Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos' Dallen Bentley Is PERFECT Complement To Adam Trautman

Starting point is 00:00:00 Denver Broncos rookie tight-in. Downland Bentley has a very similar bill to Adam Troutman, which could mean he could take over down the road. You are locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked-on podcast network, your team every day. Happy Monday, Broncos country. Cody Rourke, Sarah Beninger here for another episode. Lockdown Broncos brought to you by our friends over there at ODoo.

Starting point is 00:00:29 Great organizations win because operations matter. That's why you should get Odu. Try for free today. at ODOO.com slash locked on. That's OD-O-O-O-com slash locked on as we continue our rookie projection series. We're focused now on Dallin Bentley, the Broncos' second seventh round selection in the 2026 NFL draft and where he fits into the mix area that Broncos tight-in room that needed to be revamped. Can he offer some upside to a position room that re-signed Adam Troutman, Evan Ingram entering his last year. There's so much to talk about here. We'll go through and

Starting point is 00:01:00 predict whether or not his usage will be at a certain percentage. If he does make the 53 man roster, what's the vision for him? And also going through maybe how he impacts the tight end room. He's got a very similar build to Adam Troutman in a lot of ways. That's one thing that I've noticed at OTAs and mini camps. So Sarah, let's talk about this here. Dallin Bentley, when Denver selected him in the NFL draft, I remember you and I were texting back and forth like, wow, like, hey, this is actually a really good get for the

Starting point is 00:01:26 Broncos because of what we saw him do at Utah. and Utah is one of these programs that have seemingly fed into the NFL, specifically in the mile high city. What do we project for Dallin Bentley as a rookie operating on the standpoint as we get ready to go into training camp? What do we hope to see from him? Well, I think the first thing that we hope to see from Dallin Bentley is what he showed last year at Utah,

Starting point is 00:01:49 which is strong hands and big play capabilities. That's exactly what he brought to the table. And it's funny, the Broncos really like those Utah tight ends, don't they? I mean, I think he's the third one they've had in the last three years. They're different one. Obviously, Caleb Loner still on the roster as well. I'm trying to remember who was the other one that they had a couple of years back, Cody. There was another Utah tight end. I think it was the international player, maybe Thomas Yasman, if memory.

Starting point is 00:02:15 Yeah. It was me, right? So we keep going back through the archives here. We keep digging up Utah guys. But this situation with Dallin Bentley and Justin Jolie coming in as rookies, it really is a little bit reminiscent of, remember in 2011 when the Broncos took Julius Thomas in the fourth round, and then they took Virgil Green in the seventh, it's kind of reminiscent of that sort of situation

Starting point is 00:02:37 where the seventh round pick, you know, was just as much upside athletically as the guy that you took in the fourth round, but certain limitations maybe or lack of experience. I think with Dallin Bentley, it is that one year of collegiate experience, but of course, you know, even being an older rookie, that's not going to prevent him from going out there and showing that he can catch everything thrown his way. And that's exactly what I'm expecting him to do in training camp and the preseason.

Starting point is 00:03:04 Well, I'll tell you, sometimes as you get older, you seemingly get better of sports. I wish I was as good as I was, you know, after high school as I was later on down the line. But it just goes to show where development is. And obviously, we know the story of Downland Bentley. What was his first ever high school football game he ever played? He suffered a broken leg. And that impacted him. He came back from that.

Starting point is 00:03:24 And obviously in Utah's offense, it's interesting because we did these deep dives on this offense that Utah had. We talked about Bentley. We've talked about even other tight ins. We're looking at Caleb Loner. They had other guys ahead of them, right? But it was almost kind of this pecking order where you hear of these guys, like you hear of Loner. You hear now of Dallin Bentley, whereas the guy who is the leading tight end pass catcher, I don't even think. Like when Caleb Loner was last year was there, I don't even think he's on an NFL roster.

Starting point is 00:03:48 I don't know the name. It's not coming to the top of my head right now. But what we saw last year from Dallin Bentley was, hey, this is a guy who's got pretty good size to him. And that's one thing that I've noticed when we're out there at OTAs and minicamp. You know, granted, there are no pads on, but I'm looking at his frame. I'm seeing him work alongside Adam Troutman. He is, in my opinion, Sarah, he is just as big, maybe a little bit bigger than Troutman, but I also think more athletic than Troutman is.

