Report: Broncos Release TE Nick Vannett

The Broncos whittled down the roster by cutting a veteran offensive contributor.

On the heels of a whirlwind first week of free agency, the Denver Broncos have released veteran tight end Nick Vannett. The news was broken by 9NEWS' Mike Klis. 

Broncos have released TE Nick Vannett per source. #9sports

— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) March 23, 2021

"[The] Broncos have released TE Nick Vannett per source," Klis tweeted. 

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The move was semi-expected after the arrival of new GM George Paton. Vannett was signed by John Elway last year to come in and be the Broncos' blocking tight end and to catch a pass here and there. 

He appeared in 15 games with 11 starts but contributed just 14 receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown. Relative to his contract, and the hardly-used blocking fullback by offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, the move to release Vannett makes sense. 

Vannett's departure frees up $2.678 million on the salary cap, ballooning the Broncos' current cap space to nearly $40M. Paton has plenty of ammunition to maneuver still in free agency. Or, the GM could be sitting back waiting for a tectonic opportunity to acquire a certain quarterback via trade from Houston, though the long time marches on, the dimmer such a move becomes. 

Fans shouldn't fret over the Vannett release as the Broncos are loaded for bear at tight end. With Noah Fant on the precipice of becoming a bonafide NFL superstar, and Albert Okwuegbunam returning from his torn ACL, Drew Lock (or whichever QB starts under center) will have no shortage of weapons at the tight end position. 

With Vannett's release, the Broncos have said goodbye to three tight ends from last year's roster, including also Jake Butt and Troy Fumagalli, both of whom are unrestricted free agents. 

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