Denver Broncos: One way Noah Fant can get better in 2020
One way the Denver Broncos can increase Noah Fant’s effectiveness in 2020.
The Denver Broncos have a ton of weapons on the offensive side of the ball, and with the arrival of so many new players in 2020, 2019 first-round pick Noah Fant is getting overshadowed a bit.
Fant played in all 16 games for the Broncos as a rookie and he certainly had his share of rookie struggles.
The Broncos and former offensive coordinator seemed to want Fant to be something he wasn’t, often leaving him in for one-on-one pass protection assignments against veteran edge rushers and throwing him far too many passes well behind the line of scrimmage.
It’s kind of hard to believe Fant was targeted 66 times in his rookie season, and he did some serious damage with those targets, catching 40 passes for 562 yards (14.1 yards per catch) and three touchdowns.
Although every week of Fant’s rookie season was heavily scrutinized for the fact that Denver passed on linebacker Devin Bush to move down and select him, there’s no question that Fant’s dynamic athleticism is a piece in the Broncos’ offense that will be hugely important going forward.
He proved that on more than a few occasions in 2019, seemingly making at least a couple of big plays in the passing game every week despite some drops or issues in the blocking game.
One area Fant can dramatically impact the offense in 2020
What is one area the Broncos need to get Fant more high-percentage opportunities? The red zone.
Fant was a big-time weapon in the red zone during his three seasons with the Iowa Hawkeyes where he caught 19 touchdowns total.
Of his 19 touchdown catches as a Hawkeye, 13 of those came in red zone work.
That’s a pretty high percentage but it’s not surprising considering Fant’s size, athleticism, and the fact that Iowa absolutely favors the tight ends in the red zone passing game.
So what was Fant’s 2019 red zone production like in his first year with the Broncos?
Well, he had one red zone reception all year. Not coincidentally, it was a touchdown. You’ll recall his brilliant touchdown catch against the Houston Texans.
That kind of play is something a lot of Fant’s detractors didn’t think he was overly good at coming out of college, making a very difficult contested catch. There were also questions about Fant’s ability after the catch coming out of Iowa, something he squashed in a big way as a rookie in the NFL.
It’s ironic that Fant’s rookie season was full of plays where he utilized his athleticism and speed in the open field and that there were very few opportunities for him in red zone work.
Although Fant only had one red zone reception in 2019, he was targeted nine times. Not all of those targets were, well, on target, but there were missed opportunities on Fant’s end as well.
Fant needs to do more to use his size and athleticism to win contested-catch situations in the red zone, but I also think new offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur has to figure out ways to get Fant more opportunities in the red zone that are high percentage throws.
Next. 3 ways no preseason could benefit the Broncos. dark
Hopefully, Fant’s red zone work will increase substantially in 2020. His nine targets in the red area were second on the Broncos behind Courtland Sutton’s 19 targets. There’s nothing wrong with targeting Sutton in the red zone, but Fant’s touchdown total should double in 2020 if the Broncos use him wisely when they get inside the 20.