By Jordan Long
The Denver Broncos have reported to training camp. Full contact practices are scheduled to start on August 17. Denver decided to cut one of their veteran tight ends, Jeff Heuerman.
Jeff Heuerman was a third-round pick by the Denver Broncos in the 2015 NFL draft. He tore his ACL and missed his rookie year. In 2016 Heuerman played in 12 games with 9 catches for 141 yards. In 2018 he caught a career-high 31 footballs for 281 yards and 2 touchdowns. Last season Heuerman totaled 114 receiving yards and 1 touchdown.
Heuerman was never a pass catching tight end. Denver used him to block for the quarterbacks so they would have more time to throw the football. He could also block for running backs to create a hole for them to go through. Denver decided Heuerman didn’t do enough and cut him. He finished with 678 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns in the Mile High City. He also couldn’t stay healthy and never played a full season for the Broncos.
Denver knew they had too much depth at the tight end position. On the current roster, Denver has 2019 first-round draft choice Noah Fant, Nick Vannett, Jake Butt, Troy Fumagalli, Albert Okwuegbunam, and Austin Fort. Heuerman was on the bubble and it was best to let him go.
The Broncos tight end battle is one to look for at camp. The Broncos know Fant is going to be the starter, but they need another who will play opposite of him. If healthy, Jake Butt can fit that need but with his torn ACL history, he needs to prove he can last a camp. For Fumagalli, Vannett, Okwuegbunam, and Fort, they have their opportunity to earn a spot.
Denver is most likely going to keep 4 of these tight ends on the roster. It will be up to them to show what they can do. It might be difficult without preseason games. They must make an impression during practice. If they do, the coaching staff will have a tough decision to make when it comes to who earns a spot on the roster.
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