Get to know new Denver Broncos TE Matt LaCosse
The Denver Broncos are in search of productivity at the tight end position, and they poached Matt LaCosse off the Giants practice squad to find it…
The Denver Broncos have not been able to find consistently good play at the tight end position, and they are getting a little more creative in their methods. The team appeared to make an unofficial trade with the New York Giants as the Broncos poached tight end Matt LaCosse off of New York’s practice squad, while the Giants snatched Hunter Sharp away from Denver.
Both Sharp and LaCosse have appeared on their respective teams’ active rosters this season, and now will be making regular season debuts in their new colors.
Sharp, interestingly enough, joins fellow former Broncos receivers Kalif Raymond and Tavarres King in New York. He showed well in the preseason and did a good job as a punt returner when called upon in the Broncos’ shutout loss against the Chargers.
As for LaCosse, the subject of this piece, the Broncos are getting a player that showed tremendous athletic upside when he was an undrafted free agent of the New York Giants back in 2015.
Playing his college ball at Illinois, the Chicago native saw limited opportunities in the passing game but caught six touchdown passes over his final two seasons.
LaCosse was on the Giants’ practice squad for most of the 2015 season before being signed to the active roster for two games, one in which he caught the first three passes of his career.
He spent the 2016 season on injured reserve and despite being an offseason star for the Giants couple of times, he’s been unable to stay healthy enough to make much of a regular season impact to this point.
Here’s what former Giants head coach Ben McAdoo had to say about LaCosse when he was making plays in training camp:
"“He is a big target down there in the green zone. Matchup-wise he gives you that length that you are looking for, he can run and he is a functional blocker. So he has a nice skill set.”Ben McAdoo, ESPN"
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LaCosse checked in at the Illinois pro day at 6-foot-6, 257 pounds, which is very good size for a tight end, and he ran a 4.71 second 40-yard dash, with 20 bench press reps. Also very good numbers.
Athletically and physically, LaCosse is pretty much how you would draw up a tight end. He has the ability to play in-line but is definitely more the type of player you split out and create mismatches in the passing game with.
Perhaps the Broncos are seeking from LaCosse what they did not get from A.J. Derby in that regard.
LaCosse’s most productive professional game to this point was a preseason performance against the New England Patriots this year when he caught five passes for 80 yards and two scores. Take a look at his touchdowns from that game:
This isn’t LaCosse’s first run-in with the Denver Broncos, either. Back in 2015, he worked out for Denver during their bye week.
So, this is a guy that has obviously been on the team’s radar for quite some time, and they are just now finding the fit to bring him in officially.
Prior to his injury in 2016, LaCosse was competing for a starting job with the Giants. This guy has some ability, and perhaps we’ll get to see some of that pass-catching prowess on display in the final three weeks of the season.
The Broncos need to find out what kind of depth they have at the position, so it’ll be fun to see how involved they can get this guy right away.