Good morning, Broncos Country.
With just ten days until roster cutdowns, the Denver Broncos have two preseason games remaining. This Friday, they’ll take on the Green Bay Packers. After that, the preseason finale will be a week later against the Minnesota Vikings.
Those two games will be pivotal for rookies and depth players looking to make the final 53-man roster. One position where things are up for grabs is at tight end. This offseason, the Broncos opted to bring back all their tight ends from last season. Additionally, they
utilized two selections on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft to add to their room.
In the fifth-round, they took North Carolina State standout Justin Joly. A lot of draft analysts thought he was a steal considering his collegiate resume. Joly was one of this past draft’s most productive tight ends. In 49 games, he reeled in 166 receptions, racked up 1,978 receiving yards, and 15 touchdowns.
In the seventh-round, the Broncos selected Utah prospect Dallen Bentley. After having just three catches in between his sophomore and junior campaigns, Bentley had a meteoric rise in production as a senior. He hauled in 48 catches for 620 yards and 6 touchdowns for the Utes in 2025.
Yesterday after practice, veteran tight end Evan Engram spoke highly of their progression since being drafted.
“They’ve been doing great. ‘DB’ and Justin have been awesome. They’ve been learning. Rookies have their moments and they take their bumps and their bruises, but they’ve been responding really well,” stated Engram with respect to his first impressions of the Broncos’ newest additions at tight end.
“They’re competing. They’re handling things the right way. They’re doing well in a difficult offense to learn, especially as a rookie, but very proud of the progress they’ve made.”
With the steep learning curve at the position, t’s unlikely either will be major pieces in the Broncos’ offensive plans for the upcoming season. However, both have the traits and talent to grow into starting-level players. In the preseason opener versus the Falcons, Joly and Bentley both saw 23 snaps on offense. However, the duo was only targeted once in the passing game, with Joly securing a catch that went for no yards.
Over the next two weeks, I’m looking forward to seeing them get some targets. Both flashed in college with their receiving ability. I’m hoping Offensive Coordinator Davis Webb can direct some plays their way against Green Bay and Minnesota. From my perspective, Joly looks like a potential heir apparent to Engram giving his versatility and utilization as a move tight end, while Bentley has the size and blocking ability to have a shot to be a future player at inline for the franchise.
As always, thank you for reading. Here is today’s slate of articles for Horse Tracks.
