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Utah tight end Caleb Lohner.

The Denver Broncos always knew tight end Caleb Lohner was going to be an experiment — what’s incredible at this point is how committed Lohner is to being part of that process.

The Broncos used a 7th round pick on Lohner in the 2025 NFL draft, he spent most of his rookie season on the practice squad and even turned down a shot at landing with another NFL team late last season in order to stay with the Broncos.

Participating in the Broncos’ rookie minicamp on Saturday, the 6-foot-7, 250-pound Lohner earned some unprompted praise from head coach Sean Payton and some of his new teammates.

“I’ll tell you who stood out — Caleb (Lohner),” Payton said. “He’s in great shape. You see his athleticism … everything looks entirely different.” 

Lohner Might Still Wind Up With Another Team

There’s a chance Lohner, a former college basketball star who only played 1 year of college football at Utah, is using this time as a springboard to landing on another team’s 53-man roster, but for now, he seems completely focused on playing for the Broncos.

“(Going to another team) was in the works but I told them don’t even bother,” Lohner told 9News Denver’s Mike Klis. “I want to be here. You’ve got a veteran coach here (in Sean Payton). I was in his offensive system for almost a full year. Plus, I didn’t want to leave a team that was going for the Super Bowl and is going for the Super Bowl. Everyone in here all have the same goal. Win the Super Bowl. That’s what you play for. I didn’t want to leave that.”

Also working against Lohner? The Broncos selected 2 tight ends in the 2026 NFL draft, which is more of an indictment against starter Evan Engram, who disappointed in 2025, than it is against Lohner.

The Broncos drafted North Carolina State tight end Justin Joly in the 4th round (No. 152 overall) and Utah tight end Dallen Bentley in the 7th round (No. 256 overall).

“The Broncos moved up 18 spots in the fifth round to snag Joly, who is pro-ready as a receiver at the position,” ESPN’s Jeff Legwold wrote. “He had back-to-back seasons with at least 43 catches for the Wolfpack. He’s physical at the catch point and is unbothered by contact in traffic. That could make him a red-zone option early in his career in a position group that scored just three touchdowns last season for the Broncos, with no tight end averaging more than 9.8 yards per catch. Joly will need to do the work as a blocker, but he has the frame to add more strength.”

Justin Joly Also Singles Out Lohner

Joly, 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds, came away impressed with Lohner after their 1st practices together.

“Super, uber-athletic,” Joly said on Saturday. “He can jump out the sky. Fast, quick-twitch. It was great, all the TEs, we get to learn from him, just asking as many questions as possible.”

Lohner had an incredible stat line in his 1 college football season in 2024 — 4 receptions for 54 yards and 4 touchdowns.

“If Caleb Lohner starts becoming an actual contributor instead of an idea/theory, it’d be really exciting,” Let’s Talk Broncos’ Zach Segars wrote on X. “Was always a long-shot bet, but the tools and upside are tantalizing.”