Entering OTAs, there was some premature hope that third-year tight end Greg Dulcich would at least be able to participate in a limited capacity during the team's activities. However, instead, Dulcich was seen working on the side field during the team's first week of OTAs. Is this going to become a long-term issue for the young tight end out of UCLA? Sean Payton did mention Dulcich is "close" to a return and should begin practicing "sooner than later".
Greg Dulcich didn’t practice today but is progressing well, and Sean Payton believes it’s not a situation where he won’t be back until training camp. pic.twitter.com/Ev3ShTOsGi
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) May 23, 2024
Dulcich continues to rehab from the same hamstring injury that has caused him to miss 22 total NFL games through the first two seasons of his career. The 24-year-old athlete with loaded potential has only appeared in just 12 games. In those 12 games, Dulcich has caught 36 passes for 436 yards with Russell Wilson throwing him the football. If you take away from his last game in 2023 where he only received a few snaps, Dulcich is averaging just below 40 receiving yards per game that he appears in. Now imagine what those numbers could look like in a full season under Sean Payton and rookie quarterback Bo Nix.
Denver's front office and coaching staff clearly believe in his talent and ability at the tight end position considering their decision to not elect to draft a tight end in each of the last two seasons, despite his injury history. This clearly indicates that they have high hopes and plans for his role in the team's offense in 2024, however, the only catch is his availability. Second-year tight end Lucas Krull shined during the team's first week of OTAs as he stole the headlines with "multiple" catches during team periods.
Considering Payton's high praise for Krull coming out of the first week of OTAs now is the time for Dulcich to return and prove he is worthy of a starting role. Availability is always the best ability and Krull is already way past Dulcich in that department.
Now that Krull is exceeding expectations on the field, Dulcich will most certainly have to make a return soon in time for mandatory minicamp to remind coaches of his ability as the team's No. 1 option.