Aside from LG Van Roten/C Kalil, the Panthers have had different starters at the other 3 OL positions each week. They lead the NFL in rushing yards (166 per) & are doing it with a diverse scheme. The TEs (Ian Thomas/Chris Manhertz) are a big part of it & caught my eye in week 3: pic.twitter.com/t6Ag1K1HTo
Buy Broncos Tickets— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) September 26, 2018
The Denver Broncos made an underrated signing during free agency with little fanfare.
New coach Sean Payton signed tight end Chris Manhertz to a two-year contract, a move that flew under the radar among fans because Manhertz has just 24 career receptions on his resume.
How could a tight end with so little involvement in the passing game be a big addition to the offense? The answer: run blocking.
“I think in order to run the ball, it’s hard to do without a blocking tight end or someone that can handle the ‘D-gap,'” Payton said on July 29. “We found Chris in New Orleans on a free agent tryout with no football experience. [He] was a basketball player. A close friend of mine sent me a little video on my phone, and we brought him in. Our vision when we worked him out was that receiving, Jimmy Graham-type tight end. It actually was interesting because he developed into a really, really physical player at the line of scrimmage.
“Unfortunately for us then, Carolina picked him up off our practice squad, and then he went to Jacksonville. I would say within the last five years, he has been one of the better run-blocking tight ends. That and then his makeup, his character and he’s a tremendous guy. You can have a lot of things going for you relative to running the football, but you end up playing jumbo tackles, maybe, if you don’t have a blocking tight end. He just does a lot of those things well. You know exactly what you’re getting from him which allows you to gameplan easier on Wednesday and Thursday nights.”
Manhertz might not be a household name in Denver, but he’s probably a near-lock to make the 53-man roster given the role he could have in Payton’s offense. He has been called one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL, and that could prove to be extremely valuable to a Broncos team that is expected to run early and often in 2023.
Manhertz wasn’t a flashy signing, but he was an important one.
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