3 moves the Denver Broncos could live to regret in 2022

DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 31: Tight end Noah Fant #87 of the Denver Broncos runs onto the field before a game against the Washington Football Team at Empower Field at Mile High on October 31, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 31: Tight end Noah Fant #87 of the Denver Broncos runs onto the field before a game against the Washington Football Team at Empower Field at Mile High on October 31, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /
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Denver Broncos offseason: O.J. Howard #80 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers runs with the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on October 14, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

The Denver Broncos may regret this in 2022…

3. Not making a more substantial move at TE in free agency

This year’s free agent tight end crop was deep. Because of its depth, it should have been widely expected to be a very team-friendly market, and it was.

Other than a number of players getting franchise tagged (Mike Gesicki, Dalton Schultz, and David Njoku), there were only two tight ends who signed for higher than $6.75 million average annual value in free agency.

The Denver Broncos did sign one, to be fair, when they brought in blocking specialist Eric Tomlinson on a one-year deal.

That’s not going to cut it.

It’s reasonable for the team to put faith in Albert Okwuegbunam after trading away Noah Fant, but the idea that Okwuegbunam is not going to have any substantial veteran competition is unsettling.

Seeing a player like former first-round pick OJ Howard sign with the Buffalo Bills — who already had Dawson Knox on the roster — for just $3.5 million was painful.

More proven veterans like Gerald Everett and Austin Hooper only got $6 million on the open market.

Again, it was a team-friendly offseason at tight end.

The options available at this point are slim and most are older. The Broncos’ sights are clearly set on the 2022 NFL Draft and they must feel that someone in this class is ready to play day one for them in 2022.