One of the biggest unknowns on the Broncos’ roster is a third-year veteran who has seen more time on the training table than the football field. He was drafted for his leadership and his smarts and his versatility and he potentially still possess all of the above.

But since May 9, 2015, he has been an unknown. To himself, even.

Jeff Heuerman is sick of being the unknown.

“I know when I’m healthy,” he said, “I can do anything with the football at the tight end position.”

The “when” has always been the qualifier with Heuerman, the Broncos’ third-round pick out of Ohio State in 2015. His pro career was delayed a year because of a torn ACL suffered the second day of rookie minicamp. It was delayed further because of hamstring injuries throughout organized team activities (OTAs) in 2016. And then it was delayed even more because of an ankle injury in the preseason.

Heuerman said it was terrible.

“There’s no other way to put it,” he said. “Everything — not being on the field, being in a new city, having a blown-out knee and not being able to do a lot of things you want to do, the rehab, trying to feel like you fit in but you haven’t done anything. It was a physical and mental battle going through something like that, especially at that time.

“I didn’t know how bad I felt last year until I came in this year. I feel night-and-day better than I did at this time last year.” Related Articles September 18, 2020 Broncos’ Phillip Lindsay ruled out for Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh as running back deals with toe injury

September 18, 2020 Broncos Journal: Pat Shurmur, Drew Lock hope sticking to script produces better first-quarter production

September 18, 2020 Broncos expect rookie cornerbacks Michael Ojemudia, Essang Bassey to build on debuts

September 17, 2020 Broncos’ Von Miller gives fans “Mile High Salute” while sharing photo of leg in cast

September 17, 2020 Broncos Briefs: Center Lloyd Cushenberry praised for NFL debut

In many respects, Heuerman has been making up for lost time. But he hopes to finally live up to the billing of “the answer” for the Broncos and add to his limited resume of nine catches for 141 yards and zero touchdowns.

As he enters a critical Year 3, he has a prime opportunity to do so in offensive coordinator Mike McCoy’s offense that will feature the passing game more. But with that opportunity comes increased pressure in a tight end room that needs an extra folding stool to house the seven players vying for roster spots.

In addition to Heuerman, there’s the veteran leader in Virgil Green, one of only two holdovers from the previous McCoy era in Denver (Demaryius Thomas is the other). There’s A.J. Derby, a trade acquisition from New England last year who tight ends coach Geep Chryst said has “a lot of savvy.” And now there’s also Jake Butt, a fifth-round pick and the Mackey Award winner as college football’s top tight end; second-year player Henry Krieger-Coble; and two other futures signings in Steven Scheu and Austin Traylor.

In short, time is running out.

“It means he’s going to have to compete,” general manager John Elway said after the draft. Elway added: “Everyone who’s going to make the team, they make the team. No one else makes it for them. They’ve got to go make the team themselves, so that’s why it’s up to them. Knowing Jeff and knowing those tight ends, they’re going to come out and compete and do the best they can. Hopefully, it’s a situation where everybody gets better because of that.”

Chryst says they’re still trying to figure out their players’ strengths, and McCoy agrees. They’re still trying to figure out how the pieces fit, how the tight ends will be used, how their varied skill sets will be exploited and how Heuerman figures into all.

“That’s what we want to find out from Jeff,” Chryst said. “We’re going to challenge him to play in line as a tight end, to be flexed out as a receiver, and let’s just go find out.”

What is already known, however, is that McCoy, much like former coach Gary Kubiak, likes to use his tight ends often and likes to use many of them at a time. The Broncos know this first-hand from his previous four-year stint (2009-12) as Denver’s offensive coordinator, but they were reminded of it again last season in their first meeting with the Chargers. Veteran Antonio Gates and then-rookie Hunter Henry, a former Arkansas teammate of Derby’s, cut up the Broncos’ defense and combined for 48 yards and a touchdown on San Diego’s opening drive in a Thursday night win.

“You watch some of Antonio Gates and some of the stuff he’s been able to do and you’re like, ‘Wow,’ ” Heuerman said. “It’s exciting to know that you’re going to be put in some of those positions and given chances to make plays like that.”

Last year, the Broncos ranked among the league’s bottom four in two- and three-tight end sets, anomalies for Kubiak but also symptoms of injuries and general offensive inefficiency.

Last year at San Diego, McCoy’s used three-tight end sets 88 times, fourth-most in the league. When McCoy was previously the Broncos’ offensive coordinator, Denver ranked among the top 13 each season in using three-tight end sets.

The numbers should be welcome news for the crowded tight end room. But Heuerman’s excitement for 2017 goes beyond the system and gets personal.

He believes he never scraped the bottom of his potential, although he started to put it together late in the season. That was shortly after he hired a personal chef in an effort to treat his training and recovery as more of a science.

“A lot of guys can eat what they want and it’s not going to affect them, but for me, I need to do everything I can to be a step ahead,” he said. “So toward the end of last year, I really started seeing the benefits of that and how my body was changing and staying lean, keeping good weight on and no bad weight. Nutrition has been huge.”

And noticeable. Heuerman’s final three games produced 14 catches and 93 yards, a track he hopes continues into 2017.