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Albert Okwuegbunam 2022 Outlook: New Broncos Starting Tight End Faces Stiff Target Competition
3 years agoThird-year tight end Albert Okwuegbunam is set to take over as the starting tight end in Denver after Noah Fant was dealt to Seattle in the Russell Wilson trade. But maybe not so fast, as the Broncos took UCLA TE Greg Dulcich with the 80th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. The rookie likely fills a reserve role behind Albert O but could take away a few targets as early as this season. Nonetheless, Okwuegbunam will still compete with Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, and KJ Hamler for targets, while Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon III also get a few out of the backfield. The Broncos only threw the ball 31.8 times per game last season, good for eighth-least in the league. That could very well change this season with Wilson at the helm, but it also might not. Subsequently, it's hard to see Albert O commanding more than 4-5 targets per game given all the competition surrounding him. Last season, he started one game for Fant, catching 4-of-5 targets for just 25 yards on an 81% snap share. The starting tight end in a Russell Wilson-led offense will still have his moments, but those could be few and far between with a ton of mouths to feed. Consider Okwuegbunam a high-end TE2 this season with upside to finish as a low-end TE1 should any of the top pass-catchers be forced to miss any time.
