The eye contact between Broncos tight end Noah Fant and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater meant both knew what would be available.
Fant was lined up in the left slot on the second offensive play of the season opener against the New York Giants and running back Melvin Gordon was outside of him. The Giants’ defense appeared confused.
“A busted coverage and I found the open space,” Fant said. “Teddy and I were on the same page.”
The easy pitch-and-catch over the middle gained 15 yards and Fantap third year was off to a productive start. But through the opening four games, that kind of chunk gain has been in short supply for him. Entering Sunday’s game at Pittsburgh, Fantap 18 catches are tied for the Broncos’ lead with receiver Courtland Sutton, tied for sixth among NFL tight ends and tied for 39th overall.
But Fant is tied for 224th in yards per catch (8.7).
Yikes.
“I wouldn’t draw many conclusions after four games,” coach Vic Fangio said.
Maybe so, but a passing game without Jerry Jeudy (ankle) for another few weeks and minus KJ Hamler (ACL) for the rest of the year needs to get Fant more involved in general and more involved downfield in particular.
“For me, I feel like itap been kind of clunky,” Fant said. “Some plays go really well and some plays don’t go the best. Just trying to figure out where I fit in. I feel like thatap what our whole offense is doing, just trying to figure out how we can all fit in seamlessly with each other and get going in the right direction.”
Two days after that bit of self-evaluation, Fant visited with The Denver Post.
The first question: Where does he fit in?
“My fit is doing whatever they need me to do,” Fant said diplomatically. “They’ve asked me to do a lot of different things in the blocking game and passing game so thatap been my biggest thing with the coaches, making sure I do what they ask and go from there. Just trying to be versatile.”
Running shorter routes
Fant has been the Broncos’ intended receiver on 27 pass attempts, second on the team behind Sutton’s 28.
A charting of the throws shows how Fant isn’t being prioritized down the seams, where he can use his speed as a moving target. Nineteen of his targets, including 14 catches, haven’t traveled more than five “air” yards downfield per The Postap analysis. Fant has only two catches on passes that traveled at least 10 “air” yards (gains of 15 and 25 yards against the Giants).
Down the field, he has been the target of only three passes of at least 16 “air” yards (all incompletions).
Frustrating?
“Sometimes it is,” Fant said. “But we all know itap going come (my) way eventually. Itap not like the coaches can control how the defense plays. We’re just trying to move the ball and get points. Especially if things aren’t going well, it gets frustrating, but you have to keep going.”
By game, Fant has eight targets/six catches (Giants), six/four (Jaguars), three/two (Jets) and 10/six (Ravens).
The average “air” distance of his targets is only 5.9 yards.
Last year, Fant had 13 explosive catches (gain of at least 16 yards), but has only one this year, a 25-yard gain against the Giants.
“Itap just the way the coverages and reads have come,” tight ends coach Wade Harman said. “I’m sure (defenses) are conscious of him. We had a shot (19 yards) down the field (against Baltimore) and it hit the defender in the back. It will come. I don’t think you can force them. When they’re there, you take them. He’s had the opportunity to catch and run and has broken some tackles.”
Defenses had to respect Jeudy all over the field and Hamler on his vertical routes. The ripple effect is more attention paid underneath to Fant.
“Definitely,” Harman said. “When you have speed on the edges, it definitely takes the top off and gives you more room down there.”
Patience required
Listed at 249 pounds, Fantap best course is catching Bridgewater’s passes while moving forward so his speed can allow him to run by linebackers and through the tackle attempts of cornerbacks and safeties.
The yards-after-catch opportunities haven’t materialized — only 72 of his 156 yards. Fantap best work this year has been on the move.
Looking at a reporter’s iPad before practice Wednesday, Fant reviewed three of his top plays.
The first play was the aforementioned catch against the Giants when Fant operated from the slot.
“Itap definitely different,” he said of lining up in a stand-up position. “You can see things a little better. It gets muddy sometimes when you’re in a three-point stance, but I’m able to do both and I enjoy doing both and trying to figure things out from there.”
The second play was his 14-yard touchdown at Jacksonville when Fant was inside of a trips formation to Bridgewater’s right. It was easy pickings for Fant, who wasn’t jammed at the line and then broke a tackle attempt.
“I was the ‘Y’ on this play,” Fant said. “Itap a five-yard ‘out’ route and breaking the tackle and doing the rest. I’m trying to focus on making him do what I want him to do so I pushed inside to hold his feet and keep him out there and then broke away to get some space.”
Said Harman: “Noah had a chance to either sit or break out and he broke out and he’s really quick and the first guy, a lot of times, has a tough time getting him down. Once he got to the edge, he was determined and didn’t let anybody get him.”
The third play was the three-yard touchdown against Baltimore when he lined up to Bridgewater’s left in a three-point stance.
“Just a little ‘over’ route,” Fant said. “Nothing too crazy. Not too bad.”
Statistically, Fantap catch total and two touchdowns aren’t too bad through the season’s four games. But the first three games were a luxury — the Broncos were in control throughout and didn’t need chunk plays. Their lack of explosiveness was obvious against the Ravens.
Harman preaches patience to Fant and to concern himself with the opportunities he does get, not the ones he isn’t getting. But it needs to be a system-wide effort to put him in the right spots.
“I think (Fantap) production is good,” offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said. “He’s doing what he needs to do. At some point, some of those (short gains) will turn into long ones.”
