Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton met with the media on Saturday to talk about the ongoing rookie minicamp practices. However, one non-rookie has caught the eye of the Broncos head coach, and he went out of his way to hype them up.
Payton was answering a question about how they decide which veteran players participate in the rookie minicamp, and unprompted, Payton just started raving about second-year tight end Caleb Lohner. He told reporters that “Lohner looks entirely different in this camp. Now he was here in this camp a year ago as a draft pick, but he stood out.”
Payton was then asked what Lohner is doing better this year compared to last year. He simply said “everything”.
“Everything. In fairness to him, remember [he] was a basketball prospect that had limited snaps of a year. So one year into the program, and how he’s moving, what he’s doing, everything looks entirely different. That learning curve and growth curve was greater for someone who had far less experience maybe than others, if that makes sense. It’s entirely noticeable, and he’s in great shape. You see his athleticism. I would say the one thing that you don’t know is… [Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach] Bill [Parcells] used to say, ‘If they don’t bite when they’re puppies, they’re probably never going to bite.’ There’s a physical aspect to the way he plays. Even on look team last season, he’d play an outside linebacker rushing our tackles. He’s 6’7”, 265 pounds and he’s not afraid of the contact. So it’s been good to see him in Year 2. You knew there was going to be a developmental upside, but that was encouraging.”
Now, Lohner entered the league very raw after playing just one season of college football in a very limited role, so it should not be a huge surprise that he is looking better and more developed a year later. You would hope that would be the case, as Payton mentioned, Lohner is a developmental project for them, but it’s encouraging to hear that he’s standing out. On the flip side, if he was invited to this rookie minicamp and didn’t really stand out, then we would be having a completely different conversation here.
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Payton wasn’t done hyping up Lohner. He was later asked about Lohner’s learning curve and where he stands compared to the rest of the young tight ends in the NFL. He added that Lohner is a “very physical player” and then told the media, “You will see him in June,” and ended with “Yes, he has been impressive”.
“That’s a great question. You just start with total reps in the bank in football, and there was just a lot less. You’re drafting traits at that point in the draft. We’ve done that before, and sometimes you’re drafting traits [and] you see a receiving tight end. The one thing I know watching him is he’ll be plenty and very physical. The blocking part is a little bit easier to develop than the other part, but you guys will see him this June. Yes, he’s been impressive.”
Payton typically doesn’t praise players like this publicly, so when he does, you take note of it. He spoke highly of Lohner last season and even made a Jimmy Graham comparison, so we know that he is invested in Lohner’s development, and so far in year two, he hasn’t backed down.
Rookie tight end Justin Joly also joined in on the Caleb Lohner hype train. He told reporters after Saturday’s practice that Lohner is “Super, uber-athletic” and can “jump out of the sky”.
We also learned on Saturday that another team tried to sign Caleb Lohner off the Broncos’ practice squad. 9NEWS Denver’s Mike Klis wrote that late last season, he had a chance to play for another team (signed to an opposing team’s 53-man roster), but decided to stay in Denver simply because he did not want to leave.
“It was in the works but I told them don’t even bother. Jack(his agent) was the one who started it all (the decision to stay). I want to be here. You’ve got a veteran coach here (in Sean Payton). I was in his offensive system for almost a full year. Plus, I didn’t want to leave a team that was going for the Super Bowl and is going for the Super Bowl. Everyone in here all have the same goal. Win the Super Bowl. That’s what you play for. I didn’t want to leave that.”
Klis adds that the Broncos elevated Lohner to the active roster for their Divisional Round game vs. the Buffalo Bills as a thank you for sticking with the team. This gave Lohner a financial boost and just another reason to stick around the Mile High City.
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While the Broncos did draft two tight ends, it is clear Lohner is still a favorite among the coaching staff. Payton is obviously invested, and Klis also noted that Lohner helped out defensive coordinator Vance Joseph on the scout team last season. The Broncos had some injuries, and they asked Lohner to fill in, and he did. These little things always stand out to coaches, and it seems like Lohner is doing everything on and off the field to impress the Broncos coaches.
If Lohner wants to make the Broncos’ 53-man roster, he will need to continue impressing the coaches this offseason and throughout training camp and the preseason. With veterans Evan Engram and Adam Trautman locked in to roster spots, rookies Justin Joly and Dallen Bentley in the mix, along with Lucas Krull and Nate Adkins, the Broncos have some real competition at the tight end position. Lohner having a breakout offseason would only make this room deeper and the Broncos even better, and hopefully, we see some real growth from Lohner moving forward.
Payton told us, “You guys will see him this June”, so I am anxiously waiting to see how Lohner looks during the OTA and minicamp practices.
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