Denver Broncos: Jake Butt making substantial progress in practice

Jake Butt has been slowly, surely making his way back onto the field and into team activities after some ‘potholes’ in his recovery process.

Denver Broncos tight end Jake Butt’s talent and potential have always been evident and abundant.

His inability to stay on the field, however, has been concerning.

That’s why it’s so important that, as Butt worked so hard on what he said has been one of the hardest hurdles for him to clear mentally, he continues to make progress in practices working towards a clean bill of health.

On Monday, Butt was back working in 7-on-7 drills with no setbacks. Check.

On Tuesday, Butt was back and working in 11-on-11 drills. The team wasn’t in full pads, but the former fifth-round pick and All-American out of Michigan was working with the number one offense as well.

Butt’s return to practice could not have come at a better time, both for him and for the team in general.

You hate to see injuries in any way, shape, or form, but the Broncos lost rookie free agent Austin Fort to a knee injury in their second preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks when he landed awkwardly after catching a pass from Drew Lock.

Fort was poised to potentially take Jake Butt’s roster spot prior to his injury, and with Butt getting back onto the field just as Fort is beginning his road to recovery, plans have drastically changed.

It should come as no surprise that Butt is working in with the number one offense. This guy is a phenomenal player but hasn’t been able to consistently prove it at the NFL level because of his knee injuries.

His lengthy history of injuries is concerning. The fact that it seems his knees are so fragile is also very concerning. However, when the Broncos go to put together a 53-man roster, if Butt is healthy he should be on it.

As a matter of fact, he was on my latest projection as the TE4 but he could easily be TE2 when he gets back into the groove of things.

Does Butt have to play in the preseason to make the team? Not necessarily, according to head coach Vic Fangio.

Butt played in three games last year for the Broncos and made eight catches. He was injured in practice and coming back from this most recent injury has proven to be tougher than he anticipated.

But that doesn’t mean he’s not working hard when he’s not in practice, and the Broncos don’t seem frustrated with him or eager to replace him.

Hopefully Butt will get the chance to play some in the preseason but it seems doubtful he would play in the team’s next game against the San Francisco 49ers. They will need to see him put together a string of practices before putting him in live action, but it seems Butt is closing in on an official return date.