Broncos tight end Eric Saubert finally scores his first NFL TD

Denver Broncos backup tight end Eric Saubert has put in some good work this season and was rewarded with his first career touchdown vs. the Chargers.

Denver Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater may never admit that he was trying to get the ball to Noah Fant on this play, but who he was targeting doesn’t matter.

What matters is that tight end Eric Saubert came down with his first career touchdown in the NFL at a very critical time.

We called for the Broncos to get tight ends more red zone targets, and the team obliged.

Touchdown was a long time coming for Broncos TE Eric Saubert

Saubert was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round all the way back in the 2017 NFL Draft. At the time, the Falcons’ tight ends coach was Wade Harman, who is the current Denver Broncos tight ends coach.

That connection certainly helped Saubert land a job in Denver in the offseason but he had to go out and earn a 53-man roster spot in the Summer, and he did just that.

Saubert has proven himself to be a very solid blocking tight end and the Broncos have utilized him in the passing game every now and again. He has a career-high eight receptions this season, none more meaningful than the one reception for one yard he had against the Chargers.

Saubert’s touchdown catch came after a Pat Surtain II interception, a play that turned the tide in this game for the Denver Broncos and may have turned the tide on the entire season.

Talk about a game-changer.

The Denver Broncos have been one of the league’s worst red zone teams through 11 games and this third-and-goal play to Saubert may have been the difference between winning and losing, even if Denver would have been able to kick a field goal to go up 10 points at the time.

With the Chargers’ quick-strike offense, field goals weren’t going to cut it in this game, and the Broncos cashed in on red zone opportunities.

The Broncos had all four of their active roster tight ends on the field for this particular play, including tight end/fullback Andrew Beck. The Chargers weren’t fooled by the formation and nearly got to Teddy Bridgewater anyway, who made an outstanding play to avoid a Joey Bosa pressure and get the ball to the open Saubert.

For the former fifth-round pick out of Drake, this play had to feel incredible. It was a sign of trust that he was on the field in the first place, the fact that he’s bounced around the NFL and even as a fifth-round pick, sort of “failed” to live up to the potential many saw in him back in 2017 coming out of college.

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With Denver, Saubert has been a key role player and someone the team should be looking to keep around beyond this season.