Denver Broncos: First 55-man roster prediction for 2020

Tight ends

Noah Fant, Albert Okwuegbunam, Nick Vannett (3)

The Broncos have seven tight ends on their roster right now, and the question is, how many are they going to keep?

There are going to be plenty of cuts at this position. I have the keeping three: second-year guy Noah Fant, rookie Albert Okwuegbunam, and newly-signed Nick Vannett.

Fant improved as the season went on and he got more comfortable, despite having three different quarterbacks throughout the 2019 season. Now he will have a chance to shine with just one guy throwing the ball to him.

Nick Vannett was signed by the Broncos this offseason. He figures to be a solid blocking tight end. Vannett has had a decent career, previously with the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers, but don’t expect much from him in terms of statistics.

Okwuegbunam was a mid-round pick by the Denver Broncos just last weekend. What gives him an advantage is that he played with Drew Lock at Missouri, so the two are familiar with each other.

The Broncos contacted Drew Lock and asked about Okwuegbunam before pulling the trigger and drafting him in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

As for the cuts, gone are Jake Butt, Jeff Heuerman, Troy Fumagalli, and Austin Fort. Butt and Heuerman have had injury issues in the past. Specifically Butt, I feel as if the Broncos are probably growing tired of waiting around to see if he can stay healthy.

If Denver does keep four tight ends, Austin Fort is not a player I would sleep on. He could have a solid chance of making the team. He showed some nice things for the team before he was lost for the season with an injury.