Teddy Bridgewater Says TEs Fant & Okwuegbunam Must Take Play 'to Another Level'

Noah Fant squares off against his former Iowa teammate T.J. Hockenson on Sunday.

Empower Field at Mile High will host a matchup on Sunday between a pair of former Iowa Hawkeye tight ends in the Denver Broncos' Noah Fant and the Detroit Lions' T.J Hockenson. Iowa’s famed tight end factory has also produced San Francisco superstar George Kittle in recent years, but the Hawkeyes' latest duo is yet to reach such lofty heights.

Serious questions have been asked of Fant regarding his perceived lack of effort in blocking assignments and a failure to break enough tackles. All told, it’s an extremely harsh judgment to deliver on the 24-year-old, who's still managed to amass 424 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 49 catches this season. 

Fant hoped to be the first tight end drafted in 2019 but Hockenson beat him to it by about 12 selections. Detroit selected Hockenson at pick No. 8 while Fant went to Denver at No. 20. 

By way of comparison, Fant’s totals this season don’t lag that far behind Hockenson’s stat line of 583 yards receiving on 61 receptions and four touchdowns to date. But stats only tell part of the bigger picture for tight ends in terms of production and since Fant’s backup, Albert Okwuegbunam, returned to action the Broncos' increased commitment to running the ball has seen both primarily putting in the dirty work asked of them as blockers. 

Head coach Vic Fangio revealed on Wednesday that the Broncos will remain committed to employing a rotation at tight end, a concept that has been utilized successfully to keep the running backs fresh this season as supervised by tight ends coach Wade Harman.

“Wade does a good job subbing those guys in and out, keeping them fresh, and keeping them ready to go,” Fangio said on Wednesday. “We have confidence in both of them. Noah [is] the starter, but we feel good when Albert [is] in there.”

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Much of what Fangio is trying to achieve is designed to keep the Broncos alive in the AFC playoff chase, which will throw a 17th game at contending teams in 2021. Fans have plenty of reasons to be frustrated that Fant has yet to be given the chance to shine in the passing game, but quarterback Teddy Bridgewater urged both his tight ends to stay dedicated to the far less glamorous nitty-gritty.

“Those guys just have to keep doing what they’re doing and take it to another level. That’s everyone, though,” Bridgewater said. “They’re making plays, and at the end of the day, we’re not satisfied if we’re not winning. But those guys are doing some great things. The run game, blocking defensive ends, outside linebackers, catching the ball in the passing game, getting extra yards after the catch. So those guys just got to keep doing what they’re doing, and at this time of year, just take it to another level.”

Fant’s head-to-head with his old college teammate Hockenson might provide additional inspiration to do just that but without splashy receiving totals, it’s much harder for fans to see.

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