Starting point is 00:04:14 Now, obviously, Troutman has been in the NFL for quite some time, deceptively athletic. But I think where Bentley is at now, I think he's got to. higher upside from an athleticism standpoint. And that's going to be intriguing to see because we talked about it in last week's episode on Justin Jolie. Well, Jolie's going to learn right behind Evan Ingram. He's going to play that F-type tight end roll. Bentley is a true inline wire that has athleticism. And I think that's something that Sean Payton is going to like. He is going to fit behind Adam Troutman here. So there's going to be some fun competition during training camp. I don't think between he and Troutman, but I think between he and Nate Adkins and anybody else that's on this

Starting point is 00:04:51 roster at this point. I think Bentley is a guy who I think could actually make this roster. I think so too. I mean, especially if the Broncos are keeping four tight ends, you would think that maybe favors somebody like Adkins or even maybe Caleb Loner who Sean Payton called out earlier this offseason. But to me, Bentley is that guy that, I mean, maybe it is just the new, you know, hey, he's a brand new rookie, brand new seventh round pick. He's got the athletic upside like you mentioned.

Starting point is 00:05:19 And to your point, Cody, I mean, he scored a nine. point four on the Rast scale with his relative athletic score and Adam Troutman scored an 8.82. So they are very similar size. Trotman 65255. Bentley is 6.4-253, but Bentley has longer arms and he's stronger in the upper body. He threw up 24 bench press reps at 225 pounds with 33 and 1 8th inch arms. Troutman was 32 and 4 8. There's 5 eighths inch arms if I'm reading the percentages right here.

Starting point is 00:05:51 and then 18 bench press reps. So the upper body strength for Bentley is there. And for him to be able to play in line, he's going to need that. I don't see a ton of offensive tack. Maybe I'm wrong on this, Cody. I'll have to look this up,

Starting point is 00:06:05 but I don't see a ton of offensive tackles even these days throwing up 24 bench press reps. I mean, it shows that he is serious about getting stronger in the weight room. It shows that he's capable of moving guys around. And with 33 plus inch arms, that does serve you well playing in line in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:06:22 And look, I mean, how impressive is it going to be if these rookie tight ends can come out there in preseason and the training camp and just hit the right angles? Just get in the way and spring some big runs in the preseason. I think that will go a long way toward getting Bentley from being a seventh round sleeper to being somebody who the Broncos need to factor into the equation. Not even that. But if these rookies can go out there and have an impact in the past catching area too, I mean, that's why I think everyone in Broncos country is hoping for. is that these tight ends, I mean, it's been block, block, block, block, block, not very much featured in the passing game. Now all of a sudden, let's say there is a good balance between,

Starting point is 00:06:59 hey, yes, they are spring, a guy spring the run game, but man, they're having an impact on third down as a pass catching tight end option. I want to see that here in training camp. I want to see that obviously as we get to the preseason games where Denver's got three preseason games on a Friday. Crazy work, by the way, for that to take place. But for Bentley, I'll say this. Like Caleb Loner was a project coming out of,

Starting point is 00:07:21 college. Bentley has some things to work on, but I don't think he's as much of a project, I think as Caleb Loner is. And look, as much as Caleb Loner has grown over a year or so, he's going to get opportunities in training camp. I think Caleb Loner's got a tougher path to making the 53-man roster than the guy like Dallin Bentley does, who I think is just a little bit more polished, more well-rounded as a tight end prospect, who has taken strides, but also it's shown that he's still growing, that he's still learning and getting better as a football player. I think he's a little bit more further ahead than Caleb Loner. Yeah, and he's proven that with snaps, which Caleb Loner hasn't had, right? I mean,

Starting point is 00:07:58 that's the thing is that the Broncos have seen Caleb on the practice field. They know what he can do in that regard. But Dallin Bentley had a full season of work last year to work with. And he was productive with that season of work. 48 catches, 620 yards, 12.9 yards per catch, six receiving touchdowns. Before that, he was kind of on the. Caleb Loner track, right? I mean, 2023 and 2024, he played 19 games, but only had three total catches. So that's kind of where we say like, hey,

Starting point is 00:08:28 Dallin Bentley is intriguing because he was sort of a late bloomer, but he did have that time on task. He really improved his stock over the course of this last season. And a lot of NFL draft folks had him going somewhere in the fourth or fifth round because of what we discussed, which is his pretty high relative athletic score.

