Noah Fant Previews TE Albert Okwuegbunam's Outlook in Broncos' New-Look Offense
Noah Fant's appearance on Denver radio last week was very illuminating. The now-Seattle Seahawks tight end joined 104.3 The FAN's Stokley and Zach show, and his remarks triggered three newsworthy items.
1.) Fant teased a potential return to the Denver Broncos "one day down the road." 2.) He unloaded on ex-Broncos' offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur for squandering his 4.5 speed and athletic talent for two years.
The third newsworthy item from Fant's remarks to The FAN, however, revolved around third-year tight end Albert Okwuegbunam. 'Albert O' succeeds Fant as the Broncos' No. 1 tight end — only, in this iteration, the triggerman is Russell Wilson — not Joe Flacco, Brandon Allen, Drew Lock, Jeff Driskel, Brett Rypien, or Teddy Bridgewater.
Fant was asked to handicap Okwuegbunam's outlook as this team's presumptive TE1. Suffice to say, Fant recognizes the rare opportunity Albert O is being given with Wilson under center.
"I think Albert's got all the potential he needs," Fant told Stokley and Zach. "I got to spend a lot of time with him and a lot of time with Eric Saubert last year also. For Albert, it's all about what he's going to make of it. It's a great opportunity. From my specific position, he's going to have to compete for targets a little bit. That's a deep receiver room. But I think he's got everything it takes to get there. Love the dude, love the player he is, love his game. I'm excited to see if they take advantage of his speed and his downfield-threat ability. A big dude, can play, an insane catch radius—you've got a weapon there. It's going to be interesting to see how they use him and how he develops that relationship with Russell. I think he's got all the tools to get there, though, he's just got to put his mind to it to get there."
Indeed, even Okwuegbunam has to be looking around the hallowed halls of Dove Valley, wondering how the Sam Hill he was fortunate enough to luck into his newfound situation after the Broncos drafted him in the fourth round back in 2020.
As Lock's former teammate at Missouri, Albert O hit the ground running as a rookie after he spent the first quarter of the season on ice as a result of an injury. The tight end exploded in Denver's Week 6 road win over the New England Patriots and was poised to really start eating into Fant's playing time — then the injury bug jumped up and bit him. Hard.
Okwuegbunam suffered a torn ACL and spent the rest of his rookie campaign on injured reserve. Fast forward to Year 2, and the Broncos slowly weaved the tight end into the swing of things, being cautious with his recently-recovered knee.
As the No. 3 tight end behind Fant and Saubert, Okwuegbunam still found his way onto the field as a pass-catching threat. Albert O didn't have enormous production (how could he in such an anemic offense?), but he still managed to produce multiple highlight-reel plays — most commonly seen vaulting over a would-be tackler.
Okwuegbunam finished the 2021 campaign with 33 receptions (on 40 targets) for 330 yards and two touchdowns. Again, as the third tight end, those are impressive numbers.
If Okwuegbunam is going to make his hay as a starter, though, he's going to have to seriously attack a still-needed developmental learning curve as a blocker. But, like Fant, no one expects Albert O to become a tier-one blocker.
An inch taller and a few pounds heavier than Fant, Okwuegbunam is actually faster and frankly showed a more consistent propensity for the big play. Considering that his seat at the table was much smaller than Fant's, Okwuegbunam knew that he'd have to find a way to make a splash when he was on the field.
More often than not, he did. What could a 6-foot-5, 258-pound tight end with 4.49 speed accomplish in a West Coast-variant offense with Wilson as the quarterback?
“He’s going to be one of those move tight ends," head coach Nathaniel Hackett said last week of Okwuegbunam. "He’s going to be more of a receiver right now. We want to train him in blocking so he can be right there next to [tight end Eric] Tomlinson. He’s going to be a guy that we’re going to slowly develop and we’re very excited to see him work... [I’m] excited to get the ball in his hands.”
Only time will tell exactly what sort of role Hackett envisions for Okwuegbunam, but as Fant projected, if he attacks his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with real zeal, there's no telling what his ceiling might be as a pro.
There's a reason the Broncos were willing to part with a former first-rounder like Fant when the Seahawks made him a part of the ask in the Wilson trade. One reason being (among others) the presence of Okwuegbunam, who's only entering his third NFL season.
If he can stay healthy, the sky's the limit for Okwuegbunam — even with as many mouths to feed at the skill positions as the Broncos have. If anything, that's going to be, as Fant ruminated, the biggest obstacle to Albert O really breaking out — competing for targets.
That means Okwuegbunam will have to quickly prove himself as an indispensable weapon in the arsenal of the Broncos' new franchise quarterback.
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