Nick Vannett signed with the Broncos as a free agent last month despite the presence of Noah Fant, Jeff Heuerman, Troy Fumagalli and Andrew Beck on the roster, but the size of the tight end room doesn’t bother him.
The reason for that is the history of offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. Shurmur’s offenses have frequently featured multiple tight ends and Vannett believes the Broncos are going to “rely on us a lot in this offense.”
“The thing that attracted me about the Broncos was when they hired Pat Shurmur as the OC. He’s had a history of using the two tight end sets. . . . It’s a style of offense that he likes. He knows how to take advantage and create mismatches with big bodies,” Vannett said, via the team’s website.
Fant figures to be the chief receiving target at tight end as the other four players combined for just a few more catches than the 2019 first-round pick managed as a rookie. Vannett, who caught 13 passes in 13 games for the Steelers last season, will compete for time as a complementary player once the Broncos get on the field.