Film Reveals How Rookie TE Greg Dulcich has Revived Broncos' Offense
Through the first eight games of the 2022 season, the Denver Broncos offense has been as anemic as it has ever been, scoring a paltry 15 points per game. It has been quite literally the worst start to a season in over 51 years, which only exacerbates the criticism of a unit that had incredible expectations heading into the season.
The Broncos' running game has been inconsistent at best, and the passing game has been as bad, if not even worse. Despite flashes at times, the offensive struggles have mired what looked like a playoff contender after the addition of Russell Wilson at the quarterback position to finally round out a young and exciting group of skill position players.
But over the past few weeks, there has been a slight revelation as rookie tight end Greg Dulcich has come back into the fold after missing almost all of the offseason program and training camp, as well as the first few weeks of the season.
A big-play threat with incredible talent pushing the envelope as a vertical threat in a struggling passing game, Dulcich has looked the part as a viable option and potentially long-term answer at the tight end position. While there is still a long way to go in his development, the fact that he has quickly become a focus for the offense, in general, is an excellent sign of life moving forward.
Dulcich has been all over the scoreboard, lighting up the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets with 10 total receptions on 14 targets for 138 yards over the team's last two games, as well as scoring a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers a few weeks ago in his season debut.
Let's take a look at the film to deduce what the Broncos have done with Dulcich to incorporate him into the offense, as well as how he can continue to be effective moving forward.
Play 2: Stretching the Field
Part of what has made Dulcich stand out has been his ability to make big plays happen at will when stretching the field vertically. He already has a pair of long receptions of 38 and 39 yards against the Jaguars and Chargers, respectively, and a few targets of over 20 yards down the field that have barely missed the mark.
What is fascinating about how they are scheming plays for his high-level impact moving forward is how and where they are lining him up in the formation. Typically on the plays where Dulcich is making defenses pay while stretching the field, wide receiver KJ Hamler is lined up on the same side of the formation lined up outside of Dulcich.
Like this play against the Jaguars that set the Broncos’ offense up inside the 5-yard line. This switch-release vertical concept by Hamler and Dulcich sets up a major conflict for the defense as they bail out to keep from getting beaten by Hamler’s speed over the top. Jacksonville is in Cover 3 here, and as Hamler bends his route towards the post, there is a massive hole that Dulcich exploits after blowing by the linebacker, who gets caught with his eyes in the backfield.
Having a pair of athletes like Hamler and Dulcich that thrive down the field with their athleticism on the same side of the field is a tremendous way of exploiting defenses to create explosive plays. This next play also shows what can happen with this lethal pairing.
Play 2: Putting the Defense in Conflict
Earlier in the same drive as the last play, the Broncos hit another chunk gain with Dulcich and Hamler working an interesting version of a mesh concept with a built-in pop pass designed to exploit the linebacker in coverage over the middle of the field.
This play puts an incredible amount of pressure on the boundary cornerback and linebacker as they have to choose which of the two is going to press the field vertically, as well as cover the running back releasing into the flat. When the linebacker releases to the running back, a massive hole opens up over the middle of the field for a large gain to Dulcich.
This is an easy pitch and catch, combined with a quick release against what appears to be a busted coverage. Regardless, having Hamler and Dulcich paired together on the same side of the formation could unlock a bunch of explosive plays moving forward as defenses have to fight through the conflict of choosing which player to cover moving down the field.
Play 3: Designing Open Looks with Creative Formations
The Broncos are also using creative ways of scheming Dulcich open while using his knack for finding soft spots in zone coverage, sitting down in open space, and presenting a large target for the quarterback. To open this same drive against the Jaguars, the Broncos dial up an incredible zone-beater out of a condensed set with Dulcich in a one-by-one set off of the tackle, Jerry Jeudy in the slot, and Hamler lined up off of the line of scrimmage on the boundary.
Watch how Dulcich sets himself up in the void and presents himself as the defense parts like the Red Sea. Hamler carries the slot cornerback to the boundary on the out route while Jeudy draws the linebacker over the middle of the field, opening a massive hole for Dulcich to make an easy catch to get the drive started. You can’t get more wide open than this.
Moving forward, this alignment and design should become a staple of the offense as it creates an easy read and throw for Russell Wilson.
Play 4: How to Get More Creative
This last play is an example of how the Broncos can utilize Dulcich to scheme up open looks for other receivers while using a concept that they have already shown within their offense. This play comes from the Miami Dolphins, whose offense boasts a pair of speedy receivers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, as well as a versatile receiving tight end in Mike Gesicki.
We haven’t shown this particular look in this breakdown, but another way the Broncos are scheming Dulcich open is by using him on a jet motion and dumping the ball to him quickly into the flat. They’ve opened up some creative screen plays in this same aspect, getting Dulcich out as a blocker coming off of the motion and opening up running lanes for the receivers.
What makes this a play worth diving into and incorporating into the offense is how quickly the ball gets out, how it places conflict on the linebacker in coverage, and utilizes the speed and versatility of players like Hamler, Jeudy, and Dulcich.
The Broncos’ offense has primarily worked out of the shotgun, utilizing inside zone running plays as the base of the offense. With the jet motion by the tight end that can turn into a wheel route on the boundary, the quick post route from a condensed alignment of a speedy receiver, and the play-action look of the inside zone blocking of the offensive line, the Broncos have all of the pieces to make this become an identity play for their offense moving forward.
The Takeaway
While there are multiple arguments to be made about how and why this offense is struggling, something they could be able to hang their hat on is the seemingly rapid development and creative usage of Dulcich.
His versatility to create conflict in zone coverage, combined with his athleticism to stretch the field vertically, is a dangerous ability that the Broncos need to fully utilize moving forward.
Dulcich's play has emerged through play-calling sequencing issues and inefficiencies in quarterback play, which is a major positive for this team moving forward. Nathaniel Hackett pounded the table for the Broncos to draft Dulcich this past April, and it's easy to see why.
If the Broncos can continue to scheme him touches within the scope of the offense, as well as be creative in using his skill set, Dulcich can become a massive weapon and mismatch for this team moving forward.
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