Rookie tight end Albert Okwuegbunam joined Broncos Country Tonight to chat with Ryan Edwards about his first two NFL games, and what he’s learned so far in the NFL.
When asked about the biggest thing he’s learned in his first two games, Okwuegbunam said it was adjusting to the speed of the NFL game. When asked about the offense and how it’s been learning it, he actually indicated it had some similarities to his college offense at Missouri, and obviously catching passes from Drew Lock is familiar for him, so he said picking up and playing in the offense has been going pretty well so far.
Okwuegbunam has been heavily targeted by Lock in the last two games, as he was targeted six times against New England, and seven times against Kansas City. The rookie tight end hauled in all seven of his targets and was Denver’s leading receiver on Sunday, as Noah Fant looked to still be recovering from his injury.
Even with Fant returning to full strength, I think we’ll continue to see Okwuegbunam play a role in this offense, as he has earned the right to stay out on the field with his play in the first two games, and is another exciting young piece to add to this offense’s arsenal.
Although he struggled in the red zone his first game out, Drew Lock was definitely looking for him there, and I think once he settles in and continues to get comfortable, we’ll see him finish on those plays. Edwards talked with him a little about his experience and mentality in the red zone and mentioned that the rookie is coming out of college with 23 touchdowns, so he’s more than capable in that role as a red zone target.
Check out the full interview above for the whole conversation with “Albert O”, and look for him to continue to be involved in this offense moving forward.