The Denver Broncos have added yet another player to a growing tight end room.
The Broncos used a third-round pick to select UCLA tight end Greg Dulcich in last week’s NFL Draft but it seems that general manager George Paton wanted a little bit more stability at the position.
On Wednesday, the team decided to re-sign Eric Saubert, who was still sitting on the free-agent market.
Eric Saubert was used mainly as a blocking tight end during his first season with Broncos
In his lone season with the Broncos last year, Eric Saubert caught eight passes for 47 yards and one touchdown. He has also spent time with the Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars in his career.
Saubert will not be used as a primary receiving target for this team, but he adds depth and experience and he can be a quality blocker in the running game.
Heading into the draft, the Broncos had just four tight ends on the roster – Albert Okwuegbunam, Eric Tomlinson, Andrew Beck and Shaun Beyer. Now, the team has eight.
Along with the selection of Dulcich, the Broncos also signed Dylan Parham and Rodney Williams as undrafted free agents. Saubert brings the number to eight and it will be a crowded room.
Okwuegbunam is set to be the starting tight end. Entering his third year, the team will likely have high expectations from him after trading Noah Fant to the Seattle Seahawks. Dulcich will be mixed in as a receiving tight end and the team will look for the best blocking options beyond those two, which will likely be a battle between Saubert, Beck and Tomlinson.
The Broncos have signed many of their own free agents this offseason including Melvin Gordon, Kareem Jackson, Josey Jewell and DeShawn Williams. Saubert is the latest addition to that list.
Just ahead of the draft, the Broncos worked out veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph, leading to speculation that the team would certainly sign him with their situation at that spot so thin. Instead, Paton has gone a different route and created quite a bit of competition in the process.