Albert Okwuegbunam Speaks Out on Benching After Big Day in KC
Before the Denver Broncos' 27-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, the last time tight end Albert Okwuegbunam had played any meaningful snaps on offense was Week 5. Although Okwuegbunam started off the season as the Broncos' starting tight end, his snap count began to diminish each game.
By Week 6, former head coach Nathaniel Hackett had relegated Okwuegbunam to the ranks of the healthy scratches as rookie Greg Dulcich stepped in as the team's top tight end. Hackett was a big proponent of the Dulcich pick in Round 3 last spring, but nobody saw 'Albert O' ending up in the doghouse to the extent that he was.
With Hackett dismissed a week ago, interim head coach Jerry Rosburg dusted Okwuegbunam off and let him know he'd have a big role in the Broncos' Week 17 game-plan. Then at week's end, Dulcich landed on injured reserve.
Okwuegbunam had himself a day at Arrowhead Stadium, finishing with three receptions (on a team-high six targets) for 45 yards and a touchdown. The third-year tight end had to feel some level of vindication post-game.
"I knew I was going to get some opportunities," Okwuegbunam said afterward. "Thankfully, I was able to capitalize on some. It could have been better, for sure, but overall, I am proud of our guys and how we fought today.”
The Broncos ultimately lost their 15th straight to the Chiefs, but Okwuegbunam's production revealed how Hackett had squandered such playmaking potential. Dulcich is a fine young player with enormous upside, but so is Okwuegbunam. Imagine them being utilized in tandem, together, against opposing defenses.
That's a vision that the next head coach will have to realize. But Rosburg is doing his best to preview it while at the helm as interim.
“I have been in Albert O’s ear all week long because I think he is a highly talented individual," Rosburg said post-game in Kansas City. "I haven’t seen him much on the field this year. I am just curious as to why that was because he is a good looking athlete. You may have seen me in the tight end drills earlier in the week. It was for a reason. I was happy he turned it about. Whatever jitters he might have had, it seemed to me like he settled down because he is a big, talented guy, and he needs to play and play well.”
Indeed, with his obvious talent, and the Broncos' dearth of the same on offense, Okwuegbunam does need to play. With one game left to go, he's just grateful that he was tapped to play.
“I’m grateful that I got some opportunities even though it’s toward the end of the season," Okwuegbunam said. "There are a lot of things that happened this season that are out of my control, but I am glad to come out here and contribute today.”
A 2020 fourth-round pick out of Missouri, Okwuegbunam has the chance to punctuate a frustrating season with an exclamation point. With offensive coordinator Justin Outten now calling the plays (Week 17 was the first game he did so), Broncos fans can expect 'Albert O' to be heavily featured in the game-plan.
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