Two years ago, Julius Thomas was the talk of training camp and, in the mind of many, on the accelerated path to becoming the next Jimmy Graham. Dynasty owners were snatching him off the wire given his exhibited athleticism and potential mismatch ability.

The early promise quickly came to an end in week two of the 2011 season when he suffered a high ankle sprain on his first NFL catch. We didn’t know it then, but that early injury may be the result of a two-year temporary fantasy hiatus for Thomas – not his talent and ability. Due to the injury, Thomas missed the rest of his rookie season (save 11 snaps) and was never 100%. He attempted to practice and power through the ankle injury, but was unsuccessful. He underwent off-season ankle surgery in April 2012.

Because of the off-season surgery, Thomas missed much of the team’s organized activities leading up to the 2012 season. He still returned and participated in training camp, but it was evident his leg was not 100% as he was still regaining strength in the injured ankle. As a result, due to the additions of Joel Dreessen and Jacob Tamme during the 2012 offseason and the ankle surgery recovery, Thomas only played two snaps as the Broncos’ fourth string tight end in 2012.

Because of that, many dynasty owners have given up on Thomas. That may be premature given the buzz starting to build in Denver OTAs. Over the past few days, the notifications I’ve received via email from articles published on Thomas has been tremendous. That same buzz generated in the 2011 offseason appears to be back and dynasty owners should take notice and watch this situation closely considering the following:

Thomas the Project

While Thomas showed promise immediately in his rookie season during the Broncos’ 2011 camp (much like many former basketball players), he was considered a project. In fact, while Thomas was selected in the fourth round in 2011, that was primarily due to his raw athleticism and basketball background as opposed to his football production or refined route running ability.

Thomas played two years of organized football before being drafted and only one of those seasons was in college. After playing one year of high school football, Thomas didn’t play organized football again until his senior year at Portland State. While he has the natural hands given his basketball background, because of the limited football experience his blocking ability and route running technique needed refinement. These aren’t skills that are acquired in a year or two, especially when there is a severe high ankle sprain and surgery to contend with.

While Thomas was raw and needed to improve certain aspects of his game, the 2013 off-season is the first year he’s participating in OTAs. In 2011, there were no OTAs due to the NFL lockout and in 2012, he missed the Broncos’ off-season programs due to the ankle surgery recovery – this missed time is a good indication why Thomas was slow to progress.

Injuries a Hindrance

Because of the high ankle sprain in his rookie season, Thomas didn’t have the ability to harness any skills and improve. The off-season surgery in April 2012 further contributed to that stunted growth. It’s difficult for a raw player to improve and earn more snaps if he’s unable to learn the skills needed in practice. These hurdles put Thomas behind in terms of development.

Broncos’ Offensive Coordinator Adam Gase recently acknowledged that noting, “[Thomas has] done a very good job of working hard in the weight room, picking up on our offense. Being hurt last year, he missed some meeting time, because you’re rehabbing, you’re trying to get your body straight. So you get stuck and you’re behind everybody else.”

Coach John Fox further supported that explaining, “Like Julius Thomas … but he got hurt, missed time and then everybody moves ahead. Towards the end [of last season], even though he’s having great practices and you like him, as a coach it’s hard to get him a uniform on game day. There’s a guy I don’t think anybody knows about, but he’s a young guy that’s going to be a good player.”

It’s apparent that the Broncos’ coaching staff agrees and attributes Thomas’ slow progression to his injuries and not his skills, ability, and/or potential.

Thomas himself acknowledged the injury hindrance explaining, “For so long, I feel like I was dragging a leg around. To feel like I’m playing at a high level, it’s really encouraging.”

2013 Offseason Buzz

After a two-year pause and 2013 being Thomas’ first full offseason, he’s again garnering added attention. Similar to Coach Fox and Coach Gase’s comments above, there appears to be a recurring theme that Thomas is caught up after plowing through injury rehabilitation 2012, is ready to contribute, and showing some positive signs.

While he was stuck behind a handful of tight ends in 2012 as he recuperated, with fellow tight end Joel Dreessen out in OTAs due to a knee scope, Thomas is getting more reps with the first team and Peyton Manning – that’s turning out to work in Thomas’ favor as Peyton appears to be warming up to the third year tight end explaining, “If you can’t complete a ball to Julius as a quarterback, something is wrong with you. He has a great wingspan and great size and jumping ability. I think he’s just continuing to get better for us.” Not that it means a ton in OTAs, but Thomas and Manning also connected for a 60-yard touchdown further supporting Peyton’s comments.

Additionally, Coach Gase had some further positive feedback on Thomas noting he “is a really sharp guy. If you’re smart enough, you’re going to pick things up quicker.”

Summary

Overall, it seems like there are a number of positive indicators for Thomas. Call it “coach speak” or a sign of things to come, the bottom line is that Thomas should be stashed in most leagues, if available, as we’re experiencing a 2011 redux.

If Thomas is improved and Peyton is in his corner, things will get very interesting for the third year tight end in 2013. There are a lot of pass-catching targets in Denver, but we all know how Manning assists in the development and production of players he trusts.

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