Broncos TE to Miss Regular-Season Time Following Surgery

Denver Broncos tight end/fullback Nate Adkins recently underwent "tightrope" surgery to correct a high-ankle sprain and is expected to miss the start of the regular season, head coach Sean Payton revealed following Thursday's joint practice with the Arizona Cardinals.

Payton did not specify whether Adkins would be placed on short-term injured reserve, which would force him to sit out the first four weeks of the 2025 campaign before being eligible to return.

TE Nate Adkins high ankle sprain. Tight rope procedure will miss early part of season.
— MikeKlis9NEWS (@mikeklis9news) August 14, 2025

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Undrafted in 2023, Adkins made the Broncos' 53-man roster as a rookie, contributing four catches for 22 yards across 10 games. Deployed as both an in-line and backfield blocker under Payton, he's credited with making all 17 appearances last season — registering 420 offensive snaps — and scored his first-career touchdown in a victory over the Carolina Panthers.

"The versatility, the toughness, the smarts. He’s a football player," Broncos general manager George Paton said in Aug. 2023. "He’s a guy we had targeted throughout the process just like [RB] Jaleel [McLaughlin]. We almost drafted him. It just didn’t fall. We didn’t have a lot of picks. We were really fortunate to get him as an undrafted free agent. He’s been everything we thought. We had him in on a Top-30 [visit]. [We] loved the visit. He’s got a great mind, and he can do a lot of different things. He’s a coach’s dream because he can do so many different things. [He can] play special teams, as well.”

Dec 15, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) celebrates the touchdown of tight end Nate Adkins (45) in the fourth quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Adkins' absence won't affect the top of the depth chart, where veterans Evan Engram and Adam Trautman comfortably reside, but it could create additional opportunity for presumed TE3 Lucas Krull, who caught a touchdown in Denver's preseason-opening victory last week — and earned laudables from his coach this week.

“He’s a guy [who has] now been in the league. He’s not a rookie or a young player anymore, and he’s found some confidence," Payton said of Krull on Tuesday. "It’s been built, I always say this, with a series of plays. The first play that I can remember two years ago on a critical third down in L.A. against the Chargers. He broke a tackle, converted a first down to keep the drive going and we needed it. So he’s stacked up a few of those plays. I think he’s having a good camp. He’s a good target down the field. He got open on a busted coverage the other night that all of us would’ve been just as happy and open as he was.”