The Broncos haven’t had a game-changing receiving tight end since Julius Thomas left the team via free agency in 2015.
That may change this season.
Denver spent a first-round draft choice on Iowa product Noah Fant, a speedy tight end who scored 18 touchdowns during his final two years in college. He’s not the Broncos’ only option, either.
“We’re excited about [the tight ends],” general manager John Elway said during the team’s pre-camp press conference Wednesday. “They’re obviously very young, but [Jeff] Heuerman is coming back to kind of lead the group. With Noah, getting him in the first round and the speed that he has, and then Jake Butt coming back, we’ll see where he comes in.
“We feel like we’re in really good position at tight end with a lot of youth. We’ll have to see how they adjust, but with Noah, we drafted him and really felt with the speed that he has that he gives us a real threat at the tight end position and will be able to stretch the field for us.”
Fant ran a 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds at the NFL combine earlier this year and the Broncos plan to use that speed to their advantage this season. If they can stay healthy, Heuerman, Fant and Butt might form the team’s best tight end group in recent memory.
