In two seasons with the Broncos, tight end Noah Fant has been through the wringer.
There were dropped passes and the typical speedbumps that accompany a rookie season in Year 1, followed by injuries to his ankle and ribs that limited him in Year 2 — all of which came amid flashes of game-changing potential.
But earlier this month, Fant faced his greatest personal hurdle yet with the unexpected passing of his mother, Kathy.
“I’ve run into some (acclimation) problems, run into some injuries, had growing pains my rookie year, all that stuff,” Fant said. “(Her death) is one of those things that wasn’t expected, but definitely I’m using (the loss) as motivation… I know my mom would want me to keep working and keep grinding. She was always happy to see me on the field.”
Fant entered last year vocal about his goal of being in the same conversation as Kansas City’s Travis Kelce, San Francisco’s George Kittle and Las Vegas’ Darren Waller, as one of the best tight ends in the NFL.
After setting Broncos tight end rookie records with 40 catches and 562 receiving yards in 2019, Fant’s production increased only slightly in 2020, when he had the same amount of touchdowns (three) and posted 62 catches for 673 yards.
Some of that could be attributed to Fant’s injuries and the Broncos’ overall lack of offensive cohesion, but Fant admitted he did not meet his own expectations.
“If I can play consistently throughout the season, and be at my highest level of play all year long, the sky’s the limit,” Fant said.
Fant said he plans on attending Kittle and Kelce’s “Tight End U” camp this summer, where the game’s top players at the position will gather and exchange tips on the trade.
“I’m excited to learn from those guys,” Fant said. “It’s cool because Von (Miller) does the ‘Pass Rushers Summit,’ so this is going to be like that but on the tight end sides of things.”
Speaking of Miller, the Broncos’ veteran outside linebacker lauded Fant earlier this week, saying he’s “super excited about this guy’s (potential)” and that Fant is “my favorite guy on the team.”
“He’s buff, he’s strong,” Miller said. “He just looks like a beast. I was excited when we picked Noah (No. 20 overall in 2019), and you can kind of see everything coming together for Noah and (second-year pro) Albert (Okwuegbunam).”
While Okwuegbunam continues to rehab back from an ACL injury suffered in Week 7 of last year, Fant will carry the majority of the load at tight end throughout training camp and early on in the season. Beyond Fant and Okwuegbunam, the Broncos also have Eric Saubert (signed in free agency) and Austin Fort (a second-year undrafted pro) in their tight end room.
Add in one of the most talented receiver corps in the league led by Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick and KJ Hamler, and Fant likes his odds of having a breakout statistical season for himself, even when surrounded by so many other weapons for Drew Lock or Teddy Bridgewater to target.
“A lot of people look at that as a negative, like it’s going to be hard to get people the ball or things like that,” Fant said, “But (offensive coordinator) Pat (Shurmur) does a great job with spreading the ball around. Those guys on the outside of me are going to open me up so much more than if it was just me trying to get open by myself.”
And as Fant prepares for Year 3, his goals remain just as high: Become a dynamic pass-catcher like Kelce, Kittle and Waller by helping the Broncos get back into contention following a five-year playoff drought.
“I want to be a household name for the Broncos like (Miller) is,” Fant said.
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Broncos tight end Noah Fant on Year 3 expectations: “I want to be a household name” - The Denver Post
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