This is the NFL offseason, the time between OTAs and training camp, when players flee to exotic landscapes for one last vacation before the hard work continues, and when fans hope and pray they don’t see their favorite player’s name and “arrested” in the same sentence.
We often say that the NFL season never stops, and that’s mostly true, but if it ever did, it would be during these few weeks in June and July.
Fortunately, that gives us some time to regroup, take stock of the Broncos’ draft and free agent class, and look forward to training camp. In the next few weeks, we’ll be publishing positional previews three times a week in preparation for the franchise’s run towards a fourth championship.
In 2012, the productive tandem of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez took the NFL by storm. Ever since, teams across the league (including the Patriots) have been looking to mimic the duel-threat tight end corps. While no franchise has reached those same levels, the tight end play around the league only continues to improve.
In the last couple of years, Denver said goodbye to Joel Dreessen, Jacob Tamme, Owen Daniels and Julius Thomas, putting the Broncos’ No. 1 job up for bid.
More likely than not, though, this is how it’ll all shake down:
Projected Depth Chart:
Starters:
Virgil Green (6-5, 255)
Jeff Heuerman (6-5, 255)
Second String:
Garrett Graham (6-3 243)
Third String:
Manasseh Garner (6-2, 239)
Henry Krieger-Coble (6-4, 248)
Big Question: Can the tight ends be the safety valve a brand new quarterback needs?
A good tight end knows how to block; a great tight end knows how to save a quarterback’s you-know-what. If you take a look at the offenses that have put up crazy passing numbers over the last few years (Patriots, Broncos, Seahawks, Saints), they usually have a pass-catching tight end in the mix, and it’s because a good tight end makes the quarterback’s job a whole lot easier.
Denver hasn’t boasted a threat like that since Thomas’ 2013 season, and while those numbers would be great, all the Broncos are hoping for is a guy that can bail out the quarterback on third and long.
Gary Kubiak has always incorporated the tight end into his offense. Last year, he brought in Daniel’s to be his go-to guy, and while he looked aged, he got the job done when he needed to.
Daniels departed and Kubiak replaced him with Graham, a seven-year veteran out of Houston who enjoyed his most productive seasons under Kubiak.
With Green and Heuerman (spent the season on IR) entering their second years in the Kubiak offense, and Graham for his fifth, the Broncos may have found a tight end corps they can depend on this year.
Whether it’s Mark Sanchez, Trevor Siemian or Paxton Lynch under center, all three will appreciate an extra set of hands to bail them out of a dire situation. If the offense wants to have a dynamic season, the tight end play will be crucial.
Most Important Player: Virgil Green
Green is entering his fifth season in the league and his second under Kubiak. He has seen two different coaches come through the door, been to two Super Bowls, caught passes from Peyton Manning and Tim Tebow, and has always lived in the shadow of whichever tight end lined up opposite of him.
This year, that is going to change, as the most veteran tight end on the team, Green, is expected to enter into a larger and more-productive role this season. His blocking ability has always been stellar, but Denver will need more out of him if they want to win games this year.
“With O.D. (Daniels) being gone, there is a better chance,” Green said, via the Denver Post. “I really want to, in training camp, show that I can be not just the pass guy, but just the every-down tight end guy.”
Green started five games last year and caught a career-high 12 receptions — just one touchdown, though. He doesn’t necessarily have to step into a high-scoring role like Gronkowski, but a high-voltage season from Green will bolster the offensive production and give the starting quarterback some much-needed statistical padding.
Surprise Player: Jeff Heuerman
Heuerman suffered an ACL tear in last year’s rookie minicamp, so this summer is his first experience with OTA’s and training camp. The second-year tight end out of Ohio State is determined to show that last year’s offseason wasn’t a waste of time.
Manning is widely known as one of the most-prepared athletes in sports, with a mentally rigorous routine each week leading up to a game. Heuerman spent much of his rehabilitation time with Manning, especially when Manning was rehabbing himself, and picked up on his mental preparation for the game.
Rookies tend endure a tough transition from college to the NFL, but the former NCAA champion was able to do that smoothly from a distance. Because most of the issues first-year players work through are mental, and with a player-coach like Manning, Heuerman feels like all of those rookie jitters are history.
“It kind of goes with the rookie emotions. I feel like those are gone,” Heuerman said. “Going into installation, it’s not the first time you’re hearing it. You kind of know a lot of it.”
Now, it’s just a matter of converting all of that brain knowledge into on-field production. Once training camp starts, expect Heuerman to make enough of a himself that he won’t be asked to show his ID at the gates.
Overall Grade: A-
Since Green s the only returning player with actual experience, it’s difficult to give a prediction for the tight end corps this season. However, Kubiak and John Elway put in a lot of time and effort to bring in players to bolster this position, and those guys know what they’re doing.
Heuerman looks promising already, and should be able to make plays for the offense in years to come. But even if it takes him a few games to get comfortable, he’ll have veterans like Graham and Green to bail him out.
If Gronkowski is like LeBron James, picture the Denver tight ends like the San Antonio Spurs — all for one and one for all.
