The Denver Broncos essentially gave tight end Jake Butt a redshirt year in 2017, but he could be a big weapon for Case Keenum and the offense in 2018.
It was a tough watch viewing the Denver Broncos offense last season. However, the bulk of the blame for that falls on the quarterback position. Trevor Siemian was less-than-stellar, to put it in the kindest terms. However, the Broncos made sure to address that this offseason as they signed Case Keenum, fresh off a career-year with the Vikings, in free agency.
The arrival of Keenum should stabilize things in Denver’s offense heading into the 2018. His ability should allow them to better utilize the talented duo they have at wide receiver with Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas. What’s more, the Broncos also have a crop of first- and second-year receivers behind them, highlighted by Carlos Henderson, Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton.
There’s no doubt that the weapons in the passing game in Denver are prevalent. However, one of the most potent weapons that they possess and a critical one is someone who isn’t being talked about a lot: second-year tight end Jake Butt.
There were several people who viewed Butt, a former Michigan Wolverine, as one of the best tight ends in the 2017 draft class. However, he suffered a brutal knee injury in his team’s bowl game. That injury and the subsequent recovery ultimately cost him what would’ve been his rookie year as he worked to rehab and get fully back on the injury.
While in college though, Butt proved to be a tremendous playmaker in the Michigan passing game. He’s a massive target with solid athleticism and crisp technique in his routes. Put simply, he had all the skills on display to make you think he could be a pass-catching threat at the NFL level. Of course, we didn’t get to see any of that last season.
But now Butt is healthy, and he could play a solid role in this offense. Despite all of the weapons at wide receiver, Keenum taking over at quarterback could mean Butt sees a good bit of action. After all, he heavily relied on tight end Kyle Rudolph in Minnesota last season, a team where he also had a talented duo at receiver in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen.
Butt could well be a big-time addition to the Broncos offense given the circumstances. He has little competition if he can come out healthy and show off the same skills he displayed in college. And if that happens, expect to hear his name called frequently in 2018.