Injuries could leave the Broncos scrambling at tight end

The Broncos have been struck by the injury bug at the tight end position.

With the Denver Broncos having a couple of extra weeks' worth of training camp activities under their belt thanks to participating in the annual Hall of Fame Game, it should come as no surprise that the roster has taken a little bit more of a beating as compared to seasons past. 

Every year, it seems as if one position on the roster takes a rather large toll when it comes to the injury report. This year, that position happens to be one of the weakest areas on the entire Broncos roster; tight end.

Despite making a concerted effort to stock the cupboards over the past several draft classes, including spending a first-round selection on Iowa’s Noah Fant in April’s affair, Denver has seemingly struggled to make things happen from the tight end position in large part thanks to injuries.

This week, the injury bug took another large bite out of the tight end room by ailing fifth-year veteran Jeff Heuerman with a shoulder, causing him to miss Tuesday’s practice and possibly even this week’s exhibition contest in Seattle. Heuerman joins Jake Butt (knee) and Bug Howard (ankle) on the injury report, leaving the Broncos with only four healthy bodies on the training camp roster, three of whom are rookies.

Even with all of the injuries to his pass-catching corps, head coach Vic Fangio knows that the Broncos have to keep moving forward, otherwise the team may be scrambling for answers in the next coming days.

“Invariably, every camp, there is one position group that kind of gets it more than other,” Fangio said after Tuesday’s session. “Tight end has been that position in this camp. Linebackers, ILBs, has kind of now joined that crowd. It’s a concern, but I don’t think any of them are long-term and I think they’ll be back eventually. We just got to trench through it.”

In other words, keep your nose to the grindstone and get back to work.

While having guys miss time during training camp with nicks and bruises isn’t exactly butterflies and rainbows, it does allow for added repetitions for a couple of the younger guys in camp that are vying for roster slots or a spot on the team’s 10-man practice squad, particularly undrafted rookie free agent Austin Fort, who has been turning heads over the past couple weeks with his performance in practices.

Fort, a relatively unknown blocking tight end out of Wyoming, has stepped up in a major way over the past couple of practices, even getting reps with the first and second-team offense at times. He’s putting in the extra work right now, and his efforts have garnered the attention of Fangio and the rest of the coaching staff.

“He’s gotten a lot of reps because of those injuries we talked about,” Fangio said. “I think he’s gotten worn down a little bit, but eventually all those reps will come back to really help him. [I’m] anxious to see him play [on Thursday].”

Fort, along with Noah Fant, first-year tight end Troy Fumagalli and fellow undrafted rookie Moral Stephens, should see the bulk of the repetitions against the Seahawks on Thursday night in Seattle after the first-string offense takes a seat.

But still, it’s a group that leaves a lot to be desired, especially in the experience category. Fumagalli also has injury concerns surrounding him, stemming from a sports hernia that sidelined him for all of the 2018 season, and he is still slowly being worked into the rotation.

Even with extended playing time last Thursday, the trio only managed three total receptions for five yards. Not exactly awe-inspiring, to say the least.

Despite the nice words from Fangio regarding Fort, the Broncos would do well for themselves if they added a veteran free agent here soon. The likelihood that Jake Butt manages to stick to the roster after missing the majority of three seasons recovering from multiple torn ACL’s is slimming exponentially, leaving a vast wealth of inexperienced and oft-injured players in the tight end room.

Heuerman has also had his string of injury woes over the course of his Broncos career, and even when healthy, he hasn’t exactly been an impactful player on Sundays.

Should the Broncos look to add another veteran presence to help guide this young group, they could look towards ninth-year veteran Jermaine Gresham, sixth-year Dion Sims or fifth-year veteran Austin Sefarian-Jenkins, all of whom would be an upgrade as the second tight end on the depth chart, as well as an invaluable teaching piece for Noah Fant this coming season.

Time will tell what the Broncos do in this tricky situation, and a move to the free agency pool isn’t immediately imminent given the team's salary cap situation. Any such signing would be a short-term, low-dollar contract with little-to-no guaranteed money, likely close to the veteran minimum.

But another injury to the group could, and should, force John Elway’s hand. The Broncos kick off against the Seahawks on Thursday night at 8 pm MST. 

Follow Lance on Twitter @SandersonMHH.