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The Denver Broncos are going to need help from some unexpected places if they want to stay out of the cellar in the AFC West, where they find themselves in equal company with the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders looking up at the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
According to Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski, one of those players could be backup tight end and 2022 3rd-round pick Greg Dulcich.
“(Dulcich) dealt with hamstring issues throughout his first two seasons,” Sobleski wrote. “However, he appears healthy now, which means he can add a completely different dynamic to the Broncos offense … With Jerry Jeudy, Denver’s second-leading receiver last season, no longer with the squad, his 87 targets will go elsewhere. Those shouldn’t necessarily be picked up by the free-agent addition of Josh Reynolds. Instead, Dulcich has a much greater chance to create an impact after the catch.”
Dulcich isn’t an unknown quantity for the Broncos because he had 33 receptions for 411 yards and 2 touchdowns in 10 games as a rookie in 2022, but only played in 2 games in 2023 with a hamstring injury.
Elite Athleticism Propelled Dulcich Into NFL
Dulcich went from a walk-on at UCLA to a two-time All-Pac-12 Conference selection with 68 receptions for 1,242 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns over his final two seasons.
Dulcich earned those accolades — and eventually a full scholarship — thanks to his elite athleticism at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds and the ability to run the 40-yard dash in the range of 4.6 seconds. He left school with one season of eligibility remaining to enter the NFL draft.
From NFL Draft Buzz ahead of the 2022 draft: “Greg Dulcich is a decent NFL prospect who offers good skills in the receiving game. He offers a mismatch when paired up against linebackers and has some speed to stretch the defense. He has displayed the ability to make a number of big plays — but is limited as a blocker and often plays like a bulked-up wide receiver.”
Broncos’ Missteps Led to Vacuum at Tight End
While Adam Trautman remains the Broncos’ starting tight end, he hardly set the world on fire in 2023 with 22 receptions for 204 yards and 3 touchdowns. Which likely means that Dulcich will have every opportunity to step in and take over that role at some point in 2024.
Like a lot of Denver’s problems, the vacuum at tight end goes back to the doomed trade for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in March 2022. That was when the Broncos sent two first-round picks, two second-round picks, quarterback Drew Lock, defensive lineman Shelby Harris and tight end Noah Fant to Seattle in exchange for Wilson.
While the loss of Lock and Harris was almost negligible, trading away one of the NFL’s best young tight ends in Fant was the real head-scratcher. Fant was a 1st-round pick (No. 20 overall) out of Iowa in the 2019 NFL Draft and averaged 635 receiving yards across his first three seasons to go with 10 total touchdowns.
The Seahawks saw enough in Fant over the last 2 seasons that they signed him to a 2-year, $21 million contract extension in March 2024.
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