Broncos' OC Praises Rookie Pass-Catcher for 'Elevating Everyone'

The Denver Broncos have a special player in Greg Dulcich.

It's rare when a rookie leads the way in the NFL world. But for the Denver Broncos, 22-year-old pass-catching tight end Greg Dulcich is seemingly doing just that.

Not only have the Broncos unearthed an offensive catalyst at a very opportune moment, offensive coordinator Justin Outten believes they've found a player who has become the straw that stirs the drink.

“He’s elevating everyone else," Outten said on Thursday. "He’s a young guy and doesn’t say much, but everyone looks to him and kind of sees his practice habits. What can he do or somebody else do in that unit or another unit to match it? He’s been a really good addition for us.”

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Broncos GM George Paton was certainly high on the rookie coming out of UCLA, to such an extent that he invested the 80th overall pick in Dulcich. Having missed all of training camp and the first five regular-season games with a lingering hamstring injury, suddenly getting an average of 60 yards receiving per game out of Dulcich is a profitable return.

Some of the pass-catching highlights Dulcich put up at college requires a cursory search on YouTube to confirm his vast potential. While the Broncos knew they would be getting speed and hands from the young Californian, his willingness to get physical in blocking assignments, and learn his craft, have come as a welcome surprise to Outten.

“Watching the college tape coming out, you could see the explosiveness and you could see the tools that he has,” Outten said. “What’s impressed me the most is just the overall tight end and being able to do everything—the ability to line up in certain spots, the ability to put your hands on a guy that’s 300 pounds, block them and stay on them. Those are the encouraging things that I see with him.”

It's not just the coaches who are gushing about Dulcich. Quarterback Russell Wilson heaped praise on the rookie coming out of Denver's Week 8 win in London. 

“He's been really special," Wilson said. "When I first threw the ball to him the first day—you known when you've thrown as many footballs as I've thrown for as many years as you've thrown it, the first three throws you can tell, okay, he's got it. There's something to it. He's definitely got some freakish ability."

It speaks volumes to the kind of professional Dulcich is becoming, that he's setting an example to other more established professionals already. However, as quickly as Dulcich has climbed the depth chart to prominence, former starter Albert Okwuegbunam has taken a spectacular tumble downwards.

That being said, the tantalizing prospect of resuscitating their other pass-catching tight end to unleash a dangerous double-headed monster in Dulcich and Okwuegbunam remains intriguing for the Broncos.

Okwuegbunam received a timely boost to his flagging career in Denver when Paton confessed he was still in the team's plans. Returning to a starting role would require a window of opportunity to swing open for Okwuegbunam, but that might have arrived via an unfortunate hamstring injury to Andrew Beck that will keep the tight end/fullback out of Sunday's road tilt with the Tennessee Titans.

Head coach Nathaniel Hackett certainly hasn't forgotten about Okwuegbunam, but he pointed out on Thursday that the only route back to playing is through dedication and perseverance.

“In the end, that group is unbelievably competitive," Hackett said. "We have five guys in there that are all capable of playing in this league and do a really good job. I think he just has to continually to get better. Everybody competes against each other in that room. It's a friendly competition, but at the same time, it’s to make our team better. He has to compete with those guys to get out on the field.”

Dulcich is providing a compelling case study on how to make significant strides toward becoming a complete tight end. It's an example that Okwuegbunam would be remiss to ignore, especially if opportunity comes knocking on his door again.

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