The news tore up inside that teammate tore his ACL a third time. The tight ends group practiced Thursday afternoon without No. 80 and LaCosse said “it was rough because you didn’t know what was going on and didn’t know how he was doing.” Yet, life in the NFL doesn’t stop. Itap next man up.
Buttap season-long absence means Denver is without arguably its most dynamic pass-catching tight end.
LaCosse will try to prove how he can fill the role starting Monday night against Kansas City.
“As sad as Jake’s injury is, it’s my job to help this team step up,” LaCosse said, “and play to the best of my ability.”
Don’t feel ashamed, apountry, if you’re not totally filled in on the 6-foot-6, 255-pound tight end in his third NFL season. LaCosse called his path to this moment, “pretty unique,” before laying out each step.
1. Undrafted from Illinois in 2015, signed to the Giants, tore his hamstring the first day of camp and cut.
2. Signed with the Jets, cut three days later, and moved back home (Naperville, Ill.) for about six weeks. “Doing nothing,” LaCosse said, “interviewing for jobs and thinking, ‘Ah, crap. Did I just ruin my NFL dream?’ ”
3. Signed back to the Giants practice squad, promoted to the active roster and caught three passes in his NFL rookie debut. “Sunday night in Minnesota,” LaCosse said, “about six degrees.” A torn MCL the following preseason and then cut by New York in Year 3.
4. Signed to the Broncos last December and appeared in three games. LaCosse scored two receiving touchdowns in 2018 exhibition play and made Denver’s 53-man roster.
“Mattap done a nice job in preseason, he made some plays for us,” offensive coordinator said. “I know he has a prominent special-teams role also on our team. So, he’s important to us and we’ll utilize him more than we had planned.”
Of course, replacing Butt’s production will require a team effort. LaCosse’s promotion opens the Broncos’ third tight end slot. , a second-year pro, undrafted from Albany, appears a viable option from the practice squad, although the Broncos could look elsewhere to bolster their depth. Coach Vance Joseph said there are “options” that are “being discussed right now.”
One certainty? Broncos tight end ‘s role in the passing game is bound to expand. Denver utilizes his talent often as an in-line blocker, but quarterback has also targeted Heuerman eight times through three games. Heuerman, in his fourth year with the Broncos, responded with five catches for 32 yards.
“(Heuerman) has always been a pretty good pass-catcher,” Joseph said. “Now, without Jake, obviously his targets should go up a little bit, but he’s done a great job in the past, especially in the red zone.”
LaCosse received a taste of NFL regular season play as a rookie and then patiently waited his turn for another opportunity to catch a pass and help his team win. The chance has finally arrived.
“Preseason has been my time to shine. That’s when I’ve showed up and played well,” LaCosse said. “Now, it’s my time to do it on Monday night.”
