The two most recent and bizarre concealed secrets at Broncos headquarters concerned the shooting of wide receiver Josh Reynolds at 3 a.m. Oct. 18 in an incident near a strip and marijuana joint, and the rotten-to-the-corps tight-ends unit that is worst in the NFL.
An outlier would wonder why the 42 alleged Broncos insiders didn't discover either piece of vital information.
The 29-year-old Reynolds, signed by the Broncos as a free agent during the off-season for $9 million over two years, apparently did not suffer serious injuries despite being wounded in the head and the left arm, and the suspected assailants have been arrested on first-degree murder charges. Delayed reports remain sketchy, but Reynolds and two other men left the club, adjacent to the dispensary in Glendale, in a Ford Bronco -- oddly enough -- before the shooting.
Reynolds has caught 12 passes for 183 yards and one touchdown and in five games, but went on injured reserve after fracturing a finger in the Raiders game and undergoing surgery. Who knows when he will return?
Maybe someday, the complete details will be disclosed.
But the tight-end debacle can be divulged on this day.
The Futile Foursome rarely have been thrown in seven games. Raiders tight end Brock Bowers by himself has been passed to 60 times so far. Broncos Lucas Krull, Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins and the celebrated Greg Dulcich, who morphed into a game-day healthy inactive, have managed to snare a total of 17 receptions -- fewer than three a game.
Taylor Swift's boyfriend and his backup have compiled 35 catches for 392 yards. The Broncos tight ends have accounted for 132 yards -- 32nd among all NFL tight-end groups -- and zero touchdowns.
Broncos Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe caught at least 80 passes for 1,000 yards in three seasons, and 10 touchdowns twice, in his illustrious career. Riley Odoms, recently inducted into the Broncos Ring of Fame, finished with 5,755 yards and 41 touchdowns in his dozen seasons.
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The Broncos' current tight ends never will come close to any kind of fame. None will become another Julius Thomas or even Clarence Kay, who I ran into at a restaurant the other night. Vernon Davis played on the Broncos' last championship team, and Virgil Green was with the Broncos for the past two Super Bowls. Lately, though, the Broncos have run aground with drafting tight ends Jake Butt, Troy Fumagalli and Albert Okwuegbunam. Another, Noah Fant, was dealt to the Seahawks in the Russell Wilson deal.
Dulcich was supposed to be the next distinguished Broncos tight end when he was chosen in the fourth round of 2022. But Dulcich's only standout feature was his hairstyle when nicknamed "Oft-Injured." He's had moments, but not many minutes. Dulcich has appeared in 16 games in four seasons -- an average of four per. This season he was supposed to have a breakout instead of a breakdown. However, after starting three games, he had just five receptions for 28 yards -- and whiffed in Tampa Bay with a zero.
Veteran Trautman and the younger Adkins played in all of the Broncos games this season, but did not factor.
And Lucas Krull became The Man, if 6 for 57 is manly. The 6-foot-6, 260-pound journeyman is the starter now. Months ago, someone suggested that Krull was the Broncos' best overall player in the off-season workouts, and coach Sean Peyton pooh-poohed the absurd notion.
Krull is not Jimmy Graham, Jason Witten or Dan Campbell -- quality tight ends Payton coached before. But, generally, the tight end is not the highest priority in Payton's passing scheme, even though he said in training camp this summer that the position "is," uh, "important.''
Yet, the Broncos are bottom-feeders in the league at tight end. Following an examination of all NFL teams at the position, the Broncos' feeble numbers don't compare or compute.
Bo Nix certainly isn't focusing on or paying attention to tight ends. Of his 224 passing attempts, just 32 have been aimed at that quartet.
It's no guarded secret that the Panthers, with a 1-6 record and Bryce Young back at quarterback, will be easy pickings for the Broncos Sunday.
But Carolina's tight ends have accumulated 78 yards more than the Broncos' tightrope ends.