The Denver Broncos have been lacking a playmaking tight end for some time now. Since the Greg Dulcich experiment failed, the Broncos have tried the trio of Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins, and Lucas Krull to hold down the fort, but the group has not had much of an offensive impact.
Trautman is a pending free agent, and his return to the team feels to be a long-shot, given his lack of success and minimal impact. The Broncos have several different directions they could go to find their new starter.
Broncos have plenty of avenues to upgrade tight end in 2025
NFL Draft
This year's draft class seems to have at least four tight ends that evaluators and scouts believe can become starting NFL tight ends pretty quickly: Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren, Elijah Arroyo, and Mason Taylor. The Broncos are set to pick at 20th, meaning they could find themselves in a spot where multiple of these players are available to them.
All four of these tight ends fall within ESPN's top-50 players available in the draft, making it very likely that at least one is available at 20, or there could be a situation where Denver can move back to grab one and pile up more draft capital for this year and next.
Free Agency
The tight end class in free agency isn't incredibly deep, but there are definitely names worth monitoring. Solid names such as Juwan Johnson, the ageless wonder Zach Ertz, Tyler Conklin, and Austin Hooper are set to be the better names atop the market. None of them stand out as major game changers in Denver, but if the Broncos decide to identify their "joker" at wide receiver, adding a solid and reliable tight end might be the direction the team goes in.
If Denver, hypothetically, were to spend big and use premium draft capital at running back and wide receiver, adding the likes of a Johnson or Hooper as a solid starter who is more than fine as a 4th-ish option on offense is a completely fine plan.
Trade
On the trade market, a few tight ends figure to be available and obtainable for the Broncos. For one, Mark Andrews should be at the top of this list. Isaiah Likely has seemingly taken over the starting gig in Baltimore, and Andrews' playoff blunders might have marked the end of his time with the Ravens.
Andrews is still a strong tight end and seems to have more than enough juice left in the tank. Adding his massive frame inside and great receiving abilities could add a layer to the Broncos' offense that they are desperately missing. His 673 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns were both more than all Broncos tight ends had last year combined. Andrews would be a big-time addition to Denver and would likely turn them into a legitimate contender in the AFC.