Andrew Beck has been called the “Swiss army knife” for the Broncos offense

One player who is often overlooked by fans and media is fullback/tight end, Andrew Beck. He is viewed as the Broncos starting fullback, however, he may not seem like a roster lock by some because he is playing a dying position that can be filled by other players.

Well, these comments by Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett make it sound like Beck is a roster lock and someone who we could see in multiple spots in the Broncos offense.

Hackett told reporters that Andrew Beck is basically the “Swiss army knife” for the Broncos offense because of the many roles he will play for them this upcoming season.

“He’s a guy that has come out here and played that swing position. He’s been both fullback, he’s been on the line, he’s been a ‘Y’ during 11-personnel, so he’s a guy that is kind of like a Swiss army knife. He can do so many different things. He does a really good job stretching the field down vertically, but also has done a really good job learning the fullback position and how we want to do it. So where that goes, you never know. We want to be as multiple as possible. We want to take advantage of defenses, so as much as we can utilize him in that role we will.”

All through the offseason, Hackett and the Broncos coaches have stressed versatility as something they value with their players. Being able to play multiple positions is beneficial to the team and certainly helps a player make the 53-man roster. This is the exact role and path that Andrew Beck is taking to hopefully lock in a roster spot.

He is likely the Broncos’ starting fullback, but he can also play tight end and originally joined the team as a tight end. If he can also play in the slot, be a matchup problem for defenses, and contribute on special teams, he can be a key player for the Broncos.

Now, this could make for an interesting roster crunch for the Broncos. If Beck is a lock for a roster spot, do the Broncos keep one of Tomlinson and Saubert? If they keep both, they essentially have five tight ends on the roster. That is a little more than you usually see, and with Beck’s versatility, you can use that extra spot to keep a player elsewhere on the roster. So it will be interesting to see how that plays out.

In the end, it sounds like Andrew Beck is in the Broncos' plans this upcoming season. I am intrigued to see how they use him in the offense and hopefully, he is productive in whatever role they use him in.