Starting point is 00:08:46 And Cody, I did look this up. He would have ranked in the 68th percentile. among offensive tackles in the bench press. So you're combining that length off at the tight end position with pretty darn good upper body strength there to be able to hold up in the trenches at the NFL level. I think that's important. I think those factors right there,

Starting point is 00:09:06 being an older rookie, having kind of a late bloomer season at Utah this past year, might have dropped your stock a little bit, but when it comes to the fit and the professional organization that you landed with, the Broncos are trying to shake things up. up at tight end. The Broncos saw last year, it wasn't good enough. When we went to 12 personnel, 13 personnel, there was not enough of a receiving threat on the field. Now you get Dallin Bentley

Starting point is 00:09:30 out there. It all of a sudden changes the equation a little bit. It's not Mercedes-Lewis on the field. It's now a guy that had six receiving touchdowns last year and was a big play threat at the tight end position. And the challenge will be how did he get snaps if he's playing that inline wide position? And Adam Troutman is the starter coming off of a three-year deal. this off season. That is a huge question. We'll take a look at what that may look like, how the Broncos can use both of those guys here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's episode is sponsored by our friends over there at Fandu in the biggest stage in world soccer. It's here and every match feels like it has the potential for a memorable moment.

Starting point is 00:10:07 One goal can completely change the entire energy of a game. It could shift momentum and it can alter the outcome in an instant. And that's what makes tournament soccer so exciting from the opening whistle to the final kick. Now Fandu, they are giving fans another reason. to stay locked into every match with every goal pays. Bet on a match and get bonus bets for every goal scored in that match. More goals mean more bonus bets. All you have to do is turn on your token. Find the matchup that's going on that intrigues you the most.

Starting point is 00:10:33 It could be an anticipated high scoring affair. And all of a sudden, you can find yourself with four or five bonus bets if four or five goals get scored in that specific game. And now you get a benefit from each goal scored with Fanduel. From the opening whistle to the final kick, let there be goals on Fandul. We'll visit fandual.com to get started now. We know the Denver Broncos wanted to shake up the tight end position a little bit in 2026, but is Dalin Bentley going to be on the opening day roster?

Starting point is 00:11:02 We're going to find out Broncos country here. Training camp is on the horizon. It's finally the month of July, right? And so we get the opportunity to actually have some Broncos football starting this month. They'll be out there on the field for training camp, but we can't wait to see Dalin Bentley. And we want to thank you as we've gone through this offseason for all of you that rock with us every single day here at lockdown Broncos.

Starting point is 00:11:21 We appreciate you so, so much for tuning in every single day. All you, every day is out there. Shout out to you. Cody, let's talk about Dallan Bentley's impact on the Broncos' tight end room. Now, we know Evan Ingram and Adam Troutman are going to be the focus. I think unless there's a, I remember a couple years ago, the Todd Davis situation, right, where he came into training camp as the starter and then the Broncos kind of surprisingly cut him. There's been a couple of situations similar to that in the years since.

Starting point is 00:11:48 but really you kind of figure it's going to be Engram and Trotman at the top of the death chart. The question now becomes, do the Broncos keep four tight ends? Do they continue to go with three? What do you think that looks like? Are you getting the vibe that they might change it up from years past? Yeah, that's a tough question because of the additions they made. When you draft two guys, obviously in the draft,

Starting point is 00:12:10 it maybe changes the perspective. You know, Denver very much, once again, I know Sean Payton hates the term, but they ran it back with essentially the same, tight end group here. Now with Troutman, he was set to become a free agent. He had interest from teams like Detroit. He had interest from teams like the Chicago Bears and ultimately landed in Denver returning on a three year deal. Now, Sarah, as we're talking, if you could pull up his contract at SpotTracker over the cap, what is the out on that contract if Denver were to take that,

