The Denver Broncos' preseason is in the books, but who ends up being the biggest loser from these three games? After a 3-0 preseason, the Broncos will now turn their attention to the roster cuts and then toward the regular season.
It was another productive preseason under Sean Payton, who is now in his third year with the Broncos. Denver has truly turned into a well-oiled machine and are flirting with contender status. A huge reason why this team has gotten here has been due to the smart offseason additions and NFL Draft additions Payton and the front office have made.
Well, much of their newly-acquired talent was on full display in the preseason, but there was absolutely a big 'loser' from this period, and he needs talked about a little bit.
Caleb Lohner was a massive disappointment for the Denver Broncos in the preseason
Sure, Lohner was a seventh-round pick of the Broncos' in the 2025 NFL Draft, but he was billed as being this former basketball player with an insanely high ceiling as a pass-catcher in the NFL, and many went as far as to say he was going to become a pretty quick threat for Denver in the red zone.
And it feels like the amount of plays Lohner made in the preseason could be counted on one hand. It's abundantly clear that he's not going to make the initial 53-man roster, as he could simply be stuffed on the depth chart for his rookie season.
Caleb Lohner had one reception for four yards in the Broncos' second preseason game and one reception for 23 yards in their last preseason game, but he was also wide open on that reception and really didn't have to do all that much.
Overall, you would have liked to have seen Lohner perhaps show a bit more as a pass-catcher, and maybe we're being too hard on the rookie? Not only is he learning to play tight end in the NFL, but he's learning to play the position overall. Maybe at this time next year, Broncos Country will be talking about Lohner being a breakout candidate, but for now, it does feel like he is the big loser of the preseason.