HT: Broncos are short on options to replace Jake Butt Losing Jake Butt to a torn ACL yesterday was a significant blow to the Broncos’ offense Derek Wolfe Jersey , and it came at a really horrible time. With the offense already sputtering, losing the guy with the 3rd most receptions through three weeks of play is pretty far from optimal.Compounding the issue, theBroncos’ tight ends group now consists of Jeff Heuerman and Matt LaCosse. Heuerman, a former 3rd round pick from the 2015 draft, has been okay at best so far in his career. LaCosse also entered the NFL in 2015, though he went undrafted, and sports a whole 3 receptions in his NFL career. Heuerman adds only another 23 receptions for 315 yards & 2 TDs despite playing in 29 games so far as a Bronco and starting 11 of them. So it should be no surprise when I tell you: That’s just not good enough.The Denver Broncos currently have, by far, the worst tight end group in the NFL.Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty ImagesNow the onus is on General Manager John Elway to step in & make a move to fill this suddenly gapinghole in the offense. It’s time for the NFL’s best free agency GM to work some magic and prestidigitate a new name into the top slot of the Broncos’ TE depth chart. Unfortunately, that’s probably going to be really hard to do.The ReplacementsCoby FleenerA former Colts & Saints tight end, Fleenor was released by New Orleans this past May after suffering from concussion symptoms for months on end. It’s hard to find current news on him, but as recently as June he was still hoping to make a return to the NFL. If that’s still the case, a prove-it deal would be in order. On such a deal, he’d arguably offer the Broncos the very best mixture of talent vs price they’re likely to find. And with over 3,000 career receiving yards and 22 touchdowns on 255 receptions, he’d immediately become the most proven tight end the Broncos have fielded since at least 2015 (Own Daniels/Vernon Davis), or arguably 2013 (Julius Thomas).Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty ImagesObviously, signing Fleener wouldn’t come without some significant risks. Those concussion symptoms are a scary issue, & it’s entirely fair to question whether facilitating his comeback to the NFL stage would be the best thing for his health- or for the Broncos.Jack DoyleThe NFL’s cupboard is pretty bare when it comes to spare tight ends. Despite the fact that quality starting tight ends can absolutely wreck a defense, it’s not easy to find those guys. Jack Doyle, uninspiring as he might be, is probably among the Broncos’ best bets for swinging a trade for a surplus tight end.Doyle is in his 6th year with the Indianapolis Colts, having accrued 1,563 yards on 183 receptions during that time Emmanuel Sanders Jersey , to go with 12 touchdowns. Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty ImagesThat’s not very impressive. Trust me, I know. But go scroll through each team’s depth chart and tell me how many teams have two tight ends who’ve been significant contributors in the NFL. There are definitely some out there: Zach Ertz & Dallas Goedert for the Philadelphia Eagles are a good example, or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Cameron Brate & OJ Howard. The problem is that both of those pairs contain one highly valuable, high-drafted youngster & one quality veteran who just signed a 5 or 6 year deal worth over $40 million total. That severely limits the realistic prospects of trading for any of those guys.Sad as it is, Doyle is more or less what’s probably achievable. As to whether he’s worth it at the $4.4 million price tag he would carry in 2018? That’s... highly debatable. For that matter, it’s debatable whether he’d even be an upgrade over Heuerman anyway.Maxx WilliamsAnother somewhat-realistic trade candidate is the Baltimore Ravens’ 4th year tight end. Williams basically missed the 2016 season with an injury, but the former 2nd round pick hasn’t done much to impress in the other 2.2 years of his NFL career. With 54 receptions for 422 yards and just 2 touchdowns, Williams has so far been underwhelming at the very least. Again, it’s entirely fair to give him a pass due to not even being an upgrade to what we have now.So What to Do?Quite honestly, if Fleener isn’t an option, there’s not really a “splashy” move I can see that’s worth making. The teams that have quality starting tight ends would be foolish to give them up, and those few teams who’ve managed to find two such players have excellent incentive to sell them dearly, if at all. And the Broncos lack the cap space to pay a TE a lot, which is another significant hurdle.In my opinion, it’s time for Elway & the Broncos’ front office to scour the league’s practice squads and dive headfirst into analyzing all of those guys’ tape in hopes of finding a diamond in the rough a-la Todd Davis or Brandon Marshall. With no sure bets, the only decent option is to start gambling. Hopefully Elway can make with the magic. Otherwise, we’re stuck hoping that Jeff Heuerman finally, finally becomes the player he was drafted to be. Do you like an option I didn’t think of? Let me know in the comments!Report: Broncos sign cornerback Adam “Pac Man” Jones to a one-year deal The Denver Broncos have officially announced that they have signed veteran cornerback Adam “Pac Man” Jones to a one-year deal. Jones worked out for the Broncos today and they obviously came away liking what they saw. Jones is entering his 11th year in the NFL and is listed at 5’10”, 185lbs. The 34-year-old cornerback played most of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals. During his NFL career, Jones has totaled 411 tackles, 3 sacks, 89 pass deflections, 16 interceptions, 2 defensive touchdowns Bradley Chubb Jersey , and 7 forced fumbles.Denver Broncos Head Coach Vance Joseph coached Adam “Pac Man” Jones during the 2014 and 2015 seasons while he was the Bengals Defensive Backs coach. During those two seasons, Jones totaled 125 tackles, 1 sack, 23 pass deflections, 6 interceptions, and 1 fumble. Joseph helped Jones earn an All-Pro award in 2014 and a Pro Bowl selection in 2015.Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty ImagesNow, Jones is a multi-talented player. He is also a very talented return man. During his career, he has totaled 121 kick returns for 3,147 yards with an average for 26 yards per return. He also has 182 career punt returns for 1,922 yards and 5 touchdowns. So he also adds that to the Broncos as well. Jones will now add some much needed veteran depth to the Broncos secondary behind starters Chris Harris Jr. and Bradley Roby. Behind those two you have veteran Tramaine Brock, rookie Isaac Yiadom, and second-year corner Brendan Langley. It is unclear what Jones’s role will be going forward, but it could have some implications on the roster. Do the Broncos keep six cornerbacks on the roster? or do they ending up parting ways with Tramaine Brock? or do they end the Brendan Langley experiment and trade or waive the young corner? These are questions we will have to wait to get answers for, but something to keep an eye on going forward.Jones will turn 35 years old at the end of September so I do not think he will add too much to the return game but will add some flare and a feisty veteran to the Broncos secondary. Jones does come with some off the field baggage, but hopefully, he can keep that in check going forward.In the end, I like this signing. Jones adds some flare to the secondary that left with Talib. It also allows rookie Isaac Yiadom to develop without throwing the rookie into the fire and constantly getting targeted by opposing offenses. Hopefully, the Broncos can squeeze one more solid season from Adam “Pac Man” Jones. Update:According to 9NEWS Denver’s Mike Klis, the Broncos have officially signed cornerback Adam “Pac Man” Jones to a one-year deal. To make room for Jones, the Broncos waived linebacker, Bo Bower.