However, all is not lost because Bentley, in some ways, resembles a former Broncos tight end who played on the Super Bowl 50 championship team. It turns out he was a seventh-round pick as well \u2014and he may have been one of the most underappreciated players on the roster at the time.<\/p>\n
The Green Parallel![\"Virgil](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/01m1te7brc4jk50xdbjx.jpg\" "\\"Virgil")
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Denver Broncos tight end Virgil Green (85) against the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n
The tight end in question would be Virgil Green, a 2011 seventh-round pick. Like Bentley, he was the second tight end the Broncos selected in an NFL draft in the same year. The other tight end they took in 2011 was fourth-round pick Julius Thomas.<\/p>\n
Thomas wasn’t waived after training camp, but he was a game-day inactive throughout the 2011 season and was inactive for a few games in 2012 before he broke out in 2013. He got the headlines in the tight end department, primarily because he developed into a good red zone target for Peyton Manning.<\/p>\n
Green, however, quietly put together important contributions because he excelled at blocking and played well on special teams. He was active far more often than Thomas in 2011 and 2012 and continued to see a significant number of snaps after Thomas’s role grew.<\/p>\n
After the 2014 season, Thomas signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars while the Broncos kept Green on a three-year deal. Green then saw more playing time on offense, and while he wasn’t targeted often, he was effective when he got his opportunities.<\/p>\n
From 2015 to 2017, Green was targeted 74 times and caught 48 passes \u2014 this came when the Broncos were sorting out their quarterback situation for two seasons after Manning retired, and Brock Osweiler signed with the Houston Texans.<\/p>\n
Green finished his career with the Los Angeles Chargers, and while he never became a red-zone target, he remained an effective blocker.<\/p>\n
Bentley’s Usage<\/p>\n
Bentley’s strengths are as a blocker, but he was a solid pass catcher in college. And though he didn’t log much in the stats department in the preseason, that doesn’t mean he can’t produce to some degree.<\/p>\n
Most likely, Bentley will spend his rookie season <\/a>pushing Nate Adkins for playing time and primarily be utilized in blocking and on special teams, though he could get targeted on some pass plays and get a chance to show what he can do.<\/p>\n Even if Bentley doesn’t become a top contributor in receptions and touchdowns, his blocking upside is important to the success of the Broncos. Sean Payton values receivers and tight ends who can block because that role is critical to allowing Broncos receivers to gain more yards after the catch, providing pass protection, and opening holes for running backs.<\/p>\n The Takeaway<\/p>\n It’s understandable that Broncos fans would want a tight end who can develop into a red-zone threat or become useful on passing downs, but the Broncos still seem to like Caleb Lohner \u2014 another seventh-round pick \u2014 so time will tell whether he eventually can take that role.<\/p>\n Even so, Broncos fans shouldn’t sleep on Bentley too much. A tight end who does the things that fans don’t necessarily appreciate is still a good thing to have.<\/p>\n If Bentley puts together a career like Green had, that’s a good thing \u2014 and that’s certainly more than worth the seventh-round pick that was used on Bentley.<\/p>\n
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