Payton's Comment on Broncos TE Greg Dulcich Leaves Fans Mystified

As a rookie third-round pick out of UCLA, tight end Greg Dulcich appeared in 10 games for the Denver Broncos last year, starting six. He finished the season with 33 receptions (on 55 targets) for 411 yards and two touchdowns. 

How will Dulcich factor into new Broncos head coach Sean Payton's plan for the offense moving forward? Suffice to say, at the Annual League Meeting on Monday, Payton wasn't too keen on offering any insight on what the future holds for Dulcich, nor did he throw many compliments at the young tight end. 

“We’ll see. We haven’t gone through every player relative to the evaluation process," Payton said when asked about Dulcich on Monday. "Some of it was hard—the evaluation. Some of it was hard.”

It's unclear whether Payton was saying that Dulcich's play on tape "was hard to watch" or if he was making a broader statement in lieu of perhaps not having fully studied the young tight end's film. 

This comment was one of several where Payton made it a point to emphasize how difficult it has been reviewing the Broncos' offensive tape from 2022. He was highly critical of the offense, and that disdain trickled down to nearly every player mentioned on Monday who was a part of it, including Dulcich and quarterback Russell Wilson. 

Take, for example, the question Payton fielded about newly re-signed linebacker Alex Singleton. Even when discussing a defensive player, the coach kept inexorably being drawn back to offensive implications. 

"The defense in a lot of ways played well considering the time of possession, considering the field position, considering—like it’s hard to play good defense if you’re not playing complementary football," Payton said. "It sounds like I’m being critical of the special teams and the offense—and I am.”

Again, not even Wilson was spared from Payton's scorn for the 2022 Broncos offense. However, Payton did make an effort to point out that, basically, everyone involved was complicit.  

"There’s probably a little bit of dirt on a lot of people’s hands," Payton said. "When you win five games, it is what it is. I don’t think I need to elaborate any more. It wasn’t good. Wasn’t good on offense, that’s for sure. It was hard film to watch.”

So, Broncos fans probably shouldn't read too far into Payton's remarks — or lack thereof — on Dulcich. The truth is, the young tight end's outlook in this offense is very bright. 

Dulcich still needs to work on his blocking, but that's why Denver went out and signed veteran Chris Manhertz. With the designated blocker box being checked, Dulcich can fill the pass-catching role for Payton with aplomb. 

I like Dulcich's 2023 outlook, especially if Payton figures out how to get Wilson back on the horse.