The Broncos’ outlook is a constant pendulum.
One person might rave about the Broncos’ 6-0 record, crediting a playmaking defense. Another person might rant about the floundering offense and how the team wins in spite of quarterback Peyton Manning.
The offense’s struggles hold the team back, but to figure out why one must look at when it didn’t struggle and what’s truly changed.
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Manning, a fluctuating offensive line and a mostly nonexistent run game are all to blame, but the disappearance of a third receiving threat, the tight end, might be the biggest reason.
“I love running tight-end type offenses — two-tights, three-tights and those type of things,” Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said. “How we’re built right now is a lot different, so we’re having to adjust to that. We’ll see where we go.”
Since Manning joined the Broncos in 2012, the team’s tight ends have accounted for 974, 1,064 and 672 yards respectively. This season, Owen Daniels and Virgil Green, the only tight ends with a reception, are on pace to combine for 327 receiving yards. The production hasn’t been good enough.
Maybe the Broncos underestimated the loss of free-agent tight end Julius Thomas, who totaled 108 receptions, 1,277 yards and 24 touchdowns over his last two years in Denver.
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Or maybe the team overestimated the production it would receive from Daniels and Green.
Thomas, now in Jacksonville, has more yards (102) than both Daniels (85) and Green (38), which isn’t surprising until you see their offensive snap counts this season: Daniels 346, Green 151, Thomas 125.
The passes the Broncos’ tight ends have caught have come on short-yardage or red-zone snaps, nothing down the field.
“My experience in this offense is that we’ve always been a big play-action team,” Daniels said. “As long as we continue to improve in the running game, then it should continue.”
The Broncos’ struggles in the run game and pass protection have forced the tight ends to stay on the line more as blockers. Their No. 1 objective is to protect Manning. But when the tight ends have gotten their chances, such as against Oakland, the NFL’s worst team at covering the tight end, they often have come up empty. Daniels was targeted five times and made no catches in that game.
“I do think I can get involved more,” Green said. “Our run game, we’re just inches away. Once we can start busting big runs, the play action will be there and the whole offense pieces together.”
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Kubiak agrees with getting the tight ends more involved and mentioned the addition of Richard Gordon as a potential help to the problem. But Gordon, 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, has only four career catches for 14 yards and one touchdown in five seasons.
“My biggest strength is blocking,” Gordon said. “I can catch, but most likely I’m going to be a blocker.”
Another option is to bring someone in via trade before the Nov. 3 deadline, but Broncos’ management has given no inclination it is looking to do that. If that changes, players who might help are San Francisco’s Vernon Davis or St. Louis’ Jared Cook.
Whatever the solution, the Broncos need to figure out the curious case of the missing tight end.
Cameron Wolfe: 303-954-1891, cwolfe@denverpost.com or @CameronWolfe
