The Denver Broncos knew that the tight end position needed some help heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, but perhaps due to the way the board fell, the Broncos weren't able to address the position until Day 3 with a pair of late-round selections.
Justin Joly from NC State and Dallen Bentley from Utah were the two drafted tight ends by the Broncos, and each does have a skillset that could land them some sort of role on the team as early as this year. However, the Broncos have a slew of incumbent tight ends to sort through, and it's pretty obvious that there will have to be some roster shaving at this position before the season begins.
With the final roster cutdowns still months away, Denver's tight end room is currently a beautiful mess of chaos.
Denver Broncos full tight end room following the 2026 NFL Draft
Obviously, but Joly and Bentley are not yet under contract, but when you factor them into the room, you'll get quite the list:
Evan Engram
Adam Trautman
Nate Adkins
Lucas Krull
Justin Joly
Dallen Bentley
Both Evan Engram and Adam Trautman both have guaranteed money on their contracts this year, so it's not likely that either is going anywhere, unless some sort of trade materializes, and the only way Denver may entertain trading one of the top two is either if they get a super strong offer, or if one of the rookies gets up to speed fast enough to bump someone else off the roster.
Joly's upside as a pass-catcher could give him a slim chance to perhaps get Engram out of the picture, but that still largely feels unlikely. Both Nate Adkins and Lucas Krull are hurt the most by the Joly and Bentley picks.
The Broncos can easily cut both players in the offseason, as their contracts are quite cheap. Adkins offers a bit as a blocker, but with Adam Prentice entrenched as the fullback, and both Trautman and Bentley having blocking upside, Adkins is clearly already on the outside looking in.
Krull's spot is even less safe, as he does have a nice receiving profile and is a large, athletic player, but only played in three games in 2025 due to injury. The Broncos could very well carry four tight ends into the season with Engram, Trautman, Joly, and Bentley.
Even with Bentley being a seventh-round pick, Denver did get someone who could be a true two-phase player as a receiver and blocker. In hindsight, it is a bit odd that the Broncos re-upped Trautman on a three-year deal given that Denver double-dipped at the position, but he did not get a ton of guarantees, so it was a rather cheap pact.
It's not a bad problem to have that the Broncos have a ton of tight ends in the room right now, but having this many could make the final roster decisions a bit tough, especially if one of the rookies shows out more than expected this offseason.
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