http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_20284693/after-lost-rookie-season-its-time-julius-thomas
After lost rookie year, it's time for Broncos TE Julius Thomas to step up
By Jeff Legwold The Denver Post The Denver Post
Posted:
DenverPost.com
Today's question about the Broncos comes from Kenny Loughridge in Missouri:
Q: Wasn't Julius Thomas supposed to be the next great Broncos tight end? I realize he was hurt last year, but have they already given up on him?
A: Kenny, the Broncos haven't given up on him, and they shouldn't. Much like trading Alphonso Smith just one season after they traded away a first-round pick to take him in the second round of the 2009 draft was impetuous, so would be discarding Thomas at this point.
The Broncos expended a fourth-round pick on Thomas last year and then took another tight end — Virgil Green — with one of their seventh-round picks.
Meanwhile, back in the offense, when the Broncos moved to an option-based offense because Tim Tebow was the team's starter at quarterback, the team's tight ends largely became ornamental in the passing game no matter who they were. With just 19 catches, Daniel Fells led the team's tight ends in receptions.
And all of the team's tight ends had just 13 catches combined over the Broncos' last 10 games of the regular season. So they essentially muted the position beyond a blocking role in the offense as Tebow rarely targeted them in the passing game.
That said, Thomas never bounced back from a severely sprained ankle he suffered against Cincinnati in Week 2. He played in just two of the other 14 games in the regular season and did not have a catch in those two games.
And for a player who was already behind developmentally because he had played basketball for four seasons in college before he played one year of football, the missed time showed. Already raw, Thomas never regained his footing as his recovery from the injury lingered as well.
It's especially difficult for young players to make progress fundamentally during the season as well because the practice time is devoted to specific game plans for the upcoming opponent and not getting players settled into a variety of duties in the offense or even refining their skills.
It's strictly a week-to-week affair.
Still, the Broncos have lit the proverbial fire under Thomas and Green. While the two may have felt at least a little comfortable on the roster when the Broncos broke training camp last year and the two rookies found themselves getting regular action in practice, they'll have to come in ready to go this time around to get on the field.
The Broncos expended several million dollars to sign Joel Dreessen and Jacob Tamme to multiyear deals in free agency. Both are proven veterans who know how to do the job, and Tamme has the added advantage of having already played with Peyton Manning at quarterback.
With Manning, the tight end takes on a greater importance in the offense — by a long shot. Manning has long considered a tight end who can work the middle of the field to be one of his most important matchups against a defense, and the Broncos figure to line up in a two-tight-end set, with the intention to pass out of it plenty in the coming season.
The numbers game isn't so tight at the beginning of the season because Green has to serve a four-game suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. But when he returns to the team, the Broncos will have the two veterans they signed in free agency to go with two of their own draft picks.
They could keep four tight ends at that point, but it's a tight squeeze on the roster when most teams like to keep those extra roster spots for the defensive and offensive lines.
In the end, they still like Thomas' potential, but now it's up to him to battle his way into the lineup. There will be plenty of passes to go around with Manning behind center, but to get a chance at some of those, Thomas is going to have keep himself on the field and show that he's learned the new playbook.
Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or jlegwold@denverpost.com