Denver Broncos: What will Orson Charles’ role be?
Among a wave of roster transactions on Wednesday, the Denver Broncos signed tight end/fullback Orson Charles. How will the move affect the roster?
It is no secret that the Denver Broncos are hurting at some key positions.
With tight end Noah Fant out until week one, Jake Butt slowly returning from injury, and fullback Andy Janovich out for an extended period of time, the Denver Broncos went ahead and signed a player who can play both positions.
The Broncos claimed two players off waivers on Wednesday, and put two others on injured reserve. However, their roster moves did not end there.
The team announced the signing of tight end/fullback Orson Charles on Wednesday.
Charles was a fourth-round draft pick from the 2012 NFL Draft out of Georgia by the Cincinnati Bengals. He spent three seasons in Cincinatti before stints with the New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, and Cleveland Browns.
Unfortunately, injuries have hurt his career from taking off. He played in just two games for the Lions and five for the Chiefs.
It remains to be seen how Charles will be used in the Broncos’ offense, but as mentioned above, he is both a fullback and a tight end—positions of need for the Broncos.
In 2018 with the Cleveland Browns, Charles did not carry the ball at all. However, he did help Nick Chubb record 996 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 192 carries.
In 2017, Charles was the fullback for the Kansas City Chiefs. During that season, Kansas City’s star running back, Kareem Hunt, rushed for over 1,300 yards and eight touchdowns.
Now, for the Denver Broncos, Charles will compete with George Aston to become the featured fullback. Aston was initially the replacement for Andy Janovich.
It would not surprise me if Charles’ ability to play two positions gives him the upper hand over Aston.
Who knows? Maybe he outshines other players at the tight end position as well.
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It seems likely that Charles will even be a special teams player. The Broncos have struggled on that unit so far this preseason and could use more players to try out at that phase of the game.