Getty The Broncos released running back Jacques Patrick from their roster on June 1.
The Denver Broncos are shaking up a few of their offensive skill positions ahead of the final run of 2023 organized team activities next week.
According to the team’s official transaction wire for June 1, the Broncos signed former Tennessee Titans veteran tight end Tommy Hudson and waived 26-year-old running back Jacques Patrick to clear room for him on their 90-man offseason roster.
Hudson, a 2020 undrafted free agent, spent portions of the past three seasons with the Titans and appeared in five career games for them, making three receptions for 31 yards on six targets and seeing the majority of his action as a special teams contributor. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound tight end projects to compete with Chris Manhertz and rookie Nate Adkins for a depth or practice-squad role on the Broncos roster heading into 2023.
Meanwhile, Patrick’s time with the Broncos was short-lived, having only just signed to their 90-man roster back on May 15 prior to the start of their offseason workouts. He will now look to latch on with another team after previously spending time with Cincinnati, San Francisco, Carolina and Baltimore along with two XFL teams.
The Broncos are scheduled to hold their final OTA workouts next week from June 5-8. The team’s mandatory minicamp is scheduled to run June 13-15 the following week.
Greg Dulcich Likely Frontrunner for Broncos TE1 Job
GettyGreg Dulcich appears to be the early frontrunner for the Broncos’ starting tight end job.
An additional tight end helps the Broncos better iron out the depth of the position, but Hudson does not figure to make a legitimate push for the starting job. Right now, the starting battle appears to be between two contenders: 2022 third-round pick Greg Dulcich and 2020 fourth-rounder Albert Okwuegbunam.
While training camp will be a better venue for competition, Dulcich heads into the final week of OTAs looking like the frontrunner following his encouraging 2022 rookie year. A hamstring injury in training camp prevented him from being the Day 1 starter at the position last season, but he showed promise once he returned, catching 33 passes for 411 yards (12.5 yards per reception) and two touchdowns over 10 games and six starts.
“Well, look, he’s got a unique skill set, he’s got traits in the passing game,” Broncos head coach Sean Payton said of Dulcich after June 1’s OTA practice. “We use [the] term “joker” where we can get matchups. The trick sometimes is to predict what you’re going to get defensively if you’re going to get a nickel package or a base package. But man, he can run. He’s got good ball skills. He had one of his better practices today. So then you begin to build on that.”
Okwuegbunam, on the other hand, had a disappointing third season with the Broncos that saw him finish as the team’s third-most productive tight end, securing just 10 of his 18 targets for 91 yards and one touchdown. He was outpaced by Dulcich and veteran Eric Saubert, who caught a career-high 15 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown.
Will Adam Trautman Break Out for Broncos in 2023?
GettyAdam Trautman will also be vying for a role in the Broncos’ 2023 tight end room.
Dulcich can likely control his own destiny with a strong training camp and preseason, but there is a wild card in the Broncos’ tight end room: fourth-year Adam Trautman.
The Broncos shipped a sixth-round pick to the New Orleans Saints during the 2023 draft in exchange for Trautman and a seventh-round selection, reuniting Payton with one of his young playmakers from his final season with the Saints. Trautman had his best season under Payton in 2021, catching a career-high 27 passes for 263 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Now, with a familiar coach in his corner and a nine-time Pro Bowler throwing him the ball, he could be in line for a breakout in 2023 for Denver.
Trautman won’t have to search deep within himself for motivation. He is entering the final year of his rookie contract and had his contract restructured following the trade, knocking his $2.743 million in non-guaranteed earnings down to $1.5 million guaranteed and baking in incentives that allow him to earn back the difference.
“I feel like I was placed somewhat in a box [in New Orleans],’’ Trautman told Mike Klis of 9News after the trade. “They put a limit on what I could contribute and I felt like I could contribute a lot more. I was primarily used as a blocker. I thought I could do more and I didn’t want to get to the end of my career and think I could have done it, caught the ball a little more. Whatever the case was, the team I was playing for just didn’t let me do it. I want a chance to prove I can do it because I believe I can and I have in the past.’’
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