to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesMile High Report homepageHorizontal - WhiteMile High Reporta Denver Broncos communityFollow Mile High Report online:Follow Mile High Report on TwitterFollow Mile High Report on FacebookLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchMile High Report main menuFanpostsFanshotsSectionsBroncosOddsShopAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Broncos NewsBroncos ScheduleBroncos PodcastsBroncos Film RoomBroncos RosterBroncos Injury UpdatesFull ArchiveBroncos StoriesScheduleRosterStatsOdds Shop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕3 things I think I think: Training Camp BattlesNew Phillip Lindsay Jersey ,39commentsThree battles to watch.MDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:3 things I think I think: Training Camp BattlesTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailWe’re less than two weeks away from Broncos football! That means it’s time to take another look at my Way-Too-Early Final 53 and share some thoughts on the battles that will have the most impact on the Broncos game day roster.Tight end - Will Noah Fant win the 1?Laurie touched on this one yesterday, but I wanted to share a couple thoughts on it. It seems notable that Von Miller said Noah Fant has been the most impressive rookie so far, and his athleticism should do wonders for the offense. If he doesn’t win the starting job outright, I’d bet he’s logging the majority of snaps at the position by the Broncos’ week 10 bye at the very latest.DBs - Is Kareem Jackson a corner or safety?If you’ve followed OTAs and Minicamp, you’ll know the former Texan has gotten significant work at both positions. Early on, I believed he’d be a corner for sure, especially when the Chris Harris contract impasse looked like it was at its ugliest. Now I’m not so sure. I took a deep dive into Justin Simmons’ 2018 film last week and saw a player who is at his best and playing robber coverage. He has the mentality to bang in the box against the run and the range to play deep, but I’m not sure a former corner wouldn’t be an upgrade in the deep parts of the field.I’ve yet to look at more than bits and pieces of Will Parks as I’ve studied other players. As of now, I consider him the wildcard in all of this. In 2018 he played a lot of the Dimebacker role Sua Cravens was supposed to fill, and he looked darn good doing it. There’s a chasm between those responsibilities and a safety’s assignment in Fangio’s D. Then of course, there’s Isaac Yiadom. If Kareem Jackson plays the majority of his snaps at safety, Yiadom’s playing time sees a significant uptick. Coming out of Boston College in 2018, the rub on Yiadom was that he’d need time to adjust to the league. When he entered the fray week 3 to play 31 snaps against Baltimore, he was as green as grass. How much will an off-season to prepare and tutelage from Defensive Coordinator Ed Donatell help?Will Parks showed serious flashes down the stretch. Will it carry over to a new role?Quarterback - Is the rookie a Lock for #2?Every training camp since Peyton Manning retired has been breathless speculation about every pass by the media. 2019 won’t break the trend. Joe Flacco is the day 1 starter, but all eyes will be on Drew Lock’s performance. Back in 2016, it was pretty clear from the jump that Paxton Lynch was in over his head, and nothing out of the Spring suggests the former Missouri Tiger is about to follow suit. But this is Broncos Country, where the bar for every quarterback is insanely high. It speaks volumes about what the front office (and the rest of the league) think of Kevin Hogan when he resigned for 1-year and 1.29 million. If Lock is meant to be a future starting quarterback in the league, he should make mincemeat of a guy who’s completed all of 60 passes for 641 yards Joe Flacco Jersey , 4 touchdowns, and 7 picks in his NFL career. If Lock beats out Hogan, he’s all of one bad fall from Flacco come playing time. I’ve gone on record since before the draft about how he’s best served with a redshirt year. At the same time, Flacco’s got a pretty lengthy injury history. Everyone who bleeds orange and blue knows who they want to come in if ol’ Joe goes down. Your Broncos LinksAn exciting camp battle will be shaping up at tight end - Mile High Report2019 Denver Broncos roster review: Center Connor McGovern - Mile High Report2019 Denver Broncos roster review: Linebacker Todd Davis - Mile High Report2019 Denver Broncos roster review: Tight End Jeff Heuerman - Mile High ReportWhich skill player is most critical for Denver’s offensive success? - Mile High ReportDenver Broncos: Emmanuel Sanders hopes to be ready Week 1 - Mile High ReportThe Denver Broncos Top 100 included an all-time Raider legend - Mile High ReportHall of Fame door could open for Denver Broncos Randy Gradishar - Mile High ReportNFL analyst ranks the 25 best quarterbacks of all-time - Mile High ReportNFL LinksIs Adrian Amos a free safety or a strong safety? - Chicago TribuneWill Josh Jacobs be a training-camp holdout? – ProFootballTalkJohn Ross changing numbers to “start everything over” – ProFootballTalkPFT 2019 storyline No. 20: Can the young QBs in the AFC East compete with the Patriots? – ProFootballTalkPFT 2019 storyline No. 19: Which young offensive coach will live up to the hype? – ProFootballTalkIs this the year age catches up with Drew Brees? – ProFootballTalkThe Case for the Zero Blitz | Football OutsidersBuilding the Perfect NFL Safety | The Draft Network The Broncos new offense need a well rounded tight end and James has experience in a Munchak blocking scheme."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Broncos NewsBroncos Free AgencyBroncos DraftBroncos PodcastsBroncos 2019 ScheduleKey Offseason DatesCommunity RulesFull ArchiveBroncos StoriesScheduleRosterStatsOdds Shop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub 鉁旴reaking NewsBroncos 2019 Draft Class Announced脳NFL Free AgencyDenver Broncos Free AgencyBroncos free agent target:Tight end Jesse JamesNew,55commentsThe Broncos new offense need a well rounded tight end and James has experience in a Munchak blocking scheme.MSTShareTweetShareShareBroncos free agent target:Tight end Jesse JamesHe can catch, he can block, and he’s young. Appealing target. Phillip G. Pavely-USA TODAY SportsWith the NFL Combine completed, we are now looking towards free agency as the legal tampering period opens up next week, and if you took a look at the Broncos current tight end depth chart Jake Butt and Troy Fumagalli are going to need to make huge jumps. If you were looking to place a bet on positions Elway will focus on this offseason, tight end is 1B behind corner. ProfileHeight: 6’7”Weight: 261 lbsAge: 25 by opening day.Experience: 5th yearJesse James was drafted into the league as a fifth round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015 after a collegiate career at Penn State. During his pro career he has moved between tight end 1 and 2 on the depth chart, playing behind Heath Miller and then Vance McDonald. To date he hauled in 120 receptions for 1189 yards and 9 touchdowns. James is an underrated receiver. Why this makes senseUnless you live under a rock, you’ve probably heard that the Broncos hired Rich Scangarello. The new offensive coordinator worked under Kyle Shanahan and Denver’s offense is likely to look similar to the 49er offense last year. There is a big need for an inline tight end who can block as well as catch. James is one of the better blocking tight ends on the market and brings the athleticism a guy like Marcedes Lewis simply lacks. If you really were living that Patrick Star life, you missed the news that Mike Munchak has been hired as the new offensive line coach. Guess who worked in the Munchak blocking scheme with Pittsburgh?Why it doesn’t make senseI’ll be honest, this move has made more and more sense to me the longer I’ve thought about it. Cost could be a problem if other teams get involved, which could happen. This free agent tight end market is relatively shallow. Final ThoughtsJames wouldn’t be the kind of move that’ll spark a ton of excitement in Broncos Country, but he’s probably the best veteran fit on the market for the new offensive system. There are more exciting names, but most come with injury, age or fit questions.It shouldn’t cost so much that Elway would be deterred from chasing a high upside rookie either. In an ideal world the Broncos grab James in free agency and find a prospect coming out to develop in the system. That way in 2020 or ‘21 a big weakness grew into a strength.
