Predominantly Orange
FanSided

Available tight ends the Denver Broncos could consider

By Graham Tiedtke

DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 14: Safety John Johnson III #43 of the Los Angeles Rams intercepts a pass intended for tight end Brian Parker #89 of the Denver Broncos during the third quarter at Broncos Stadium at Mile High on October 14, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. The Rams defeated the Broncos 23-20. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 14: Safety John Johnson III #43 of the Los Angeles Rams intercepts a pass intended for tight end Brian Parker #89 of the Denver Broncos during the third quarter at Broncos Stadium at Mile High on October 14, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. The Rams defeated the Broncos 23-20. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

With the Denver Broncos losing Austin Fort to a torn ACL in Thursday’s preseason game vs the Seahawks, which free agent tight ends will the team consider?

The Denver Broncos have been cursed at the tight end position. Jake Butt cannot stay healthy (recovering from ACL surgery), Troy Fumagalli missed his rookie year due to injury, and Bug Howard is dealing with an ankle injury.

With the news that tight end Austin Fort tore his ACL in Thursday night’s preseason matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, the Broncos are running low at the position. Fort was having a nice training camp and would have had a strong case to make the final roster when teams had to be down to 53 players.

The Broncos are going to have to bring in a player or two to get through the remaining preseason games. So who is available?

Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is retired. His rights are owned by the Patriots, so even if he were to unretire, he would still have to play for New England or be traded or released. Not going to happen.

So, who else?

Dion Sims

Sims has not recorded the most glorious numbers throughout his NFL career. That is usually a sign of players doing something good that is not necessarily recorded in stats.

Sims is a solid blocker and the Broncos could use a blocking tight end.

In four seasons with the Miami Dolphins and two with the Chicago Bears, Sims has recorded nine receiving touchdowns on 91 receptions for 888 yards. He has played in 78 career games.

Antonio Gates

Antonio Gates was a great target for Phillip Rivers and the Chargers for so many years.

He caught 955 passes for 11,841 yards and 116 touchdowns for the Chargers in sixteen seasons.

Gates would definitely help the Broncos at tight end, especially because of Joe Flacco’s love for throwing the football to the tight end position. That right there could be the key to Gates deciding to join his former team’s divisional rival.

Brian Parker

If the name Brian Parker rings a bell for Broncos Country, that is because Parker played for the team in 2017 and 2018.

Parker has six receptions for 39 yards in his career, which began with the Chiefs in 2015. He also spent time with the New York Jets.

If you don’t recall his name, that’s understandable, too. He was not a household name but was solid as a blocker and could help in that department to allow Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman to have a great second season in the NFL.

dark. Next. Reactions from Broncos preseason loss to Seahawks

Jermaine Gresham

Gresham was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010 and spent the last four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals.

He has 377 receptions for 3,752 yards and 29 touchdowns in his career. While he is not a great blocker, he would be a great addition because, yes, Joe Flacco’s love for throwing to tight ends.

Home/Broncos News