Starting point is 00:12:38 right? Because three year deal sometimes is usually in the language, but it could essentially be a two-year deal or it could be a one-year deal where after the first year, you have a team option to say, We can pull out of this if we want it's not going to necessarily impact this negatively from a cab standpoint. But Troutman, you have Ingram who's entering the last year of his deal. Like the outlook of this position is very much up in the air, especially with Nate Atkins, also returning on a one-year deal. It's up in the air when you talk about longevity. Denver certainly right now does not have any longevity on this roster outside of a Justin Jolie on a rookie deal.

Starting point is 00:13:12 That's probably it. Dallin Bentley, I think initial four-year deal as well. these are the only two guys that have longevity past this season, at least from a contract standpoint. So to me, I'm looking at, okay, what's the overall cost of Troutman's deal? What does it equate to? And on top of that, if the Broncos like one of these guys and if Dallin Bentley can progress, is there in out here in this contract?

Starting point is 00:13:37 Yeah, there is. After two seasons is really when it is, right? So Troutman gets a three-year deal, 17 million, which I know there was a lot of outrage over that. His cap hit this year, people, we can kind of settle down a little bit. His cap hit this year is only 1.1% of the salary cap. And next year, it balloons up to 2.12% of the team's salary cap percent. So he really doesn't count that much against, but there isn't out after two years, right? So with 9.5 million guaranteed in this contract, three-year deal, effectively the Broncos have no guaranteed money to pay Trotman after 2027.

Starting point is 00:14:14 So that's when they're out will be after two years. years 11.5 million. He does have 3.755 million of his 2027 salary guaranteed. So you would think based on that and because of the fact that there's a dead cap hit of 6.4 million and a cap hit of 6.833 million that really there's no benefit to the Broncos cutting Troutman next year. Like he might be a discussion in terms of those young players stepping up and maybe the Broncos would make that decision. But financially speaking, effectively, a two-year deal in terms of guaranteed money. The Broncos can get out with minimal dead cap after those two seasons.

Starting point is 00:14:52 And that's when Troutman will be, let's see, he'll be 31 going into 2028. So he's still, I mean, he's still in his prime kind of physical years, Cody, right? I mean, late 20s, early 30s, like Troutman may not have the sort of athleticism that we see from some of the top tight ends of the game. But I think he's kind of proven to be underrated. And honestly, I think he's a great mentor. for a player like Dalland Bentley. Yeah, and I don't think it's a bad thing.

Starting point is 00:15:20 I mean, I was kind of looking at it this way. It's like, okay, you got Evan Ingram with Justin Jolie. Yeah, Troutman with Dallin Bentley. It's almost like the Broncos Big Brother program, right? I mean, at the tight end position. I really think if anyone's job or contract status or roster status is really in jeopardy with this team going through training camp, it really has to be Caleb Loner and it has to be Nate Atkins.

Starting point is 00:15:42 Now, they could get very creative here. Once again, I have thrown out the. idea. Nate Adkins is kind of this hybrid fullback tight-in option. Adam Prentice right now is the fullback for Denver. He's been obviously the key part of them. I think to be honest with you, he's probably been a surprise, welcome addition from what we saw from him last year when he was used. I mean, every time he touched the ball was for a first down for some odd reason, a key situation when you needed it. Nobody expects the fullback. But could Nate Atkins maybe slide over to fullback, right? So, you know, you're not necessarily losing a guy that the Broncos really love

Starting point is 00:16:16 on special teams in Adkins and a guy that they love on offense. But is this where you see Adam Troutman, Dallin Bentley together as those two tight ends, maybe in that 12 personnel set, or if you go 13 and you have an extra fullback? I mean, maybe you could do that or 23 because then that's two backs, three tight ends. I think you have flexibility here. And the thing is, is like Bentley, I think you can take his size and his athletic traits and you can sprinkle that in periodically offensively. He's going to have to obviously earn his reps here in the summer and training camp.

