Broncos Address Rumors on TE Albert Okwuegbunam
The general consensus at the trade deadline was that tight end Albert Okwuegbunam would be deemed a surplus by Denver Broncos GM George Paton.
When Broncos rookie tight end Greg Dulcich came off injured reserve in Week 6, it saw Okwuegbunam head to the bench and into his street clothes. Dulcich has kept his 24-year-old teammate in such casual attire ever since, with the rampant rumors only growing that Okwuegbunam would be traded, but no move materialized.
It's understandable that no clear suiters emerged for Okwuegbunam, especially when you consider his lack of playing time. However, when Paton held a press conference on Tuesday to detail the trade of pass rusher Bradley Chubb, he surprised Broncos Country by still banging the drum for Okwuegbunam.
“We like Albert," Paton said on Tuesday. "He's young and he's talented. We feel we wanted to keep Albert. He has a lot of upside. He can help us in, obviously, the pass game and he's getting better as a blocker. We like Albert, we wanted to have Albert here. We believe in Albert. I know he hasn't played much lately but we're going to need him in the second half of the season.”
All of this makes one think that the Broncos coaching staff still maintains the belief that it can bring Okwuegbunam back into the fold once again. The third-year tight end can only really bare down and hope he gets another chance to play this season, but Paton provided some real encouragement to that end.
That being said, Okwuegbunam suddenly returning to the field and morphining into a reliable playmaker for the Broncos may be a stretch, particularly when you consider his lack of experience playing on special teams, his failure to develop as a dependable blocker, and some notable dropped passes.
Even after all that, the enthralling and intriguing prospect of creating match-up nirvana by fielding two big pass-catching tight ends never seems to die completely. So far, that has proved elusive for the vast majority of NFL teams, never mind the Broncos, whose largely spluttering offense is presently minded to search for a set of more simplistic answers.
Dulcich emerging as a genuine pass-catching tight end has undoubtedly provided a timely boost for Russell Wilson. Trust has been growing quickly between Dulcich and his veteran quarterback, which should open up the playbook considerably for head coach Nathaniel Hackett.
Where exactly Okwuegbunam features in the Broncos' grand plan is anybody’s guess, but maybe somewhere along the line, he gets a shot at redemption this season. Paton's unexpected lifeline could make all the difference, and who knows?
With some creative coaching, unleashing two downfield tight ends could be more than just a pipedream for the Broncos' offense.
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