Coach 'very excited' about TE

New Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett said Monday morning (during NFL meetings) that he's "very excited" to get the ball in the hands of TE Albert Okwuegbunam. He said the plan is to use Okwuegbunam as a "move" TE, calling him "more of a receiver right now" who will train further as a blocker. Okwuegbunam lingered until the 4th round of the 2020 draft, but his profile points to a player with much more talent. The 6'6, 258-pounder ran a 4.49-second 40 ahead of the draft, giving him a 100th-percentile speed score for the position. The arrival of QB Russell Wilson and departure of TE Noah Fant (in the same trade) presents tremendous opportunity in 2022. Okwuegbunam sits 16th at TE in our current PPR rankings but presents upside into TE1 territory.

The Athletic's Nick Kosmider wonders whether Albert Okwuegbunam or Greg Dulcich will lead Broncos TEs in targets this season. "That battle will be one of the more interesting subplots in training camp," Kosmider writes. Okwuegbunam has flashed in spurts over the last 2 seasons. But Denver spent a 3rd-round pick on Dulcich, who was actually picked 38 spots higher than Okwuegbunam. Our early money is on Albert O leading this group in 2022 simply because it usually takes TEs at least a year to produce in the pros. But this will certainly be a situation to watch this summer.

Broncos TE Albert Okwuegbunam (knee) is active for today’s game vs. the Eagles. He’s not a fantasy option but figures to steal a few targets from TE Noah Fant.

Broncos TE Albert Okwuegbunam (knee) is questionable for Sunday's game vs. the Eagles after getting in 2 limited practices this week. His absence would be a boost to TE Noah Fant’s outlook. Fant has averaged 8 targets per game without Okwuegbunam this season vs. 5.3 with him.

Broncos TE Albert Okwuegbunam is questionable to return to Sunday's game vs. the Cowboys. He was questionable coming into the game with a knee, although it's unclear if this is related. Stay tuned for an update.

Broncos TE Albert Okwuegbunam (knee) is active for today’s game vs. the Cowboys. He was limited in practice all week, but we never heard any concern about his availability for this one. With TE Noah Fant (COVID) out, Okwuegbunam is a viable Week 9 spot starter.