Starting point is 00:16:45 and I'm curious to see him work with the first team offense because we know the Broncos rotate their skill players in with every different unit. But I want to see how he does in these situations because he could make it too hard to ignore if in fact he does go out there and he shines. Like when the pads come on, he's blocking well. But man, he's also catching passes. He's catching touchdowns in the red zone. Like these are things that you have to monitor here. And I think it really kind of puts Caleb loner's roster status in question alongside Nate Adkins. And Adkins's biggest thing against him has been.

Starting point is 00:17:15 And man, last year, he just dealt with injuries. It was hard for him to stay on the field. He battled the knee injury that he experienced early on, started off the season on IR, came back, had another injury as well. And it impacted his flow and his rhythm, though he is one of their better players that they trust a lot. So the Broncos have some tough decisions. But ultimately, sir, isn't this why when you go through the NFL draft and you're not necessarily trying to draft starters? You can add depth and you can add competition and it can increase whether or not you bring back a guy who's been longstanding or whether one of these young guys emerges out of nowhere.

Starting point is 00:17:51 Yeah, I think that as you're discussing that, Cody, it really gets the gears going in terms of how to assemble this 53 men roster, especially on the offensive side of the ball, because you do love what Prentice brings to the table as a true fullback. How willing would he be to take the Michael Burton route and, you know, get cut after, you know, the preseason, go to the practice squad, get shuffled up. Because Nate, Adkins could also beat him out for that job. And this is where we talked about last year, the Broncos saw what life was like without Nate Adkins.

Starting point is 00:18:23 Now they have to decide, do we feel okay about what life was like without Nate Adkins? Because now you've brought in, like you said, you drafted two tight ends for a reason. You might be able to sneak Dallin Bentley onto the practice squad if he doesn't necessarily have like a huge preseason or something like that. But I think what you're looking at here is a sort of like,

Starting point is 00:18:45 hey, we're kind of re-pieceing things all around here. At fullback, does the conversation shift from, is it going to be Adam Prentice to, is it going to be Prentice or Nate Adkins? And that move player around the line of scrimmage and certainly somebody who could split off, that used to be Nate Adkins who could do kind of all those different things, right?

Starting point is 00:19:04 He could be the jack of all trades for your offense. Does Justin Jolie now become that guy? And Dallin Bentley, is he that player who you say, hey, we believe he has way more upside than the other, guys that we've had, Lucas Crowell has made this team. Mercedes-Louis was signed to the active roster after being on the practice squad. Does Dallin Bentley give us a higher upside option in what those guys brought to the table?

Starting point is 00:19:28 So now you've really started this whole conversation about the roster. Do you keep two quarterbacks so that you can keep all these guys? Or do you keep three still? I think the whole thing, it really does ramp up. I know that the Broncos don't have a ton of drama in the starting lineup right now, but the 53-man roster and figuring out how they're going to keep everybody that they want to play this year and develop for the future. Now, that really becomes the part of this discussion that is fascinating going into camp. Well, player development has been a focus of George Payton and Sean Payton.

Starting point is 00:20:01 And with these guys, there's a lot to like about how fast they could potentially develop and how that could potentially impact. Dallin Bentley, his usage and production. So let's operate on the assumption he makes the roster. What will that look like next season? We'll break it down here on today's episode. of the show. Today's show is brought to you by our friends over there at Odu. Running a business shouldn't feel like you're trying to connect a bunch of systems that were never designed to work together. You got one app for accounting. You got another one for inventory. Oh, and there's another

Starting point is 00:20:27 one for sales, by the way. Well, somehow none of them talk to each other. And that's where things in your business can slip through the cracks. But that's where Odo comes in. Odu is an all-on-one business management software that brings every part of your business together in one powerful platform, from sales and accounting to inventory and marketing, everything works in one place, helping your team move faster, stay organized, and focus on growing the business instead of managing software. And the best organizations know that success isn't just about talent. It's about having everyone working toward the same goal.

Starting point is 00:20:56 And that's true in sports, just like it is in business. And the Broncos Titan Room is a great example of that of guys of different backgrounds, athletic traits, and ultimately trying to figure out who's going to do. to be the best fit for the 53 man roster at this position. Adam Troutman, the wildly savvy veteran, Evan Ingram, the athletic guy who's in a last year of his deal was a lot to prove. And then you got guys behind him like Justin Jolie and Dallin Bentley who are chomping at the bit to get on the playing field.

