Is Jeff Heuerman the cure for the Broncos tight end struggles?

Good morning, Broncos Country!

The Denver Broncos are in desperate need of a guy to take control of the tight end position.

That is an evergreen lead given the last few seasons and lack of production from the position, but it’s still true. An effective tight end makes makes everyone better on offense, from Case Keenum and receivers to the running backs. It opens the field and makes the Broncos that much tougher to defend, especially with the emergence of Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton.

Enter Jeff Heuerman.

The last week was perhaps his best in the NFL, and he capped it off with a great showing on Saturday night against the Chicago Bears. The fourth-year tight end from Ohio State University finished with two catches for 21 yards. The biggest issue for Heuerman has been his health. Over his four years in Denver, he hasn’t been able to stay on the field. Heuerman has missed 26 of a possible 51 games played, and he missed the first two weeks of training camp.

We saw a glimpse of the threat Heuerman could pose last season against the Indianapolis Colts, but we need to see more. The organization needs to see Heuerman can consistently stay on the field. When he is, you understand why the Broncos stick with him.

“Jeff is a good player and he did not want to be tackled (on Saturday night),” Keenum told the media after the game. “That’s nice when you throw him a ball on the flat and it winds up being a 13-yard gain or a 12-yard gain. Just throwing people off of him. I think he had a lot pent up being out for the last couple of weeks. It was nice to have him back out there. Even on the two-point conversion. He had a bunch of catches tonight and I’m excited to continue that chemistry with the tight end position there, especially with Jeff.”

If Heuerman is able to build on the last week and carry it over to Friday against the Washington Redskins and then the regular season, Denver has found its tight end. The other added benefit is it will force the other guys at the position to step up and match Heuerman’s production.

The Broncos have been in desperate need for a guy to step up and take the tight end position. Heuerman may finally be their guy.

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