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          NFL Nation

          Broncos rookie Noah Fant in record-setting position after rocky start

          • Jeff Legwold, ESPN Senior WriterDec 19, 2019, 11:00 AM
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              Jeff Legwold is a senior writer who covers the Denver Broncos and the NFL at ESPN. Jeff has covered the Broncos for more than 20 years, joining ESPN in 2013. He also assists with NFL draft coverage, including his annual top 100 prospects. Jeff has been a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors since 1999. He has attended every scouting combine since 1987.
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          ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- With two games remaining, Denver Broncos tight end Noah Fant has already seen plenty during his rookie season.

          On the positive side: two 100-yard games and the longest touchdown for the Broncos this season; on the negative: early drops and penalties. But Fant has battled his way into December with a chance to make history at his position for the Broncos. That's no small feat for a franchise with a Hall of Fame tight end in Shannon Sharpe as well as homegrown players such as Julius Thomas and Riley Odoms reaching Pro Bowls.

          "I expect him to be a great player in this league for a long time," said Broncos offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello. "... He's got stuff he needs to work on and he's doing that, but we're fortunate to have him."

          Fant, who was on the receiving end of his share of public consternation early in the season, is now in this spot:

          • His two 100-yard games are already tied for third-most for a rookie tight end in league history -- only Hall of Famer Mike Ditka (five 100-yard games as a rookie in 1961) and Charle Young (four 100-yard games as a rookie in 1973) had more.

          • He needs one touchdown catch over the final two games to tie the Broncos' record for a rookie tight end (seven), set by Tony Scheffler in 2008.

          • His 75-yard catch-and-run touchdown against the Cleveland Browns in Week 9 is already the longest scoring reception for a rookie tight end in franchise history.

          • His receptions total (37) and yards receiving (548) are already rookie records at the position for the Broncos, and if Fant catches five more passes he will have the third most of any Broncos rookie pass-catcher behind Eddie Royal (91 catches in 2008) and Vance Johnson (51 catches in 1985).

          "I've said I try to just stack as many good days, good games, as I can," Fant said. " ... You do have to believe in yourself and keep on going. Things aren't always going to go as well as you'd like and it's key to sort of rebound from those things and keep pushing."

          The numbers are all fairly heady stuff, even in what is now a 5-9 season and will be the Broncos' third consecutive losing campaign. But there's hope on the horizon with wide receiver Courtland Sutton, running back Phillip Lindsay, guard Dalton Risner and Fant routinely mentioned as the core of the Broncos' youth movement on offense.

          Fant, taken with the 20th overall pick this past April, leads all rookie tight ends in catches and receiving yards this season.

          It hasn't been all positive, though. His fumble at Green Bay (which came in Broncos territory and led to a Packers touchdown), the three drops against the Chiefs in October and a smattering of early-season penalties are all part of his first-year body of work.

          Those struggles early, according to several Broncos including Fant himself, were learning experiences that have allowed Fant to get into record-setting position.

          Now he just has to stay healthy. He left the Broncos' loss Sunday in Kansas City with a shoulder injury. During the week leading up to the game, he missed practice time with ankle and hip injuries. But the play where he suffered the shoulder injury -- a 43-yard catch-and-run on a fourth-and-1 -- was another example of what the Broncos hope is consistently on the horizon.

          Quarterback Drew Lock called it "an awesome call."

          "It's just about progressing," said Broncos coach Vic Fangio. "Just like for a lot of guys, but it's about progressing. The future is bright for him, but it's always about progressing."