Starting point is 00:21:21 But they all have to work together in order to make the best case for the 53. And great organizations win because operations matter. And that's why you should get O-D-D-O-D-D-com slash lock-on. Try for free today at O-D-O-D-com slash lock-on. Let's say Downland Bentley makes the 53-man roster for your Denver Broncos this summer after three preseason games. What will his usage look like in 2026 as a rookie? We'll go through all that here on today's episode, the show, Broncos Country. Thanks for rock with us here on the Lockdown Podcast Network, the number one sports podcast network in the country.

Starting point is 00:21:55 Plus, where you know it's your team every day all year long. That is our promise that Sarah and I bring to you. Nobody does it like we do. And we appreciate you so much for making us part of your day. However, you choose to do so. let's talk about Bentley's usage and production, right? I feel like there's already some fun nicknames you can come up with Dallin Bentley. Like he's a Bentley. You know, you got a Bentley, you got a Ferrari,

Starting point is 00:22:15 you got to, you know, Evan Ingram's probably going to be the Ferrari of the tight-in room. What would Adam Troutman be if we were going to make the car analogy here? Like a 90s Ford truck. Like that's what I'm thinking. Built Ford tough, Adam Troutman. Okay, I like that. Justin Jolie might be the the Rangerover here. There might be. There might be the Ranger over. So we're making some of that. But in terms, let's say this, okay, ideally if Bentley is going to make the 53 men roster, the best case for that to happen would be it's Adam Troutman, Evan Ingram as your top two guys, in line Y, F type tight end. And then behind Evan

Starting point is 00:22:52 Ingram, Justin Jolie, behind Adam Troutman, Dallon Bentley. To me, that is the best case scenario if Bentley is to make the 53 men roster. Now, with that said, Troutman last year played over 60% of the team's offensive snaps. Evan Ingram, he played 42%. So how does that translate into guys like Dallin Bentley getting on-filled snaps? Justin Jolie, you and I, we already talked about him on a previous episode

Starting point is 00:23:15 of our rookie series here. But for Bentley specifically, what is the path to playing time for him as a rookie? Well, Cody, I kind of think about like, you know, when the Broncos are kind of backed up in their own territory and they're kind of inside the 10 or inside the 5 and you bring out heavy, personnel so that you can get a drive started from deep in your own territory.

Starting point is 00:23:38 You don't want to necessarily go into the shotgun and let the defense pin their ears back and come get your quarterback. You want to go out in heavy personnel and maybe sort of leave the element of surprise, right? Maybe it could be play action. Maybe we're going to hand it off to our back. But with Dallin Bentley out there and say 12 or 13 personnel, you have the option of somebody to be another drive starter for you.

Starting point is 00:23:58 I don't think we're going to see 50 catches from this guy in his rookie season. but I could see in spots like that where, man, you're buried deep in your own territory. You've got to get a drive started. You bring three tight ends out there on the field or maybe even four tight ends. You get crazy. You go like Los Angeles Rams style. You put every tight end in the world on your roster and then you try to get them all into the field all at once. The Broncos, maybe they do something like that.

Starting point is 00:24:23 I was going to say, did you remember when Davis Webb spoke to the media for the first time as the coordinator? He mentioned something specifically about, you know, where they're at formation-wise. And then he said, like, look at the Rams. The Rams are a great example. By like week seven, like early on through the first seven weeks, they were playing with their personnel. And then they eventually transitioned into 13 personnel as their primary strength. Like, Davis Webb just give us the secret sauce to maybe what the Broncos plan and approaches here offensively.

Starting point is 00:24:51 Because, look, I also think you look at it, Denver's got a smothering defense. What was the formula in the Super Bowl this year? Really good defense, really good run game. Okay, Seattle had both of that. but they also had, I mean, and they didn't have world beaters necessarily at the tight-in position. I think Barner was good. Former Bronco Eric Sobert was part of that package down there in Seattle as well.

