Why Owen Daniels Is Denver Broncos' Most Important New Starter

The Denver Broncos have made several tough decisions this offseason. They had limited salary-cap space, and that meant a few starters from last year’s team could not be brought back in free agency.

This left the Broncos looking for new starters with affordable price tags.

One starter they lost in free agency is Julius Thomas. The star tight end signed a contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars that makes him the highest-paid tight end in the league. He was priced out of the budget for the Broncos, and the team had to find a replacement on the open market.

Enter veteran tight end Owen Daniels.

As one of the biggest moves they could do in free agency this year, the Broncos signed Daniels to a three-year contract worth $12.25 million with $3 million guaranteed and a $3 million signing bonus.

The offense under new head coach Gary Kubiak will feature the tight end position. Daniels will be tasked with replacing Thomas in the team’s starting lineup, and he should become a favorite target for quarterback Peyton Manning.

Here’s why Owen Daniels is the most important new starter for the Broncos.

The Offense

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

Under Kubiak, the Broncos will utilize two-tight end sets as their base formation. The offense will feature a zone-blocking system on the offensive line, and the tight ends must be capable blockers as well.

The zone-blocking system should make running back C.J. Anderson into one of the NFL’s leading rushers. The emphasis on the ground game will open things up for the play-action passing game.

Tight ends who are true to the assignment should be able to find open spaces on the defense with ease. Manning is one of the smartest quarterbacks to ever play the game, and he should be able to find the open tight ends early and often.

At his introductory press conference as the Broncos' 15th head coach, Kubiak commented on what his system would look like in Denver (again).

“We’re going to do what the players do best and this team does best. I think over the last five or six years I’ve been fortunate to have a leading rusher in the league, a leading thrower and a leading receiver. It’s about fitting your system to what [your players do best].” Kubiak continued, “We’re going to run the Denver Broncos’ offense, not Gary Kubiak’s offense. We’re going to fit it to our players and what they do best.”

Catching passes from Manning was an attractive option for Daniels.

“Yeah, that was a factor in coming here, for sure. I’m very, very excited to play with Peyton. I’ve gotten to meet him a couple times at Pro Bowls in the past, so I have a little bit of a feel for him, but I’m looking to get to work with him and building that chemistry so we can have a great year.”

This won’t be the high-flying offense that set NFL passing records in 2013. Instead, the Broncos will use a balanced offense to move the ball. There may not be too many three-wide receiver formations, as the Broncos instead use two tight ends as receiving weapons to prey on opposing defenses.

The Fit

Pat Sullivan/Associated Press

Hand, meet glove.

Outside of four games in 2013 (one missed due to health, three missed after he was fired) Kubiak has coached every single snap of Daniels’ pro career. Even after he was fired by the Houston Texans, Daniels followed Kubiak to the Baltimore Ravens for the 2014 season.

A look at Daniels' best seasons under Kubiak shows just how great of a fit he is for the Kubiak scheme.

Year	Games	Targets	Receptions	Receiving Yards	TDs
2006	14	51	34	352	5
2007	16	94	63	768	3
2008	16	100	70	862	2
2009	8	58	40	519	5
2010	11	68	38	471	2
2011	15	93	54	677	3
2012	15	130	62	716	6
2013	5	41	24	252	3
2014	15	78	48	527	4

At the NFL owner’s meetings, Kubiak was asked if he felt like Daniels was a member of his family since the two have been together for so long in the pros.

“It’s unusual nowadays in coaching and in playing because players do move around that you coach a guy that long.” Kubiak reflected, “This will be 10 years for me with him. He’s a fine player. He’s a great person.”

Kubiak continued, “Last year he was coming off an injury, so I think everybody was a little skeptical. They were saying, ‘Hey, you’re going to have to go out here and do it again at this stage of your career.’ And he did. We’re just fortunate to get him. Obviously we’ve had to kind of rebuild our tight end position a little bit, and to have his experience—he’s played in a lot of big games and he’ll bring leadership to the football team. I’m just glad he’s part of what we’re doing.”

Daniels knows what is expected of tight ends in this offense.

“You can line up in a bunch of different spots on the field, really everywhere, and they always look for consistency. So you’ve got to be able to block or at least be willing to do that. It’s a very detailed offense in terms of what we do—landmarks and being in the right spot at the right time versus the right coverage.” Daniels summarized, "I’ve learned from a very smart football mind these last nine years, and looking forward to learn more and looking forward to learn from No. 18 (Manning), as well.”

If Kubiak could custom design a tight end for his offense, he would look a lot like Daniels. In fact, that player might be a doppelganger of Daniels.

The Competition

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

The Broncos may not be done adding talent at the tight end position. Behind Daniels, the team re-signed Virgil Green earlier this offseason. Green is an underrated receiver, and he has worked hard to become arguably the best blocking tight end on the team. We should see him post career-best numbers in 2015.

After Green, there are a bunch of question marks currently on the roster.

Dominique Jones is on the team, but he’s mostly a blocking tight end with limited receiving ability. Joe Don Duncan was signed earlier this year in a move that went largely under the radar. He was a star tight end in college for Dixie State, but the Broncos worked him out as a fullback. Jeremy Kelley is a huge wide receiver (6’6”, 231 pounds) who could transition to tight end this offseason.

John Raoux/Associated Press

This is why Denver might be considering a rookie tight end via the 2015 NFL draft. In the first round, they could take a tight end like Maxx Williams off the board. Williams reminds me of Jason Witten (Dallas Cowboys) because of his sure hands and run-after-the-catch ability.

If the Broncos wait for a tight end in the draft, then Blake Bell (Oklahoma) could be an option in the fourth round or later. Bell, a converted quarterback, is huge (6’6”, 260 pounds), fast and knows how to find the soft spot in a zone. He’s raw as a tight end after only one season of college experience at the position, but Bell’s upside is out of this world.

These young players are going to need some guidance, and that’s why in addition to starting for the Broncos, Daniels can help teach the other players this new offense.

“He can definitely help. He can go teach our offense. He can walk in a room and teach what we do, so yeah. I know he and Peyton are getting together and throwing. For them to get together and talk—he can say, ‘I know Kub’s call is this,’ so I know there will be a head start from that standpoint.”

Kubiak clarified, “No, that’s not why he’s here. We brought him because he’s a good football player. I know what he’s all about as a person. I think I told you this before. I told John, I said, 'John, you evaluate him as a player. I think he speaks for himself, but I can tell you what you’re going to get when he walks in the door.’ That was easy for me.”

Even if the Broncos decide to spend a premium pick on tight end, Daniels should still be the lead player at the position.

Summary

It wasn’t much of a surprise when the Broncos added Daniels via free agency. The Broncos had to find proper talent at the tight end position due to the nature of the offense.

Daniels knows this system like the back of his hand. Outside of high school and college, Daniels has not played in a different offense. He can be used effectively as a starter, and he can also help guide other players through the intricacies of this system.

The Broncos might add a tight end via the draft. Daniels is no spring chicken, and the Broncos would be wise to add younger talent to learn from Daniels before his time in Denver is done.

Of all the new starters the Broncos will be relying on in 2015, Daniels is clearly the most important player.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos' media department unless otherwise noted.

Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions. Draft grades provided by NFLDraftScout.com.