Marcedes Lewis has missed just one game in the previous eight seasons.
So, even though Lewis has been in the NFL longer than the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter has been online, the 41-year-old has been durable, thus possessing the most important ability: availability.
The Broncos had Lewis in for a tryout on Tuesday, facing a crunch at tight end.
At the moment, they’re down to two healthy players at the position. Lucas Krull will miss the next several weeks following foot surgery after being sidelined for the last four games due to an injury suffered in practice, and Nate Adkins suffered an an apparent non-contact knee injury Sunday.
And given that their two practice-squad tight ends are converted players from other sports — basketball and Australian football — the Broncos have limited options. They placed waiver claims on two tight ends Monday; they lost out on both to teams with higher waiver priorities, thus leading to the Lewis tryout.
The trade deadline isn’t until Nov. 4; the Broncos are a candidate to bolster the tight-end room there.
But at the same time, the pickings may not be incredibly robust; even a rumored potential target, Cleveland’s David Njoku, has averaged 7.9 and 9.6 yards per reception the last two seasons, respectively; that’s in line with what the Broncos are getting from nine-year veteran Evan Engram, who has an 8.3-yards-per-reception average this season, logging 215 yards on 26 catches.
It’s a similar tale for another rumored trade target, Minnesota’s T.J. Hockenson, who has 8.2 yards per catch this season. For both Hockenson and Njoku, the salad days are just two years in the rear-view mirror; Hockenson came within 40 yards of 1,000 in 2023; Njoku had career highs in receptions (81) and yards (882) that year.
Such production is long in the past for Lewis; he logged 11 receptions in his last 51 regular-season games over the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons. He’s been mostly a blocking tight end for several years now. Lewis is already the oldest tight end to play a game in NFL history; if Denver signs him, he’d become the oldest active player in Broncos history.
This is where the Broncos stand today at tight end: in desperate need of reinforcements to support Engram and the sturdy Adam Trautman. Wringing the last drops from Lewis might be the best option, at least for one week.
But perhaps it didn’t have to be this way.
BRONCOS MIGHT NOT HAVE LOOKED AT LEWIS HAD DRAFT YIELDED IMMEDIATE HELP
One doesn’t want to play the “might-have-been” game, because it’s pointless. But at the same time, one has to look back at the NFL Draft as an opportunity lost for the Broncos to bolster the position for the short and long haul.
The tight-end class was generational in terms of its quality and depth, and the Broncos devoted plenty of time to the position, interviewed a slew of prospects leading up to the NFL Draft, including at least six formal Combine interviews.
But when the draft arrived, Denver didn’t bite on the position until the end of the draft — and when the Broncos did, they selected Caleb Lohner, whom they waived at the roster deadline.
With just 57 snaps of college football to his name, the converted basketball player is a long-range prospect; nothing could reasonably be expected of him this year, and his performance in training camp and the preseason reflected how much polish he needs.
But there were opportunities to add tight ends — even after the first two rounds. Oronde Gadsden II stood out during East-West Shrine Bowl practices; he lasted until late in the fifth round, not going off the board until the 165th overall pick. He now has 385 yards on 27 receptions for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Meanwhile, the Broncos’ previous two picks — Sai’vion Jones and Que Robinson — have played just three games combined so far this season. Both showed flashes at training camp. But they joined position groups that were stacked; their lack of playing time doesn’t reflect poorly on them, but on the quality at their position which was already on the roster.
And for Robinson, who sits behind two edge rushers who’ve signed contract extensions and two quality rotational reserves in their second NFL seasons who each have another two years of team control beyond this one, he faces a difficult conundrum: he’s the spare tire in the deepest edge room in the NFL.
The lack of a tight end from the draft to provide immediate help appears to be an opportunity lost.
And now, with Krull and Adkins potentially facing lengthy absences, the Broncos are left scrambling.
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