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August 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Denver Broncos tight end Caleb Lohner (84) before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Report: Broncos Cut Rookie TE Caleb Lohner

Originally posted on Denver Broncos on SI
By Chad Jensen | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 5:23 PM ET

The Denver Broncos waived rookie tight end Caleb Lohner on Tuesday. The move came very late in the day, and less than an hour before the 2 pm MDT deadline.

Can we infer from that a reluctance on the team's part to cut one of its 2025 draft picks? Perhaps. But it could also have been a way to camouflage Lohner's cut to make it more likely that he'll pass through waivers and be re-signed to the Broncos' practice squad.

Either way, it implies the Broncos might not be done with Lohner. The team's seventh-round draft pick just a few months ago, the 6-foot-7 tight end is a former college basketball star who tried his luck at football last season, playing a total of 57 snaps for the Utah Utes.

That led to four receptions for Lohner, all of which were touchdowns. The Utes used him as a big-bodied red-zone threat, where he could use his size and box-out skills to great effect.

Unrealized Potential

The Broncos saw the same upside, and perhaps more. Out of the gates, Broncos head coach Sean Payton compared Lohner to former New Orleans Saints All-Pro Jimmy Graham, who was also a college basketball player at the University of Miami (FL).

“People bring up Jimmy. Now, Jimmy was a third-round pick. I get it, but there were some similarities in that," Payton said back in May during rookie minicamp. "He only played a year, 80-something snaps. I think he had 18 catches. So yes, we have to coach and develop. In other words, if it was already present when you watch him, and you guys see him, and shake his hand and stand next to him, like, ‘Holy cow.’ There are traits there that excite me. Then just visiting with him, and his intentionality and his excitement about it. I’m excited to watch it.”

No Blocking Acumen

As Lohner's inexperience reared its ugly head during training camp, especially as a blocker, doubts began to creep in. Could the Broncos get this raw tight end ready enough to justify one of the precious spots on the 53-man roster?

When the preseason rolled around, Lohner only managed to haul in two receptions for 27 yards. And when it came to blocking, calling him a liability out there would be putting it mildly.

Payton's excitement to see how Lohner progressed morphed into a different tone, when he tried to create some urgency under the rookie's saddle entering the preseason finale. When Payton was asked how much Lohner's lack of football knowledge had inhibited him in an NFL training camp, the head coach was blunt.

“I would say a little bit, but we have to get going," Payton said of Lohner. "We have to get going, but I would say a little bit, just overall his football knowledge.”

Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda

Payton tried to light a fire and even schemed what would have been a walk-in touchdown on 8-of-10 tries. In the fourth quarterback, Sam Ehlinger and the Broncos' third-team offense were on the field vs. the Saints, and Payton called a little tight end screen, where Lohner blocked the edge rusher for a few beats, then leaked out looking for the ball.

I don't know if Ehlinger was a tad late throwing it or if it was Lohner who didn't get off his block in time, but the Saints' edge defender sniffed it out, and managed to get a finger on the pass, deflecting it incomplete. If Lohner catches that pass, he's rumbling in for a touchdown.

Doesn't Have to Be the End

If he passes through waivers unclaimed, the Broncos will likely re-sign Lohner. Last year, seventh-round offensive guard Nick Gargiulo was waived at the final cuts and re-signed to the practice squad, where he worked with the coaches all year and developed.

Fast forward to 2025 training camp, and the Broncos' faith in Gargiulo was paying off, as he was clearly the best backup swing guard on the roster. Then he suffered a season-ending ACL injury in preseason Game 2, but the point remains for Lohner.

The young tight end still needs a lot of time and tender-loving-care to develop into an NFL-caliber player. If he clears waivers, he'll probably get that chance to develop further with the Broncos.