2018 Broncos Season, Break-Out Potential



The Broncos' season kicks off with pre-season games in August, but it's never too early to get hyped for the season. And today that means looking at one of the most wide open and critical positions for the Broncos, tight end. And that really means putting a pair of players with potential, but little on the NFL resume, under the spot light.

Both Jeff Heuerman and Jake Butt were drafted with potential and lofty expectations, and both lost their rookie seasons due to injury. For Butt, it was an inability to recover from a knee injury suffered during the Bowl Game to cap his time at Michigan. For Heuerman, it was an ACL Tear in the summer after he was drafted out of Ohio State. Now both these former Big Ten standouts will vie for the top position for the Broncos this season. And the team needs at least one of them to deliver on their potential.

First, we'll consider Heuerman, who is the elder statesman among Broncos tight ends now that Virgil Green has moved on. Heuerman was drafted in 2015, and is beginning his fourth season in the league. But he has little to show for it.

He lost his rookie year due to injury, but was one of those work out partners for Peyton Manning during 2015. That led to some lofty expectations about his potential in 2016 and again last season, but none of it really came through. In 2016, Heuerman caught just nine passes for 141 yards over the course of 12 games. Last season, he didn't do much more. Heuerman saw action in 14 games, catching nine passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

But there were some flashes that gave fans hope, like his 54-yard TD grab in a win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12. And now, fans and coaches are hoping to see more than flashes as he's given more opportunity with the roster thinned out ahead of him.

For Butt, it's more about whether he can be the dynamic impact player we saw in college. He really shinned for Michigan in his junior and senior year, leading to buzz heading into the draft despite his injury. But Butt, like most of the picks in the 2017 draft class, didn't make an impact on the field. He spent the season on IR, and now the Broncos are hopeful that he's ready to shine on the field in 2018.

And the potential is there. As a junior for the Wolverines, Butt caught 51 passes for 654 yards and three TDs in 13 games. His senior year, he followed it up with 46 grabs for 546 yards and four TDs in 12 games. If the Broncos got production approaching either of those seasons, it would be a big lift to this offense.

Pundits are split on who will be the "starter" this season, but it's clear the Broncos need one of these young tight ends to blossom if they're gonna reach the playoffs again in 2018.

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