Through the first 11 weeks of the NFL season, three things are terribly evident.

NFL kickers are psychologically incapable of kicking extra points, the officials woefully botched the Monday Night Football game in Mexico City, and the Broncos desperately need a pass-catching tight end.

Sadly enough, the latter might be the most obvious.

The Broncos have utilized their tight ends less than logic used by the writers of the movie Independence Day. Are we really supposed to believe that the spaceship of technologically advanced alien invaders who traveled galaxies to harvest our planet’s natural resources are Mac compatible?

Nothing is Mac compatible!

In an offensive scheme fit for the success of the tight end position, Denver’s tight ends have combined for a total of 321 yards receiving on 28 receptions for only one score. This means that 22 tight ends have produced more receiving yards individually, including former Denver lemon Vernon Davis, than the Broncos have as an entire unit.

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In defense of the egregious numbers, the Broncos have struggled mightily with injuries in their tight end corps. Virgil Green has only managed to play in seven games after fighting a calf injury, and second-year tight end Jeff Heuerman has fought both hamstring, ankle, and groin issues all season. Healthy or not, however, neither has managed to be anything more than mediocre as pass-catchers.

Many of the sub-par numbers can be attributed to the entire offense as a whole. The Broncos are currently ranked 27th in the NFL by averaging a mere 324.7 yards per game, including an unremarkable 227.3 passing yards per game. But a large piece can certainly be attributed to the absence of a receiving tight end threat, as defenses have focused all their attention on wide outs Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Can the addition of A.J. Derby be a catalyst to improving Denver’s passing tribulations?

Well, he certainly can’t hurt.

The Broncos acquired Derby right before the trade deadline by shipping AFC rival New England a fifth-round pick in exchange for the second-year tight end’s services.

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The converted quarterback out of Arkansas played tight end only one season in college, but compiled 303 yards receiving and three touchdowns, including an impressive 54-yard catch and run against a tenacious Alabama secondary. His physicality and speed are definitely something to note.

Derby has already made an almost immediate impact. In his second game, he played in 44 snaps and caught two passes for 22 yards in the Broncos’ controversial win over the New Orleans Saints. This is certainly not something to write home about, but it is a good sign to see that the coaching staff trust their new tight end enough to leave him on the field that much.

“We need somebody to go in there and move the chains on third downs and make some plays,” coach Gary Kubiak told ESPN. “I have confidence in him. He played special teams. That will be a big help down the stretch.”

I don’t think anyone is expecting Derby to step in and produce Rob Gronkowski numbers, but he certainly has the skill set to mirror what the four-time Pro Bowl tight end does so well. With Derby’s speed and great hands, he could certainly terrorize defenses with the deep seam route down the middle of the field. That’s a play that Gronkowski has trademarked and is a staple of the New England Patriots’ offense.

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If quarterback Trevor Siemian is able to connect with Derby on this route even once or twice a game, it can completely make the difference in the success of the offense. Not only do defenses have to be aware of this pass, but it prevents them from focusing all of their attention on other Broncos’ receivers. This opens up other opportunities to find Sanders and Thomas down the field.

It is not likely that Derby will singlehandedly change the way the Broncos’ offense operates, but he certainly brings a skill set that can make it more threatening. I mean, he can’t bring any less to the table than Davis did last season, right?

Derby will have a tough matchup this weekend as Kansas City is one of the best teams versus the tight end position.