Oakland Raiders Versus The AFC West: Tight Ends
By Kevin Saito
November 9, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas (80) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter against the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum. The Broncos defeated the Raiders 41-17. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Denver Broncos
One does not simply lose a player of Julius Thomas‘ caliber and think everything is going to be all well. When Julius bolted from Denver, opting to catch passes from Blake Bortles instead of Peyton Manning, in 2015 – or at least, he’s opting to cash bigger paychecks down in Jacksonville.
When Thomas left for greener pastures, he took with him, Manning’s best tight end and a large chunk of the scoring offense. If you’re scoring at home, that would be 24 touchdowns over the last two seasons. He did a lot of damage in the red zone for Manning and the Broncos.
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So with Thomas gone, the Broncos are scrambling to fill his roster spot and offensive production. And heading into training camp, they are going to counter with Virgil Green. In four seasons with the Broncos – primarily as Thomas’ backup – Green has snagged a very modest 23 receptions and a lone touchdown.
Free agent pickup Owen Daniels can help bolster the tight end spot, but he is not going to be one who will be able to fill the departed Thomas’ shoes. Entering his tenth season in the league, it’s not sure how much he has left in the tank. Daniels has a total of 33 touchdown grabs over the course of his career – or put another way, only nine more than Thoams had in the last two seasons.
Needless to say, losing Thomas was a huge blow for Manning and the Broncos. He was a huge, vital cog of their offense and he is going to be missed.
Next: Number Three