Former Michigan tight end Jake Butt tore his ACL in his final bowl game before entering the NFL draft. That was the second time Butt had torn his ACL while in college. He was selected by the Broncos in the fifth round of the 2017 draft and sat out his rookie season as he recovered from the injury.
Butt made his NFL debut last season, catching 8 passes for 85 yards through his first three games of the season. He then tore his ACL yet again, prematurely ending his season.
After a long rehab process, Butt was back on the field for Denver’s preseason game against the Rams on Saturday evening.
“It felt good,” Butt said after catching two passes for 17 yards in Los Angeles. “I don’t want to get too excited — I got 11 plays in the preseason — but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.
“I’ve got to look at the tape but I feel pretty good about what I did out there. I had a couple catches, I thought I blocked well, and came out healthy, so it’s all good.”
Butt’s teammates were thrilled to see him back on the field.
“It was awesome,” quarterback Kevin Hogan said. “He was so excited. That guy has worked so hard and he made two huge plays on that long drive we had. It was good. He’s a heck of an athlete and he’s going to do a lot of good things for us.”
Butt is competing with Troy Fumagalli, Bug Howard and Moral Stephens for a spot on the Broncos’ 53-man roster. Jeff Heuerman and Noah Fant appear to be locks to make the team.
“I thought he did well, caught a couple balls, was active in there,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said of Butt. “I saw him run some good routes where the ball didn’t even go to him. Based on what I saw, live action – which isn’t everything – I think he’ll probably be pleased with his play.”
Denver will submit a 53-man roster on Saturday afternoon.
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