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Denver Broncos: Looking at current starters on offense ahead of draft

By Travis Wakeman

HOUSTON, TX - DECEMBER 8: Dalton Risner #66 of the Denver Broncos walks to the sidelines in the second half of a game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on December 8, 2019 in Houston, Texas. The Broncos defeated the Texans 38-24. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - DECEMBER 8: Dalton Risner #66 of the Denver Broncos walks to the sidelines in the second half of a game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on December 8, 2019 in Houston, Texas. The Broncos defeated the Texans 38-24. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – NOVEMBER 17: Noah Fant #87 of the Denver Broncos runs the ball against Xavier Rhodes #29 of the Minnesota Vikings in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 17, 2019, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – NOVEMBER 17: Noah Fant #87 of the Denver Broncos runs the ball against Xavier Rhodes #29 of the Minnesota Vikings in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 17, 2019, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images) /

Starter: Noah Fant

There isn’t much mystery at the tight end spot as Noah Fant is a young, athletic tight end who came on at the end of the 2020 season and the hope is that he can take it to the next level this season.

Last year’s first-round pick, Fant, was third on the team with 40 receptions. Though he only found the end zone three times, he did average 14.1 yards per reception and has the speed and breakaway ability to be a dynamic piece on offense.

The fact that he and Lock can continue to grow together is great and we should expect to see this connection blossom and flourish over the years to come.

But Fant is not going to offer much in the way of blocking, meaning the team will have to keep a guy like Nick Vannett around to be that extra blocker in the running game and perhaps extra pass protector in certain sets.

The Broncos recently signed Vannett as a free agent, setting the stage for an interesting battle for a roster spot this summer between he and Jeff Heuerman. The Broncos also have Jake Butt and Troy Fumagalli on the roster, two guys they have used draft picks on in recent years.

At least one of them could be looking for work elsewhere too.

Heading into the draft, this is a spot where the team looks to have what it needs and that’s good because the tight end spot is one that doesn’t offer much in the upcoming draft.

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