Jake Butt

Injuries have limited Butt to just eight catches over three games during his first two seasons in Denver. He'll return to a Broncos squad with both a new offensive coordinator and new starting quarterback with experience in accentuating the play of their tight ends. Adversely, the Broncos drafted Noah Fant in the first round and resigned Jeff Heuerman - albeit for little in the way of guarantees. Butt then suffered another setback with his knee issues in August, likely ruling him out for Week 1.

The 2016 Mackey Award winner, given to the nation's top tight end, Butt missed all of his rookie season after tearing his ACL in the Orange Bowl. The injury caused him to fall to the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft to Denver, which treated the campaign as a redshirt year for the former Michigan Wolverine. The tight end room is arguably the least experienced in Denver, with top returnees including former third-rounder Jeff Heuerman and undrafted Austin Traylor, who have 26 career receptions between them. Butt has even to less to show for his young career, but with no other clear answer on the roster, he should compete for the starting job if his injury rehab continues to go smoothly.

Butt would have been selected by the end of the second round had he not tore his ACL against Florida State in the Orange Bowl, according to Broncos' GM John Elway. Instead, Butt slid to the first pick of the fifth round and the Broncos hope that his rookie-contract loss is their gain. The recipient of the 2016 Mackey Award given to the nation's best tight end, Butt is not one of the new-wave tight ends coming out of many college programs that serves primarily as a big slot receiver. He caught just 97 passes for 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns over the past two seasons in Michigan's run-heavy offense. Butt's strength comes in completeness as a player, with Elway describing him as a classic in-line tight end. Butt is likely to start off slow this season as he recovers from knee surgery, but neither last year's starter Virgil Green nor 2015 third-round pick Jeff Heuerman has done much at the position in recent seasons. If Butt makes a full recovery, he could be challenging for the starting job as soon as mid-season.