The Denver Broncos were able to post 21 points in their win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and based on what we have seen this season, that is doing something.
The Broncos improved to 3-5 on the season and while the offense is still miles away from being where it needs to be in order for this team to be a contender, a rookie tight end could end up being what helps turn things around.
Greg Dulcich has only played in three games this season but now that he is healthy, he has looked great. One has to wonder where the offense would be had he been available when the season kicked off.
Dulcich is the kind of tight end that Russell Wilson loves too. Looking back to his days with the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson frequently used his tight ends. He’s finding Dulcich and it is making the offense much more dynamic.
In three games, Dulcich has caught 12 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown.
He came up huge in a key drive on Sunday, catching three passes for 78 yards on an early third-quarter possession that gave the Broncos a 14-10 lead. It was one of the best drives Wilson has had with the Broncos and Dulcich was the piece that made it go.
What Dulcich brings is a player with surprising speed for his size who can stretch the field at the tight end position. Eric Saubert, Eric Tomlinson and Andrew Beck are not going to do that. Albert Okwuegbunam has been a healthy scratch for the past three games and could easily be moved ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline.
This is what the Broncos used a third-round pick on Dulcich for. It gives Wilson another big option in the passing game and having him on the field makes Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton and K.J. Hamler each more dangerous.
Is it possible that Dulcich was the piece this offense was missing?
Not entirely, as the offensive system that Nathaniel Hackett brought in is still not being totally grasped, it seems, but Dulcich brings an element that the Broncos did not have in close losses to the Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts.
It was good to see the Broncos end a four-game losing streak, perhaps preserving the job of Hackett in the process, but the most encouraging thing that came from the victory was arguably the play of Dulcich.