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Broncos brick, mortar, and scrap: Tight end overview

By Aric Manthey

DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 1: Linebacker Kyzir White #44 of the Los Angeles Chargers defends a pass in the end zone intended for tight end Noah Fant #87 of the Denver Broncos during the first quarter at Empower Field at Mile High on December 1, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 1: Linebacker Kyzir White #44 of the Los Angeles Chargers defends a pass in the end zone intended for tight end Noah Fant #87 of the Denver Broncos during the first quarter at Empower Field at Mile High on December 1, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /
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Jeff Heuerman Broncos
HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 8: Jeff Heuerman #82 of the Denver Broncos runs a pass in for a touchdown during the first half of a game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on December 8, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

Jeff Heuerman

Despite going to his sixth year as a Bronco, Heuerman’s 2020 status on the roster could be in a state of flux. Honestly, it comes down to how you view him and how you think he fits into the new offense run by Pat Shurmur.

Since coming to Denver in 2015, Heuerman has shown great ability as a blocker and the occasional clutch play in the passing game.  While it’s nice to have a good blocking TE, it may be hard to warrant keeping Heuerman, for a variety of reasons.

  1. His projected salary for the 2020 season is just under $4.4 million (with only 500,000 in dead cap). That’s a good chunk of change for a guy who’s averaged a dozen catches and 1 TD per season in his tenure as a Bronco.
  2. Pat Shurmur’s offense historically likes to run 3 WR sets. If that pattern continues in Denver, that means far less of the TE’s on the field. With Fant’s obvious status as the #1 TE, it may be hard for Heuerman get the sufficient amount of snaps to warrant a roster spot.
  3. Finally, the emergence of young depth in Andrew Beck and Troy Fumagalli may make Heuerman more vulnerable in terms of cuts.

At this point, it’s hard to say what will happen to Heuerman. It’s too early in the offseason to say how he’ll be utilized in this offense.

If I had to guess right now, I think he may do enough to stick for another year. With that said, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a cap casualty come this summer.

2020 Status: Mortar

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