Broncos Place TE Jake Butt on Injured Reserve

The Broncos made a fateful decision on tight end Jake Butt, who's been dealing with a nagging hamstring injury.

Very quietly, the Denver Broncos announced on Tuesday that tight end Jake Butt has been placed on injured reserve. Butt missed the last three games with a nagging hamstring injury and with the Broncos having a need for literally every spot on the 53-man roster and 16-man practice squad, the team could wait no longer for the beleaguered tight end to heal up. 

Many fans will wonder if this spells the end of Butt as a Bronco. It very well could. 

But keep in mind that no longer is injured reserve a season-ending proposition. Thanks to the new league rules, which were significantly amended to account for the unique obstacles the pandemic has presented, players can come off of IR after three games served. 

So, is there a chance Butt could still return to play in 2020? Yes. Is it likely? Probably not. 

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The Broncos are bringing back Troy Fumagalli — the team's 2018 fifth-round pick who lost out on the roster sweepstakes on the doorstep of the season — according to 9NEWS' Mike Klis. Fumagalli will have to pass through the intensive COVID-19 testing protocols before he can officially be re-signed and added to the roster. 

The Broncos' tight end position, which was such a bulwark at the beginning of the season, has since experienced some serious attrition. The team lost Andrew Beck to IR, and now Butt, while Nick Vannett is battling a foot injury. 

Hence the necessity for Fumagalli to return. The good news on Fumagalli is, at least he was with the Broncos all through the year and training camp, so the Pat Shurmur offense and its nomenclature won't be an obstacle. 

As for Butt, it's sad and unfortunate to see his career with the Broncos likely end with a whimper. Denver drafted him in the fifth round in 2017 knowing he would red-shirt his rookie year as he recovered from an ACL torn in his final bowl game in college. 

Butt returned for exactly three games in Year 2 before suffered yet another knee injury that would go on to cost him all of 2018 and 2019, though he did make a last-ditch effort in the preseason that summer. Meanwhile, despite the team's high, high hopes in Butt, it had to execute contingencies. 

That started with the drafting of Fumagalli in 2018 and really coalesced in 2019 with Noah Fant in the first round and Albert Okwuegbunam in 2020. The Broncos have some explosive young talent at tight end now and will be fine moving forward. 

Butt, however, is likely to be playing elsewhere in 2021 if indeed his NFL career continues. The Broncos will have the prerogative to place a restricted free-agent tender on him but it's doubtful. 

Considering the team's long-suffering and exceeding patience with Butt, it wouldn't be completely surprising to see him get re-signed in 2021 to a short-term deal close to the veteran minimum. But I seriously doubt it. 

Unfortunately, despite being a locker-room inspiration and having some real NFL talent, the injury bug hasn't ever allowed Butt to fully approach his potential. Such is often the case in the NFL. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.