Colts hosted TE Austin Fort for visit, held tryout for 3 others

Colts hosted TE Austin Fort on visit, held tryout for 3 others on Friday.

The Indianapolis Colts hosted a visit for free-agent tight end Austin Fort and held a tryout for three other players on Friday, per the league’s transaction wire.

Fort, 26, went undrafted out of Wyoming following the 2019 NFL draft. He signed with the Denver Broncos after receiving an invite to training camp but tore his ACL during the preseason, which ended his campaign. He suffered a setback during training camp in 2020 and was placed on injured reserve again, missing the entire season.

The three players the Colts held a tryout for on Friday included safety Steven Parker, tight end Joshua Perkins and wide receiver Connor Wedington.

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Broncos injuries: 11 players held out of practice Monday

The Broncos have been hit hard by injuries in the second week of training camp.

Linebacker Justin Strnad had wrist surgery and will miss the entire season. In addition to Strnad, 10 other Denver players were held out of Monday’s practice.

WR KJ Hamler (hamstring), ILB Todd Davis (calf), WR Juwann Winfree (groin), CB Michael Ojemudia (quad), TE Austin Fort (knee), DB Alijah Holder (soft tissue), CB De’Vante Bausby (soft tissue), OLB Malik Carney (illness), WR Tim Patrick (soft tissue) and DL Mike Purcell (calf) were also sidelined.

Broncos coach Vic Fangio said he didn’t anticipate having this many soft tissue injuries during camp.

“I was not expecting that,” Fangio said. “I think there were some flaws in the way we set up the acclimation period along with the other stuff. It doesn’t do anybody any good to whine about it now. We just have to adjust and improvise and react to it, which we did.”

Denver adjusted Monday’s schedule and made it a lighter practice session. The Broncos’ season opener against the Titans is three weeks away so the team still has some time for players to get healthy.

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Broncos injuries: CB Michael Ojemudia out at least a week

Broncos cornerback Michael Ojemudia will be sidelined for at least a week with a quad injury.

Camp injuries are piling up for the Broncos.

Star outside linebacker Von Miller (elbow) and tight end Nick Vannett (concussion) were back on the field Sunday but six players were held out and linebacker Justin Strnad suffered a wrist injury during practice.

After the practice session, coach Vic Fangio said he didn’t have an update yet for Strnad’s injury status. Fangio did say cornerback Michael Ojemudia (quad) will be out “at least a week, maybe past that.”

Meanwhile, running back Melvin Gordon (ribs), wide receiver KJ Hamler (hamstring), inside linebacker Todd Davis (calf), receiver Juwann Winfree (groin) and tight end Austin Fort (knee) all remained sidelined Sunday.

Fangio said Hamler is “still a ways away” from a potential return. With Hamler and Winfree both sidelined, Denver added receiver depth by signing rookie Cody White.

Gordon is still considered day-to-day.

“He could be out there tomorrow, could not be,” Fangio said of Gordon. “It’s the ribs. Ribs are touchy. He truly is day-to-day.”

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Broncos injuries: KJ Hamler could be out a month

The Broncos have at least nine players dealing with injuries.

After wide receiver KJ Hamler sat out practice on Thursday, Broncos coach Vic Fangio said the rookie would miss “a couple weeks.” Those weeks might drag into a month.

Hamler could be out a month, according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Hamstring injuries can have varying recovery times and Denver won’t want to rush Hamler back on the field before he’s fully recovered.

One month from Thursday would be Sept. 20, which puts Hamler in danger of missing the Broncos’ season opener against the Titans (Sept. 14) and possibly their road game against the Steelers (Sept. 20) as well.

With Hamler sidelined, the Broncos brought in free agent wide receiver Cody White for a tryout. There’s been no word yet on if that tryout will lead to a spot on the roster.

Elsewhere on the injury front, outside linebacker Von Miller (elbow) and running back Melvin Gordon (ribs) were held out of practice Friday but their injuries do not seem to be serious. Fangio said both players are day-to-day.

Wide receiver Juwann Winfree (groin), tight end Nick Vannett (concussion protocol) and tight end Austin Fort (knee) were also held out. Fort will be out for several weeks. Vannett might be close to returning. Winfree’s status is uncertain.

Fangio said Elijah Wilkinson “tweaked” his ankle at Friday’s practice but the right tackle says he will be OK.

“My ankle is fine,” Wilkinson said. “Just a quick roll, but everything was fine walking off. They just kind of pulled me and no reason aggravate it anymore. Everything is fine. We got tangled up a little bit, but everything is cool.”

Denver received good news on inside linebacker Todd Davis, who suffered a calf injury on Thursday. Davis has a strain, not a tear, which means a faster recovery time. Davis is still going to miss “at least a week,” according to Fangio, but that’s better than missing two months as he did in 2019.

Broncos rookie tight end Albert Okwuegbunam has some kind of thumb injury but he has been able to catch passes at practice with a splint.

“You can’t even tell [he’s wearing it] so that’s always good to see that he’s not taking the easy way out with a crutch there,” Fangio said of Okwuegbunam’s splint. “Overall, we’ve been pleased with him.”

Denver’s players will get a much-needed rest day on Saturday before returning to the UCHealth Training Center for Day 8 on Sunday.

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Broncos 2019 positional grades: Tight end

The Broncos had 69 receptions from tight ends in 2019 and 40 of them came from rookie Noah Fant. Denver needs another TE to step up.

Getting back to our positional grades series, it’s now time to look back at the tight ends for the Denver Broncos for 2019.

Tight end, at least in terms of having one that can stretch the field and be an offensive threat, is something the Broncos had lacked for quite some time. That is largely why the team used its first-round pick on a tight end in 2019.

Let’s take a look at how each of the team’s tight ends graded out this past season.

Noah Fant

Stats

Receptions: 40

Receiving yards: 562

Touchdowns: 3

Fant got off to a slow start for the team and there were some fans already frustrated over the fact that the team traded out of the No. 10 spot where it could have drafted Devin Bush and into the No. 20 slot where Fant was selected.

Perhaps some still are.

But Fant turned it on toward the end of the season and ended up being second on the team in receptions and receiving yards. With the ball in his hands, he becomes a serious threat, quick and agile for a tight end. That is what the Broncos drafted him for.

Fant played in all 16 games and earned some great experience. The ceiling is high for him and he should be expected to be one of the team’s best offensive weapons for many years to come.

Grade: B-

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