Oakland Raiders: Stacking up tight ends against the AFC West

Denver Broncos

Key Contributors: Jake Butt, Jeff Huerman

Having lost Virgil Green to division rival Los Angeles, the Broncos and new quarterback Case Keenum will be relying on last year’s fifth-round pick Jake Butt and third-year pro Jeff Huerman to hold down the position.

Butt, after tearing an ACL in his senior year at Michigan spent the season off Denver’s active roster as he recovered. Now healthy, the Broncos are hoping he can begin to replicate the sort of effectiveness and success he had as a Wolverine.

At six-foot-five, 246 pounds, Butt has good size and length. Butt’s 138 receptions and 1,646 yards at Michigan are both scool records for a tight end, and he’s also won the Ozzie Newsome Award, which recognizes him as the best tight end in college football.

The hope is that Butt can get on the field, stay healthy, and be as dangerous of a weapon in Denver’s offense as he was in Ann Arbor.

They also have Huerman, who in two seasons with the Broncos, has racked up 18 total receptions for 283 yards, and a pair of touchdowns. At six-five, 255 pounds, Huerman handles a lot of the blocking duties, and will most likely remain in that role as Butt takes his slot as the team’s pass catching tight end.

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Though Butt has some potential, make no mistake about it, the tight end spot is a weakness in this Denver offense. Given that their first team tight end is essentially a rookie, and their second team tight end doesn’t have a season with more than nine catches, experience is incredibly lacking for this position group.

And that lack of experience can hurt an offense as it makes it less versatile and dynamic. Such as will almost certainly be the case in Denver.