What the Caleb Lohner Surgery Means for Broncos' TE Outlook

Over the weekend, we learned that Denver Broncos tight end Caleb Lohner is going under the knife for a "routine" lower-body cleanup procedure. The surgery will keep Lohner out of action until training camp.

Lohner has had a great offseason thus far, earning rave reviews from Broncos head coach Sean Payton as recently as rookie minicamp, so anything that upsets that trajectory is less than ideal for him. It's being portrayed as "routine," but if it impacts Lohner's momentum, it could cast a pall on his 2026 roster outlook.

The Broncos are really hoping for better contributions from their tight end room this season, so let's examine what the Lohner surgery means for the competition.

Depth Chart Politics

First of all, as excited as Payton was about Lohner as recently as mid-May, he's probably the seventh guy on the tight end depth chart, behind the two new rookie draft picks, Justin Joly and Dallen Bentley. Rookies typically start at the bottom of the depth chart on a Payton-coached team, but in terms of actual standing, Lohner is anywhere from TE5 to TE7.

Many people had already written Lohner off before Payton's glowing testimonial at rookie minicamp. When the NFL draft was approaching, nobody was saying, "With Lohner entering Year 2, the Broncos are in good shape at tight end." It was the opposite: the Broncos badly needed upgrades at tight end.

Lohner was a seventh-round draft pick a year ago, and looked completely in over his head in training camp and the preseason last summer. The Broncos were very high on his upside, though, so he was re-signed to the practice squad after the final roster cut-downs, where he continued to develop with the team.

From there, we didn't hear much about Lohner until the postseason, when the Broncos made him a gameday elevation in the divisional round to get him a playoff paycheck. However, we have since learned from Payton and other sources that Lohner really took some steps during the season while running on the scout team, giving the Broncos some great looks as a tight end and even as a faux edge rusher.

We also learned that Lohner had the opportunity to join another team's 53-man roster late in the season, but he ultimately chose to stick in Denver because he believes in the path the Broncos are on. Still, when it comes to the NFL, there is potential, and then there is production, and oftentimes, the twain never meet.

Right now, Lohner's NFL stock is 100% based on potential. But that's something, and Payton still clearly has high hopes for him.

More Reps For the Rookies

Sean Payton and Justin Joly. — Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks with tight end Justin Joly at rookie minicamp. | Ben Swanson/Denver Broncos

Time will tell exactly when Lohner returns, but training camp isn't set to kick off until late July. The Broncos still have three OTA practices this week, followed by a three-day mandatory minicamp next week.

That means that Joly and Bentley will receive an increase in reps with Lohner out, and they had better be of a mind to maximize them. Joly's roster outlook is solid, as a fifth-round rookie, and it's hard to see the Broncos cutting him and risking him to the waiver wire unless he just straight up fails to launch this summer.

Lohner's absence is an opportunity for Joly to get a few more bites at the apple and set himself apart. As for Bentley, it's hard to see a roster path for him as a rookie, but if he comes in and shows an aptitude for blocking out of the gates, he could put pressure on Nate Adkins, relative to the 53.

In a perfect world, the Broncos' four tight ends on the 2026 53-man roster are Evan Engram, Adam Trautman, Justin Joly, and either Lohner or Bentley. There's a chance the Broncos could opt to carry five tight ends out of camp, but it would be unusual for a Payton-coached team.

Meanwhile, Adkins and Lucas Krull were just re-signed because the Broncos' coaching staff has a comfort level with both veterans, and they needed to establish a floor. But the team is looking to upgrade the tight end depth for a reason: both leave much to be desired.

The Takeaway

At the end of the day, Lohner's absence is unlikely to have much of an impact on the tight end outlook. However, if Joly or Bentley play their cards right, the increase in snaps could put them a little farther ahead in the developmental learning curve when Lohner returns in training camp, and maybe even level the playing field somewhat.

As for Lohner himself, he honestly still needs every rep he can get, after playing just one year of college football at Utah. Losing out on two offseason camps isn't great for a second-year player needing to take a quantum leap forward just to save his football career.

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