One of the biggest things to watch in the upcoming Denver Broncos Training Camp is positional battles in various parts of the roster. Specifically, who will earn the right to start Week 1 at tight end. How quickly the veteran tight ends competing for that spot can gel with the quarterbacks will be vital in determining who gets the nod.
The tale of the Broncos’ season last year was a defense that kept the team in games and an offense that could not produce enough points to win them.
While all three tight ends bring their own unique skills to the table, the Broncos’ need for offense could drive them to select the tight end that helps put up points.
With both Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch expected to receive an equal share of first-teams reps in training camp, each tight end will need to show chemistry with both to separate themselves in the competition.
In Lynch’s two starts last season, none of the tight ends on the roster logged a single reception, making it hard to judge which of the three he will feel most comfortable throwing to.
It should be noted that when Lynch entered the game in relief of the injured Siemian in Week 4, his only completion to a tight end was a 19 yard strike to Jeff Heuerman.
Virgil Green, the starter for most of the 2016 season, should get the first chance at proving he can be the Broncos’ starter for the 2017 season.
While Green, one of the longest-tenured Broncos, has more experience than his fellow tight ends on the roster, does that necessarily make him the best best choice for the Broncos as the starting tight end in Mike McCoy‘s offense?
Unlike Gary Kubiak’s run-heavy offense, which favored a blocking tight end, McCoy will look to get the tight ends involved in the scoring game. His success with Julius Thomas in his previous stint in Denver and with Antonio Gates and Hunter Henry in San Diego.
If Trevor Siemian is named the Broncos’ starting quarterback, both Green and A.J. Derby could be the frontrunners for the starting position. Both showed good chemistry with Siemian in different parts of the 2016 season.
Green led the tight ends in receiving yards overall (237), but Derby finished within 100 yards of Green (160) despite being acquired midseason.
It won’t necessarily be the best overall player who is named the starting tight end right away. The Broncos know they need offensive production to develop quickly if they hope to return to the playoffs in 2017.
Regardless of who is named the starter, head coach Vance Joseph has a positive take on all three tight ends competing for the starting spot on the roster:
“It’s a mixed-bag group. It’s a big blocker in Green. It’s a new move guy in Derby. It’s a young guy in Heuerman. It’s a group of great potential first of all. It’s exciting to watch those guys go make plays. Our safeties are really, really good players, [T.J.] Ward and those guys—so to beat those guys one on one, that’s fun to see,” Joseph said during OTAs
Pay close attention to training camp practices and early preseason games. The tight end who can put up yards and points from both quarterbacks could be starting Week 1 for the Broncos.
