Undrafted tight end Austin Fort competes in Broncos’ starting offense

The tight-end room for the Denver Broncos is filled to the brim with talent.

2019 first-round pick Noah Fant was selected to add a vertical passing weapon to Rich Scangarello’s offense.

Jeff Heuerman was re-signed last offseason to provide a veteran presence for quarterback Joe Flacco.

Jake Butt and Troy Fumagalli are both promising young players following injuries in 2018 who are hoping to have a big impact.

At training camp on Friday, the Denver Broncos found another prospect at the tight end position - Austin Fort.

Fort, an undrafted rookie from Wyoming, took a surplus of snaps with the starting offense.

At 6-foot-4, 244 pounds, Fort provides a physical presence in both the passing and running game. He was invited to attend the Broncos local pro day last spring and quickly gained interest from Denver and Kansas City.

Fort ultimately decided to sign with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent:

“When I did the local pro day there, I got to work with (tight ends) coach (Wade) Harman, and we sort of clicked right off the bat. I felt comfortable in the building, and they made it clear that they wanted me there. The Chiefs were definitely really interested, but it was more of ‘we can bring you in and see what you can do’ where the Broncos were kind of saying that ‘we want you here.’”

Fort made an impression during the team session today, catching multiple passes from starting quarterback Joe Flacco and rookie quarterback Drew Lock.

Photo by: Ben Swanson / Denver Broncos

“This is my second training practice ever. Things went well, I made a few plays and had a few good catches,” Fort told me in an exclusive interview after practice.

When he wasn't running routes or catching passes, Fort showed grit through his run blocking. On multiple plays the undrafted TE was able to seal the edge on a defensive end, and work to the second level of defenders.

Offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello will likely utilize the tight end position as an H-back, a position requires fundamental blocking in addition to receiving. Using the H-back allows an offense to line up in multiple formations, while limiting traditional tight end substitutions.

Fort didn’t hesitate when talking about his biggest improvement area since the spring.

“Definitely blocking. Coach Wade is the best teacher I've ever been around, and he’s taught me so much already,” Fort said. “Every day I come out here and my blocking has gotten way better.”