Denver Broncos: Eric Saubert’s major edge for a roster spot
For any player on the back end of an NFL roster fighting for a 53-man spot, you’ll take whatever kind of edge you can get. For many NFL players and roster hopefuls like Denver Broncos tight end Eric Saubert, it’s a coaching connection that could end up being the difference between traveling all over the country to try out for teams all season and making significant contributions on game day every week.
The Denver Broncos made a relatively quiet move to sign Saubert to a one-year contract to compete for a roster spot behind superstar in the making Noah Fant and promising second-year player Albert Okwuegbunam.
Considering Okwuegbunam is coming off of a season-ending knee injury and Fant struggled with injuries himself in 2020, this third tight end spot for the Denver Broncos could wind up being a rather important one.
Over the course of a 17-game season, the reality of the situation is that a third tight end is going to play for you. Not if, but when.
No matter if that ends up being 200 snaps or 500, a guy like Saubert could win a roster spot and wind up playing a key role at some point in the season, even if just for a stretch of games.
Denver Broncos: Eric Saubert’s critical connection
Drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Drake, Saubert played in 30 games over his first two NFL seasons, primarily on special teams.
His usage in the Atlanta Falcons offense took a pretty big jump in the 2018 season, going from just 30 snaps as a rookie to 178 snaps as a sophomore. His special teams usage jumped from 212 snaps in 2017 to 292 in 2018.
If Saubert is going to make the Denver Broncos’ roster in 2021 after bouncing around the league a little bit from 2019-20, he is going to have to prove he’s still got whatever upside the Falcons saw in him in 2017 when they drafted him.
At the time, the Falcons’ tight ends coach was Wade Harman, who is now the tight ends coach for the Denver Broncos.
Stating the obvious, you can’t help but wonder what kind of influence Harman may have had in Saubert being brought in to fight for a spot on the team.
That connection to Harman, who also probably had a huge hand in Saubert being drafted back in 2017 in the first place, could wind up being a massive advantage as the rest of the offseason progresses.
That familiarity between player and coach cannot be overstated. It’s no coincidence that when Harman was let go by the Falcons after the 2018 season, Saubert was as well.
Harman was guiding Saubert’s development and has done the same for some really good tight ends in the league right now, obviously with Noah Fant but also former Falcons Pro Bowler Austin Hooper.
Having Saubert in the fold and playing at the level many thought he was capable of coming out of the 2017 NFL Draft would just add to the embarrassment of riches for the Denver Broncos at the offensive skill positions.