A battery of players defected as the Broncos sat on the curb and watched the parade go by in March. Free agency demands priorities and restraint, and Denver made difficult choices.
Throughout the process, tight end Virgil Green remained a top target. They weren’t going to let him walk away given how well he profiled in coach Gary Kubiak’s offense.
In the preseason opener at Seattle, Green delivered an intriguing performance laced with irony. For starters, Green has good hands. Just like everyone knew who watched him team at Nevada with Colin Kaepernick.
Green caught three passes on the Broncos’ second drive, exploiting the underbelly in Seattle’s zone coverage. That’s three more passes than he caught last preseason.
“I went to the sideline, and I was like, ‘This really is a tight-end friendly offense,’^” said Green, who signed a three-year, $8.4-million deal to remain in Denver. “It just came real easy. But I can do a little better in my route running. I was getting a little excited out there.”
Just as surprising was Green’s trouble blocking. He earned “The Hulk,” nickname because of his strength and power at the point of attack. Friday, he struggled, allowing linebacker Cliff Avril a free hit on quarterback Brock Osweiler, while drawing a flag for a false start.
WATCH:
For Green, it tempered his breakout as a receiver.
“It was not good. Not acceptable. My protection wasn’t good at all. My run block was decent, but it can be better. I have high expectations for my blocking,” Green said. “And it wasn’t good at all.”
Green’s history suggests he will figure it out. He was a strong run blocker last season. A transition exists in pass protection. Green wasn’t a regular on throwing downs last season — or any season — but Kubiak employs his tight ends in similar sets to create disguises to open up play action. He must do both well. It is a work in progress as he grows more comfortable in the communication differences in protection calls.
Green began Monday by working on his footwork and staying lower in his stance.
With Owen Daniels resting, Green showed potential Kubiak envisioned when he took the job. Green proved steady on short passes. And after Brock Osweiler found receiver Cody Latimer on multiple crossing routes, it freed Green to run free up the middle of the field as the safety bit on a 17-yard touchdown pass to Green. For Osweiler, practice sessions over the spring and summer at Kent Denver High School came to life.
“We have developed a real cohesiveness,” Osweiler said.
Green credited Osweiler’s read, calling it a “great decision.”
As a free agent, Green explored the market, but never wanted to leave Denver. He appears to have made a solid choice. He is no longer typecast, and promises to grow into his larger role.
“I will get those blocking issues cleaned up,” Green said. “I would always love to score touchdowns. What guy wouldn’t? But I was fine with my old job because we won a lot of games, and that’s all that is important. It’s different for me now. I am understanding coverages better. I am having fun. When you stress out, you can’t make plays. When I am having fun, everything just comes naturally.”
Troy E. Renck: trenck@denverpost.com or
Green with envy
Virgil Green experienced a breakout game as a passing target in the Broncos’ preseason game at Seattle Friday with five catches despite struggling with his blocking:
table { font-size: small; }
| Preseason | Catches | Yards | TDs |
| 2014 | 5 | 45 | 1 |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
