WATCH: Broncos' TE Albert Okwuegbunam Provides Encouraging Evidence of ACL Rehab
After landing with the Denver Broncos as a fourth-round pick last spring, thanks, in part, to the ringing endorsement of his former college buddy Drew Lock, Albert Okwuegbunam made his NFL debut in Week 6 vs. the New England Patriots. The rookie tight end quickly caught the attention of fans thanks to his speed, athleticism, and evident connection with Lock, whom he played with for two years at the University of Missouri.
Just when 'Albert O' was starting to gain some traction within the Broncos' offense, playing behind 2019 first-round Noah Fant, tragedy struck. In Denver's Week 9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Okwuegbunam suffered a torn ACL, ending his season.
When last we heard from Albert O, which was in late February, he revealed that his rehab was going as swimmingly as can be expected with zero setbacks. Cut to Tuesday, and the big tight end released a clip of himself sprinting on his Instagram account, which was captured by Denver7's Troy Renck.
Even injured, the 6-foot-5, 258-pound tight end can sure move. His 4.40-second 40 time at the NFL Combine last spring caught everyone's attention, besting by a tenth of a second Fant's 40-yard dash the year prior.
The vision the Broncos had was for Fant and Albert O to form a dynamic pass-catching tight end duo and provide Lock with two elite athletes to throw to. Keep the faith, Broncos Country, because Fant is poised to take a quantum leap in Year 3 and soon, Albert O will rejoin him to stretch the seam and help keep defenses on their toes.
All in, Albert O appeared in four games as a rookie, hauling in 11 receptions on 15 targets (two drops) for 121 yards and a touchdown. How fitting it was that the big tight end caught his first NFL score from his old college gunslinger in Denver's Week 8 come-from-behind victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Okwuegbunam would tear his ACL the next week, sadly.
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