Denver Broncos: 7 most heated offseason position battles
3. Tight end depth
The Denver Broncos released veteran Nick Vannett prior to the 2021 NFL Draft. They let Troy Fumagalli and Jake Butt walk in free agency.
Albert Okwuegbunam is coming off of a season-ending knee injury. Noah Fant also dealt with injuries throughout the 2020 season.
To say the Broncos’ depth at the tight end position is a little shaky would be a fair statement at this point, though the upside of the Fant/Okwuegbunam duo is through the roof.
The Broncos need someone to step up throughout the offseason program as a legitimate third weapon, and the lack of that as a known presence right now was the catalyst for this article about a handful of tight ends George Paton could consider acquiring.
If the Broncos do not acquire any depth at the tight end position through free agency or trade in the next couple of months, the TE3 job is going to come down to one of the following players:
- Andrew Beck
- Austin Fort
- Eric Saubert
- Shaun Beyer
The Broncos’ roster currently lists Beck as a fullback/tight end, but he did not play a lot of tight end in 2020 despite the injury issues there.
If the Broncos go into the 2021 season with just three tight ends on the active roster, the smart money would be on Beck as the TE3 given he’s been a valuable special teams contributor. If they keep a fourth tight end, undrafted free agent Shaun Beyer seems to have about as good of a chance as anyone.
Beyer is a tremendous blocking tight end with untapped potential as a receiver, and he could keep the Denver Broncos’ tradition of undrafted free agents going.