With Noah Fant out, the Denver Broncos must unleash Albert Okwuegbunam.
The Denver Broncos could be without Noah Fant against the New England Patriots in their week five matchup due to an ankle injury, and it’s possible that he could miss some time beyond that as well.
As terrible as it sounds, the fact that Fant’s injury is not of the season-ending or even season-crippling variety is welcomed news. Injuries have absolutely ravaged the Denver Broncos’ roster so far in the 2020 season, opening up plenty of opportunities for other players to make an impact and impression on the coaching staff.
So far, we have yet to see rookie fourth-round pick Albert Okwuegbunam out on the field for the Denver Broncos, but this could be his opportunity to earn more snaps throughout the season.
As a matter of fact, the Denver Broncos should be getting ready to unleash Okwuegbunam on the New England Patriots.
It’s rare to have a tight end who is 6-foot-4, 250 pounds who can run a 4.5 or better in the 40-yard dash. The Denver Broncos presently have two.
Okwuegbunam was considered raw as a blocker coming out of Missouri, but obviously tremendous in the pass-catching department and very good at making plays in the red zone.
If Fant is considered ‘week-to-week’ with his ankle injury, what good reason would the Broncos have for not putting Okwuegbunam out there to try and be a mismatch in the passing game? Fant has been an integral part of the offense thus far, and so far, neither Jake Butt nor Nick Vannett (or Andrew Beck, for that matter) have proven to be anything even close.
Okwuegbunam at least profiles similarly in the athleticism department, and the Broncos are already short on weapons with obviously Fant out, Phillip Lindsay on the mend, Courtland Sutton out, and now KJ Hamler apparently re-aggravating his hamstring injury.
With Fant nursing an injured ankle, the timing is right for the Broncos to finally activate Okwuegbunam and get him some snaps against the Patriots. Not only some snaps, but the Broncos really need to incorporate him into the offense a bit and see if he can provide a spark.
Whether Brett Rypien or Drew Lock start at quarterback, we should get our first glimpse at Albert Ochocinco on Sunday against the Patriots.