Uptight: How TE’s can help the Broncos offense
By Aric Manthey
Player: Owen Daniels
Sep 27, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Denver Broncos tight end Owen Daniels (81) warms up prior to the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Experience: 10th year (1st with Broncos)
Career stats: 445 receptions, 5,205 yards, 35 TD’s
How he fits into the offense: Daniels’ pro career can be best summed up as “Kubiak’s teachers pet”. Going into his 10th year in the league, he has spent every one of those years in a Kubiak led offense. Although he may not give you top end athleticism or catching ability at his age, he is a savvy and experienced player that can be relied upon to be at the right place at the right time. For an offense led by Peyton Manning, someone who is a strong advocate of knowing the offense and your proper assignments, this is a huge advantage for Daniels.
His experience is clearly indicative of his playing time, leading all of the tight ends in targets so far this season. Now how could he help this offense? Quite frankly, I think the best way for him to help the offense would be to continue to do what he’s doing, except be more consistent. It appears that he has been the go to receiving tight end, often lining up in the slot.
Despite his high number of targets, he has had quite a few passes get away from him. If he can regain some sort of consistency with his catches, I think he will immediately re-establish himself as a weapon in this offense.
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