back rather quickly from such injuries in recent years, specifically guys on the Denver Broncos. Von Miller’s 2013 season was cut short with an ACL injury, and he came back as good as he was in 2011-12 last season, grading out as Pro Football Focus’ 2nd best 4-3 outside linebacker.
Chris Harris Jr. tore his ACL in the playoffs in 2013, missing the Super Bowl, and came back by the start of last season and put together the best season of his NFL career, earning the 4th spot on PFF’s top 101 players and a massive contract extension from the Broncos.
So don’t worry, Jeff. We got your back.