Sean Payton had big plans for second-year tight end Greg Dulcich this fall.
The Broncos head coach talked in the offseason about the “vision” to use Dulcich, a 2022 third-round pick, as a versatile offensive weapon. One capable of stretching opposing defenses vertically and making big plays in the passing game.
Dulcich, particularly after Denver waived Albert Okwuegbunam at the roster cutdown deadline in August, had a different skill set than Denver’s other tight ends.
Itap showed over the course of missing most of the season due to recurring hamstring injuries.
Dulcich caught two passes in the season opener against Las Vegas before hurting his hamstring, missed four games and then returned to play 11 snaps against Kansas City last week before reinjuring the muscle.
The route he came up limping on, a deep over, is exactly the kind of production Denver simply doesn’t get from the trio of Adam Trautman, Chris Manhertz and Nate Adkins.
“Obviously, Greg brings an aspect of speed and stretching the field that maybe those guys don’t have,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said this week. “That obviously is a part of it, but we’ll keep working the personnel groupings. I don’t think all of a sudden they are going to start running the routes that Greg ran because he has a specific skill set that goes with that, but they are definitely going to be involved.”
Their involvement is still critical, without a doubt. But the passing game numbers are striking.
Trautman has 10 catches for 64 yards. The trio has combined for 14 catches on 23 targets for 93 yards and one touchdown. Those 23 targets have resulted in five first downs total.
“A lot of that, as far as the pass-game stuff, you control what you can,” Manhertz told The Post. “We’re not in charge of the play calls or whatever, but we are in charge of what we do with the plays that we’re given and the opportunities that we’re given. Thatap just part of the deal.”
Indeed, Manhertz’s role is primarily to block people. Itap been that way since he’s been in the league. The veteran has one grab for 10 yards this year and 25 catches in 110 career games.
“We’ve done our jobs,” Manhertz said of the group playing without Dulcich. “Obviously there’s room for improvement in certain areas, but for the most part we’ve been able to do our jobs and do it at the level thatap the standard for our room.”
Payton is trying to cover for Dulcich’s loss not by replacing his passing game work, but by targeting tight ends less in the run game and occasionally using offensive lineman Quinn Bailey as a jumbo tight end.
During camp, Payton said teams use the extra offensive linemen when they don’t have a player like Manhertz, but he’s doing it now because he needs to be able to mix different personnel groups to make defenses show their hand.
“A lot of times, itap a result of the ebb and flow of the season and your health at tight end and your roster numbers,” Payton said.
Said Bailey, who’s credited with 10 offensive snaps so far, “You kind of approach it how you would any other blocking assignment. You just have to key into those assignments more. There’s no individual coaching for it, itap just installed with other plays mixed in there.”
If Denver ends up without Dulcich for another extended stretch, it’ll continue to be a mixing and matching for the tight end group.
The challenge: Keep throwing the ball to backs and receivers and keep using tight ends in the run game, but don’t get predictable.
Manhertz said they can help with that, even if itap not in the same way Dulcich does.
“If all 11 guys are doing their job, itap pretty fun to see the type of production that we can have in the run game,” he said. “But not only that, it creates more opportunities in the pass game as well.
“Itap a good primer for the foundation of this offense.”
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