Many have pegged Greg Dulcich as a breakout candidate for the Denver Broncos in the 2023 NFL season. An NFL.com writer seems to think that Dulcich could even make the Pro Bowl this year. I think the Denver Broncos getting some above-average production from their tight end unit in 2023 would make the receiver deficiencies much easier to deal with.
The TE room got a total makeover this offseason. Sean Payton decided this unit needed to be better, so he signed Chris Manhertz, a solid blocking tight end, to a two-year deal. He also traded for Adam Trautman, a TE formerly of the New Orleans Saints. An undrafted player, Nate Adkins, also made the roster at tight end, and the team decided to ship Albert Okwuegbunam to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Broncos' TEs look to be solid on paper, but none of Trautman or Dulcich have yet proven much in the NFL. However, many have looked at Greg Dulcich, a second-year player from UCLA, as a potential breakout candidate in 2023. In 2022, Dulcich's rookie season, he actually had some very good production when you consider the offense he was playing in.
Here's what Kevin Patra had to say about Dulcich:
"The fact that Jerry Jeudy is already dealing with a hamstring issue makes me skittish about including the former first-round pick on this list. Jeudy's injury, however, could open the door to more playmaking opportunities for Dulcich to streak to the forefront. It's pure projection to predict Dulcich will make a massive leap after catching 33 passes for 411 yards and two TDs in his rookie season. But the talent is there. The TE owns dynamic run-after-catch and vertical ability to become a force in Sean Payton's offense. With depth questions at receiver, Dulcich could earn more targets early in the season on his way to a breakout sophomore campaign."Kevin Patra
The fact that the Denver Broncos' wide receivers are already getting hurt, could definitely open up more chances for the tight ends to make something happen in the receiving game. Last year, in 10 games, Dulcich caught 33 passes for 411 yards and two touchdowns. If we take his 2022 numbers over a 17-game season, this is what we would have gotten:
56 receptions, 699 yards, 3 touchdowns
When you consider how bad the offense was in 2022, those are pretty impressive numbers. Couple that with the Broncos hopefully having better injury luck and a more efficient offense, it's easy to see how people are viewing Dulcich favorably in 2023.