For the second time in consecutive seasons, head coach Sean Payton is 0-2 heading into Week 3 as the Denver Broncos travel for a matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this coming Sunday.
In Week 2, the Broncos offense was bullied and beaten down by the Pittsburgh Steelers, losing 13-16 in the home opener at Empower Field at Mile High. Payton’s offense failed to score a single touchdown last week.
The Broncos have only recorded one total touchdown this season: a Bo Nix four-yard rushing score in Week 1's 26-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
When it comes to Denver's pathetic offensive showing thus far, there’s plenty of blame to go around, from Payton’s nonsensical play-calling, to flimsy offensive line protection, and the absence of dynamic playmakers. Not to mention that Denver’s rookie first-round quarterback has thrown four interceptions in two games and is completing fewer than 60% of his passes.
While there’s room for dramatic improvement at all positions of the Broncos offense, it’s well past time for Denver to admit that Greg Dulcich is not the answer at the tight end position. The 24-year-old dropped two passes in Sunday’s loss to the Steelers, recording just three receptions for 16 yards (on eight targets).
In the last two games, Dulcich has logged 79 offensive snaps, which led to 11 targets and five catches for 28 yards — a body of work replete with lackluster and ineffective effort. During the offseason, Payton teased a ‘joker’ role for Dulcich, sharing his vision of utilizing an exceptional tight end with great ball skills and elite playmaking ability, similar to the New Orleans Saints’ Taysom Hill.
Instead, the only joke has been the Broncos offense, leaving many fans dissatisfied with Dulcich in the starting lineup. Is it time for the Broncos to pull the plug on Dulcich as such a featured player in this offense? Let's examine.
Snake-Bitten or Injury-Riddled?
When Broncos GM George Paton drafted Dulcich out of his alma mater, UCLA, with a third-round pick (No. 80) in 2022, fans rejoiced with the dreams and aspirations of finally landing a pass-catching tight end. Instead, the team selected a college walk-on who has struggled to maintain his health long enough to make it to practice or gameday.
Repeated grade 1 and grade 2 thigh and hamstring strains and sprains have restricted Dulcich to just 14 games played in the NFL despite this being his third season. Of those 14 games, he's started eight times with 41 receptions on 70 targets for 464 yards and two touchdowns, earning 11.3 yards per catch. He’s recorded just one broken tackle, with four drops, and he's averaged 33.1 yards per game in his career.
I’ve long lamented how exhausted Dulcich looks on the field, as he seems more out of place and beleaguered than the rest of the Broncos' rag-tag offensive unit. Instead of being a security blanket for Nix, Dulcich frequently asks for a breather after a target or incomplete pass. The game looks overwhelming, intimidating, and too much for him to manage on a weekly basis, regardless of whether he's healthy or who his quarterback or opponent is.
By no means am I suggesting that Dulcich is the reason for the Broncos' offensive woes. But if I'm being honest, it’s been a miracle to even have him on the active gameday roster, seeing how he’s rarely been available since being drafted. His back-to-back lackluster performances featuring dropped passes and missed blocking assignments have only added insult to injury.
We've all experienced that one fellow employee at work who's hardly ever there (through no fault of their own), and when they're clocked in and present, they’re anything but productive. That’s exactly what’s happening in Denver as Dulcich continues to punch the timecard with the promise of potential at an undisclosed and much, much later time in the future.
Trending for a Draft Bust
Having worked in the scouting community evaluating collegiate talent since 2016, it pains me to label exciting prospects who become busts in the NFL. But what else would you call a third-round premium draft pick with boatloads of potential who's yet to show up two games into Year 3?
Should the Broncos continue to kick the Dulcich can down the road?
The fact of the matter is that Dulcich hasn’t caught a touchdown since his rookie season (2022), when he logged the only two scores of his professional career. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end hasn’t even earned a single first down since 2023.
It’s painfully clear that Dulcich doesn’t resemble any of Payton’s favorite tight ends from previous coaching stops, including Jimmy Graham, Jason Witten, and Jeremy Shockey. Dulcich's lack of body control for contested catches causes undersized defensive backs to win what should be easy mismatches for Nix.
Remember, Payton wasn’t with the Broncos when Dulcich was drafted, and despite all of his hinting that No. 80 would have an elevated role this season, we're yet to see any glimpse of good things to come.
“We’ve got to make the plays when they're there. I obviously had two drops, and it's unacceptable. I have to correct those things,” Dulcich said after the Broncos' loss to the Steelers last Sunday.
As much as I can appreciate Dulcich's accountability by owning up to his two inescapable gameday mistakes, I still don’t get the sense that the Broncos' top tight end understands that the fan base is frustrated. He’s supposed to be an offensive solution, not part of the problem.
When asked whether he could blame Broncos Country for its current level of disappointment, Dulcich said, “I mean, we’ve got to be better. Plain and simple.”
Quite frankly, the Broncos would be better with a tight end rotation featuring Adam Trautman, Lucas Krull, and Donald Parnham Jr. It's time to waive the white flag on the Dulcich experiment.