Starting point is 00:25:10 But they imposed physicality. They came out with these heavy personnel formations and it's like, hey, we're going to run the football. And that's an area that Broncos desperately need to get better. If Dalton Bentley as a blocker can help the Broncos run game be better specifically, well, then it's an old brainer in terms of saying, hey, we want to use more personnel. We want to go more 12. We want to go more 13.

Starting point is 00:25:29 And maybe it's not like, hey, the whole game, maybe it's when we get to our own 40 yard line and we're close to the 50, this is where we're going to come out in this because now we want to, we want to just pound you up the middle. We want to be able to just run the football and then gash it. Then we're going to set up play action where, you know what, Bo Nix can hit the tight end here, whether it's the flat. You're going to have someone on a crossing pattern. That's where I think the tight ends can be more involved in the passing game. But I think that will only take place if in fact they can actually get the run game going. defenses will have to start respecting them in that process. Yeah, they really will. And I think that's something that they're going to emphasize this year because last season, the Broncos were in the bottom, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. They were in the bottom ten, believe it or not, in terms of percentage of multi, tight end usage, which that's according to sharp football analysis, Cody, looking at multiple tight end rate across the NFL, 25.2% for the Broncos last year was in the bottom 10 of the entire

Starting point is 00:26:28 The Rams were up there in the top 10 at 41.2%. Number one in the NFL was the Baltimore Ravens at 51.1% multi-tight end rate. The Broncos were in the top 10 of three wide receiver rate, which doesn't surprise anybody because, I mean, they had five receivers to get involved, you know, so they're in 11 person. They live in 11 personnel. And I think that can that can be a huge shift in their philosophy under Davis Webb, Cody, because why do you draft two tight ends if you're in the bottom 10 of the NFL in multiple tight end personnel rate?

Starting point is 00:27:02 Well, it's because you don't have the right players at that position to utilize it either more or to effectively exploit when you do have those multiple tight ends on the field. So that's where I really feel like Dallin Bentley can be an asset in the depth department in terms of really being a weapon, I guess. That's what you and I have talked about. Like the Broncos tight end room was pretty bad. in the last couple of years, right? And I know Cortland Sutton came to their defense,

Starting point is 00:27:29 and I know he was bullish on, hey, I don't like the disrespect they're getting, but Cody, you said it. I mean, it's all about change right now, and Dalton Bentley can provide that. I'm excited. I mean, I really am. So, okay, if we're going to say that Bentley is going to be on the roster,

Starting point is 00:27:44 reasonable line, I mean, for example, if Frank Crum can catch a touchdown out of anybody. Okay, I could, I'm going to give Bentley, if he makes to 53, I'm going to give him at least two touchdowns on the season. I'm going to give him at least two touchdowns, maybe 175 total yards, 200 yards. That would be the sweet spot there. That might even be a little too generous considering where he's at, where maybe Justin

Starting point is 00:28:06 Jolie's at. But this is the relative unknown right now. We don't know what the Broncos' tight-in room is going to look like, how they're going to be used, how it's going to impact the run game in comparison to what we saw last year, all under Davis Webb. These are question marks right now. We have no idea what that's going to look like. And I think that's going to be a fun thing to kind of.

Starting point is 00:28:25 to watch unfold as we go through training camp, as we go through preseason, ultimately through the first few weeks of the regular season, we'll start to see where this identity is trying to maybe place itself here for this Denver Broncos football team. We're excited about that Broncos country. We appreciate you so much for Rock with us, making us your first listen here on today's episode of the show. Tomorrow's episode, Broncos Country, we will conclude our rookie projection series as we take a look at Red Murdoch. Mr. Irrelevant, but there's not a lot of things that are to be irrelevant about him. He's very relevant coming into training camp. And we're excited to highlight him and so much more. And in the meantime, as you made Lockdown Broncos, your first listen, go check out our good friends over

Starting point is 00:29:03 there at Locked on NFL scouting as Joe Marino and Kyle Crabs give you a preview of every team around the NFL as training camp gets ready to heat up wherever you get your podcast. We'll see you tomorrow as we break down, Red Murdoch.

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos' Dallen Bentley Is PERFECT Complement To Adam Trautman

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.