The Denver Broncos’ position battle at tight end got quite interesting when the team chose to cut ties with Jeff Heuerman last week.
After five seasons with the team, Heuerman was released. The free-agent signing of Nick Vannett this offseason coupled with the way teams are having to trim rosters at an unusual rate due to the uncertain times we currently live in spelled doom for Jeff Heuerman.
The former third-round pick will now have to look elsewhere while the Broncos go in a new direction at tight end.
Though Heuerman’s release wasn’t completely surprising, the timing of it caught many off guard. The team hadn’t even had a training camp practice yet but it had determined that Heuerman was no longer part of the plan.
The fact that his contract was a little high and the addition of Vannett made that decision much easier.
So what does the future hold at the tight end position and more specifically, which player on the roster will benefit the most from Heuerman’s release?
Noah Fant and fourth-round pick Albert Okweugbunam will make the roster and fullback/tight end Andrew Beck most likely will too. How many more tight ends will the Broncos keep on the roster?
Jake Butt, Troy Fumagalli and Austin Fort are the other tight ends on the roster and any of them could step up and make a statement with Heuerman out of the picture. All of those guys could be on the same level this summer, despite their draft status.
However, the guy that likely benefits the most, at least as of right now, is probably Butt. After all, he could have been given his release papers just as easily as Heuerman was.
Butt has been a total disappointment since turning professional, mostly because he can’t stay on the field. In three seasons, he’s played in a total of three games and has eight career receptions.
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But even with all of that, he’s still on the roster.
Butt was one of the best tight ends in the nation during his college days at Michigan, winning the Ozzie Newsome Award in 2015 and the John Mackey Award in 2016. An ill-fated injury in his final college game has so far led to worse injury luck in the pros, but the Broncos clearly still see some upside and believe he could help at some point.
Fumagalli and Fort are guys who could easily leap over Butt on the depth chart, mainly by being available, but from a sheer talent standpoint and the ability to play the tight end position, Butt is the best of the bunch.
With Heuerman gone, a huge spot is open for someone to slide into. Butt needs to make the most of that opportunity because he likely won’t get another one.