Broncos officially throw in the towel on former 3rd-round pick Greg Dulcich

The Denver Broncos have been searching for a true "joker" for Sean Payton's offense since he arrived in Denver back in 2023. There was hope, at one point, that the role could be filled by 2022 third-round pick Greg Dulcich, a player who showed a lot of promise in his rookie year but had struggled badly to stay on the field due to injuries.

We didn't see Dulcich hardly at all in 2023 for the Broncos because of hamstring and foot issues. We barely saw him for the Broncos in 2024 and he was benched after the Broncos' close win against the New York Jets earlier this season. He hasn't seen the field since, and the Broncos have officially moved on.

Broncos open up roster spot by waiving tight end Greg Dulcich

Despite the fact that we've actually brought up this possibility for quite some time, the shock factor of seeing it actually happen is not lessened much. Dulcich was extremely promising as a rookie for the Broncos and showcased his ability to be a mismatch in the passing game immediately upon his insertion into the lineup.

Injuries apparently took their toll, and Dulcich just hasn't been the same player since that 2022 season.

Because Dulcich was waived after the NFL trade deadline, he -- along with every other player cut at this time of year -- is subject to the waiver wire. He has a relatively inexpensive contract and another super cheap year in 2024 on the books, so I would expect some team to take a shot on Dulcich despite his poor performance the last couple of seasons.

Dulcich was a third-round pick by the Broncos in the 2022 NFL Draft, a draft class that wasn't exactly known for its tight end class. Even so, Dulcich was considered the top prospect at his position by some in that class and he showed off big play ability all throughout his time at UCLA. Getting a guy who averaged 17.6 yards per reception and could run a 4.6 in the 40-yard dash while moving all over the offensive formation?

Dulcich kind of had "joker" traits written all over him. And there was some substantial hype in Dulcich's first offseason with the Broncos under Sean Payton, but he was curiously listed behind Adam Trautman on the initial depth chart. That was really our first sign that Dulcich was slowly (but apparently surely) falling out of favor with this coaching staff.

Despite George Paton's love for Dulcich and the fact that he's a fellow UCLA alum, the Broncos are moving on. Their remaining tight ends after cutting Dulcich are Trautman, Nate Adkins, and Lucas Krull with Donald Parham Jr. (who hasn't played yet) and Thomas Yassmin on the practice squad.

We could see an elevation this week for Donald Parham Jr., but the Broncos also have a closing window on players like wide receiver Josh Reynolds and edge rusher Drew Sanders. They will need to decide this week whether or not they are going to bring those guys back in 2024 or shut them down for the remainder of the season.

The Broncos also have used up all of their practice squad promotions for off-ball linebackers Zach Cunningham and Kwon Alexander. The limitations of the 53-man roster have become a "problem" for the Broncos, but a good problem because the lack of roster space means they have to cut guys like Dulcich in order to make room for other players

The search for a "joker" continues.