Broncos Film Room: Butt vs. Fumagalli, who fits best as Denver’s third tight end?

It’s almost become a tradition at this point, summer is in the air and hope springs eternal for the Denver Broncos and often-injured former All-American tight end Jake Butt.

While a lost rookie season was to be expected and 2018 promised to be a big year for Butt before yet another season-ending injury, 2019 has been different for the Michigan man.

With the selection of Noah Fant in the first round and the emergence of another Big Ten tight end, Troy Fumagalli, in minicamp, Butt’s status has never been this uncertain since the Broncos selected him in the fifth round of 2017.

With Jeff Heuerman receiving a contract extension and Fant fully entrenched in the lineup, both are locks to make the roster. This means Fumagalli and Butt are set up to have quite the battle during training camp and preseason, assuming butt is healthy enough to compete. The loser might not just find themselves falling down the depth chart but are likely going to be left off the final 53-man roster altogether.

Given the high-stakes battle that both these unknown talents have coming this offseason, here’s what they bring to the table and how they fit the Broncos new offense.

What they bring to the table

If it wasn’t for injuries, Jake Butt would’ve gone much higher than the fifth round due to his enticing and very complete skill set. Butt is a prototypical in-line tight end who’s a strong enough blocker with adequate size and strength at the point of attack.

As a receiver, Butt has the hands, size, and enough speed to stretch the seam in addition to the body-positioning skills to box defenders out and create space for himself. The Broncos No. 80 is also talented in coming down with contested grabs and getting open on intermediate routes to pick up chunk plays.

He’s a true starting tight end at his peak, who can handle blocking duties and be a factor as a receiver, getting open underneath when lined up in-line and with enough talent to get open when flexed out wide or lined up in the slot.

If healthy, he’s a reliable starting tight end with the upside for more.

That’s the big question with Butt; will he finally be healthy? Additionally, how will the lingering effects of three ACL injuries affect his ability to get open consistently? 

Assuming Butt is able to return to full health, a pairing with Fant’s dynamic athleticism could make for one of the more formidable duos in the NFL, with Butt handling intermediate routes and primary blocking duties, while Fant stretches the field and can be a major threat running after the catch on short dump offs and screens.

Troy Fumagalli, on the other hand, isn’t the blocker Butt is and doesn’t fit the profile of a typical in-line tight end who can be plugged into any formation on a regular basis.

The former Badger needs a head of steam to be at his best as a blocker which really showed when lined up as an H-back, where he can be used to block on the move or get open underneath with that added head of steam.

While Butt has the ability to come down with contested catches, Fumagalli possesses the stronger hands and is at his best gaining position on defenders and coming down with catches in tight spaces.

Those hands and his ability to box out defenders to get open in tight coverage, make Fumagalli a very intriguing weapon in the red zone and on short-yardage situations.

He’s also a deceptively-quick athlete who’ll surprise as a runner in the open field and is extremely crafty in getting open on short yardage situations, proving to be a nice security blanket.

Butt definitely has a more rare skill set and can be plugged into just about every scheme, while Fumagalli’s strengths have to be plugged into select situations to get the most out of what he does.

The ideal scheme and roster fit

In Rich Scangarello’s offense, Heuerman’s blocking ability in-line and power at the point of attack is a key for the running game, while Fant’s speed to stretch the field is also essential for the pass. 

Where Fumagalli and Butt can fill in is with their duties as the third-tight end; proving to be that security blanket for the passing game and being an extra blocker in three tight-end sets.

That’s where Fumagalli has a noticeable advantage, with his skills getting open in short-yardage situations and proving to be a greater threat on dump offs than Butt.

Fumagalli also has the more reliable hands of the two, which, in addition to his knack for finding holes in underneath coverage, make him a more reliable threat on short routes.

The former Badger is also more equipped as a blocker if utilized out the backfield in three-tight-end sets that can also function as three-back formations, with Fumagalli being able to fill many of the duties of an H-back or improvised fullback.

In fairness, Butt is a crafty route runner as well who can disengage from coverage underneath and has shown plenty of promise blocking on the move.

But Fumagalli brings more versatility and is a better fit to what the third tight end needs to do out of this scheme.

Butt can be lined up all over, especially when flexed in the slot or outside but with Fant and Heuerman already in the mix, the Broncos already have those areas covered.

While it might be a slight advantage, Fumagalli’s fit is better as the third tight end in Scangarello’s offense with his ability to play at his best as an H-back.

The apple of Flacco’s eye

New Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco loves his tight ends, especially ones he can trust in short-yardage situations both in the red zone and on third down, two areas in which both of Denver’s unproven targets can be valuable assets for the big-armed quarterback. 

Third-down security blanket

Butt really stood out for how often he was targeted—especially in his junior season—on third down. He’s talented at finding openings in coverage underneath and creating space for himself.

He can set up defenders, getting open with subtle body fakes. He has a knack for flipping his hips quickly to come back inside and run towards the ball—just watch how he sets up this safety against Indiana, scoring a huge overtime touchdown in the process.

Fumagalli’s route running isn’t as polished, but the natural ability in finding holes in coverage is abundantly clear. He’s also more talented in making tough grabs when the ball placement isn’t perfect, whether on low throws or tough passes away from his frame.

Red-zone threat

Fumagalli’s play so far in OTA’s has been eye-opening, especially for his work in the red zone. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone given the former Wisconsin product’s biggest strengths.

Butt’s also a strong red-zone weapon with his body-positioning skills and brings more blocking ability down in the short yardage situations when lined up in-line.

Butt isn’t a dynamic leaper nor does he have the same skills in making high-level-of-difficulty catches but given his dual-threat skills in the red area, this is about a push.

Final verdict

If the Broncos didn’t already have a dynamic weapon in Fant and a proficient in-line blocker like Heuerman, Butt would win the battle with Fumagalli in his sleep, assuming full health.

Given what the Broncos scheme could do with the third tight end and the type of security blanket Flacco needs out the position, Fumagalli’s actually positioned to be the better option.

Butt has the more unique talents and the type of skills that are harder to find, but Fumagalli fits better right now and has already impressed with his strong OTA showing.

The bigger factor here is health, as Butt losing a half step from his college days could really hurt his ability to get open on intermediate routes and really put Fumagalli in the driver seat in the race for the third tight end.

Losing either will be a very tough pill to swallow given how intriguing both are at the position, but with what Denver needs right now, Fumagalli has the slight edge.