NUMBER FIVE: Emergence of the Tight Ends
Gary Kubiak didn’t necessarily get to run the type of offensive he would have liked to last season, as Peyton Manning was far more comfortable in three or four receiver sets, as opposed to the two-tight end sets that a Kubiak offense typically leans towards. However, there were times last year when the tight ends were featured heavily, most notably the Packers game, and the results were typically very favorable. Owen Daniels came on nicely in the second half of the season last year, Virgil Green certainly flashed his own moments as well, and the Broncos even traded for the former all-pro tight end Vernon Davis to get more out of the position group, but that never paid the dividends the Broncos hoped, and they didn’t consistently get the type of production the Kubiak so desired.
This season should prove to be a bit different, as the offense is going to rely far heavier on the running game out of two tight end sets, and utilize the middle of the field far more when they do pass by really featuring the tight ends. In 2015 the Broncos used a third round draft choice on Ohio State’s Jeff Heuerman who ended up tearing his ACL in the rookie mini-camp a year ago ending his rookie campaign before it ever got started. Towards the end of last season he was relatively healthy, and Peyton Manning raved about him as he used Heuerman to help him in his rehab back from his own injury. If Heuerman can be type of player who the
Broncos think he can, and that guy that Peyton had such fine words about, that is going to be huge for this team. Being able to lean on the tight ends will be huge for whichever quarterback ends up winning the starting job and will help this offense get to the level they would like to be at.
Next: Number Four