Broncos’ Branson tired of acting part

Denver Broncos tight end Marquez Branson is quickly going from looking and playing the part to actually becoming the real deal.

Even the savviest Broncos fan may not know the versatile second-year tight end that spent his rookie season on the club’s practice squad, but Branson actually was quite an important part of some of the team’s 2009 success.

“He was [San Diego Chargers All-Pro tight end] Antonio Gates and all those guys on the look team. He did a nice job for us in terms of showing our defense what we wanted him to do last year,” said Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels. “He learned a lot. He’s a guy that has matured and is doing great in our offseason program right now. We’re excited about his progress. He’s a tough kid — he can block, he can play on the line of scrimmage some.”

What McDaniels meant by “the look team” is that Branson actually played the part of not only Gates, but also Jason Witten, Brent Celek and Dallas Clark, imitating these star players for Denver’s defense, as the club prepared the team’s those elite player’s play on that particular week.

“I like the opportunity it gave me. I was working hard and I tried to do the best I could to show them that I could play in this league,” said Branson. “It gave me a lot better chance to develop and understand the game, understand the speed of the game and how things work. How everything is correlated out there looking at a defense. It taught me a whole lot. So this year, everything comes a little faster to me.” 

Even though 19 tight ends were drafted in 2009 NFL Draft — including Richard Quinn, who the Broncos moved up for to select in the second round — Branson went undrafted.

At 6-feet-2 and 241 pounds, he was thought to be too undersized to be an NFL tight end. In addition, he is a converted wide-receiver from a very small school (Central Arkansas). 

However, McDaniels looks at Branson differently. He sees a multi-talented, versatile athlete that he can mold into a hybrid type of talent, perhaps in the mold of Washington’s Chris Cooley.

McDaniels said he expects Branson to replace Tony Scheffler as the team’s pass-catching tight end, but he has also been splitting reps with Spencer Larsen at fullback during OTAs.

“You didn’t see him last year but we have very high expectations and high hopes for him. He runs pretty well and has good hands. He’s more of a pass-catcher, we will maybe spread him away from the formation some,” McDaniels said. “There were some teams that were even interested in getting him off our practice squad as the season went on and we were fortunate to keep him, so we’re excited about his progress.”

And while 99.9 percent of non-drafted free agents don’t stick in the league, Branson is expected join several other non-draftee Broncos who have made it in the league — joining linebacker Wesley Woodyard, offensive tackle Tyler Polumbus and cornerback Tony Carter.

“Most guys just say this, but football is my life. I don’t watch TV really, I just watch the NFL Network and ESPN, those are really the only two channels I need,” Branson, a self-proclaimed football-nerd, told the Denver Daily News. “Football follies, highlight reels, old games, I just love football.” 

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