Could Greg Dulcich or Lucas Krull be the Broncos’ answer at tight end?

Greg Dulcich started the season, but didn’t last long. Lucas Krull finished it, and came within a leaping Jack Jones pass deflection of catching a 43-yard touchdown pass from Jarrett Stidham in the regular-season finale.

In between, the Broncos’ tight ends were the NFL’s least-productive unit from a pass-catching perspective. And to that room the Broncos added … an undrafted rookie.

Despite what appeared to be a pressing need at the position, the Broncos largely stood pat at tight end, with the exception of the decision to cut Chris Manhertz before the start of the new league year.

And given the fact that Greg Dulcich has missed 22 of 34 possible games in his first two years, the Broncos clearly have confidence in the depth they possess.

Because while they still have hopes for Dulcich as he has into his third year the constant hamstring injuries — and most recently, a foot problem that ended his season and sidelined him for all of OTAs and minicamp — ultimately, a plan around a player with that sort of injury isn’t viable if there isn’t trust in the rest of the room.

And the most intriguing other tight end is Krull.

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(Photo by Andrew Mason / DenverSports.com)

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BEYOND GREG DULCICH TO LUCAS KRULL: TURNING HEADS IN OTAs

Lucas Krull could have been a household name already. Specifically, it could have happened last Dec. 3 — if he had come down from a sea of hands in the Houston end zone with a football that Russell Wilson optimistically threw into traffic.
A catch by Krull would have extended the Broncos’ winning streak to six. But the pass was intercepted, the Broncos lost … and Krull’s first reception would have to wait a week.

“I was ready. I was super excited and I knew I was going to have an opportunity for that ball. Obviously it just went to the wrong person, but at the end of the day, I’ve gotta find a way to come down with that.

“I grew a lot from that moment, and it helped me every day.”

Krull continued to work, just as he had since joining the Broncos’ practice squad after the New Orleans Saints released him at the roster deadline last year.

Early in the season, Krull labored on the scout team, so he got to face the No. 1 Broncos defense. That steeled him for the challenge he began facing when he made his regular-season debut at Buffalo in Week 10.

“Really just keeping my head down and just working as hard as I can,” Krull said. “Every day in practice when I was on the practice squad, I was treating it as if it was the game, taking all those reps — every rep I can — just diving into every rep I can.”

That work continued into the offseason.

Prior to returning to Colorado for team-organized workouts in April, Krull had individual work with former first-round quarterback Kenny Pickett, who was traded from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia in March as part of the domino effect that followed the Broncos’ decision to cut Russell Wilson, leaving him to sign with the Steelers days after the move became official.

“The biggest thing was to continue to work on my speed, work on getting in and out of my breaks and my route running, work on separation,” Krull said in June. “And then overall strength. You have to be really strong in this league — especially in the blocking aspects.”

All that bore fruit in OTAs. During a practice open to media to close the first week of work, Krull caught multiple passes, including some for long gains. He continued to produce in subsequent weeks.

The recovery of Greg Dulcich from the foot injury threw open the door, and Krull burst through.

At one point during practice, Broncos coach Sean Payton called Krull to his side for a few words.

“I said, ‘If you didn’t notice, everyone in the media was looking down at their rosters to see who 85 was.’ I said, ‘Someday soon, they’re going to know who 85 is,’” Payton said. “He’s looking sharp.”

All because Krull kept putting in the work. He’s now a name to know.

Tight end Lucas Krull, seeing more work with Greg Dulcich not practicing, is “looking sharp,” Sean Payton said.

Payton said he told Dulcich media was looking in their rosters to know who No. 85 was. pic.twitter.com/lytigh72zp

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) May 23, 2024

BUT ABOVE ALL, THERE’S ADAM TRAUTMAN

It seems odd to not mention the putative No. 1 tight end until the third segment of a story such as this one. But Trautman is the player in the room with the fewest questions swirling around him.

He’s a sturdy blocker, and a dependable enough pass catcher to make a play from time to time. He’s intelligent and well-versed in Payton’s scheme. And those characteristics help Trautman serve as a leader in the room, a connection to which Krull pointed last year as one of the key factors in aiding his development.

“He’s a complete leader,” Krull said of Trautman. “He’s unbelievably smart. He knows this game inside and out. Since Day One, I’ve tried to get under his wing.

“… He always kept answering questions, kept wanting to help me, and man, it just speaks volumes to who he is as a person, as a teammate. Unbelievable friend, unbelievable person. I’m so thankful for him.”

You know what you’re getting from Trautman and that’s why the Broncos re-signed him at the start of the league year.

DEVELOPING BEYOND THE TOP THREE

Nate Adkins has positional versatility, projecting as a fullback as well as a tight end. Perhaps no one could benefit more from the Broncos’ decision to release Manhertz than Adkins, who has a chance to slot in as a blocking-first tight end who can also provide a special-teams presence.

If Denver keeps four tight ends on the roster, Adkins is in excellent shape to stick.

Then there is rookie Thomas Yassmin, a converted rugby player from Australia who matriculated at Utah. As a part of the NFL’s international practice-squad program, Yassmin has a guaranteed spot as a bonus 17th player on the practice squad.

This offers Yassmin the chance to develop. The Broncos will play the long game with Yassmin, who had a 6-touchdown season in 2022 but had just 22 receptions in 47 games over five seasons for the Utes.

“He has big-time college experience, so he’s a little further along maybe than your average international player,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said. “He fits right in.”