ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Albert Okwuegbunam’s been on a rollercoaster all offseason.
It all started on Mar. 8, when the Denver Broncos shipped Noah Fant out of town in a blockbuster trade for Russell Wilson.
Not only did that open the door for Okwuegbunam to take over the starting job, but it also gave the talented pass-catching tight end the ability to play with an elite quarterback for the first time in his young NFL career.
Up until then, the offseason ride was going great for the third-year player.
That was until Nathaniel Hackett and the coaching staff publicly and privately challenged the 6-foot-5, 258-pound tight end to be an all-around player, not just a big receiver.
Okwuegbunam’s rollercoaster ride continued to trend down when George Paton and the Broncos’ used their second pick in the 2022 NFL Draft on tight end Greg Dulcich out of UCLA.
At that point—as the coaches applauded Dulcich’s ability to be the all-around tight end in Denver—Okwuegbunam’s chances of being the Broncos’ starting tight end were significantly hurt.
But from the moment Dulcich, with his long hair and short shorts, stepped into the Broncos’ building, Okwuegbunam began to change the narrative surrounding himself being a one-dimensional player.
“Albert’s really stepped up mentally,” Justin Outten said after Tuesday’s minicamp practice. “This playbook is not easy and with the position he plays, you definitely know that he took a gigantic step that second week of OTAs. I thought he did a really good job of owning his job and not trying to do too much.”
Throughout OTAs and mandatory minicamp, Okwuegbunam’s emergence has been impossible to ignore. In fact, during through the first two practices of mandatory minicamp, Okwuegbunam was arguably Denver’s best receiving weapon.
On Tuesday, Wilson found Albert O. on two different crossing routes in the middle of the field, each going for a first down. On the first, Wilson rocketed a pass through a hole in the offensive line and the ball grazed the finger tips of linebacker Alex Singleton. But that didn’t stop Okwuegbunam from hauling in the pass for a 15-yard gain.
No. 85 hasn’t just been one of Denver’s most productive receiving threats this offseason, he’s gained the coaches trust as a blocker.
“I thought he did a really good job both in the run game protection, pass game opening up and rolling,” Denver’s offensive coordinator said. “He’s very talented player. He’s a very explosive player. Just kind of honing in on the details allowing him to come through with all of his talent instead of just limiting himself to one aspect or another.”
The work, however, is far from over for Okwuegbunam. In the offseason, there are no pads and thus blocking is harder to gauge. But Albert O. has already begun to change the narrative that he is at least a willing blocker.
“The willingness is definitely there,” Outten said about Okwuegbunam’s ability as a run blocker. “It keeps going up each and every day. So that’s exciting to see.”
When the pads come on in training camp, Albert O. will need to show he can hold his own against Denver’s talented front seven.
If and when that happens, Okwuegbunam will be back at the top of the rollercoaster, just where he started in the offseason in a prime position to become Denver’s starting tight end.
