The Denver Broncos got their final look at players who are attempting to make the team's 53-man roster heading into Tuesday's deadline.
For tight end Albert Okwuegbunam, his performance on Saturday lifted Denver to a 41-0 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
Okwuegbunam contributed seven receptions for 109 yards (15.6 average per reception) and one touchdown. The third-year tight end's showing might have convinced head coach Sean Payton to keep him on the active roster as cuts start to loom.
"He had a big night," Payton said, via the team website. "I mean, holy cow."
Okwuegbunam did well for Denver by starting the first quarter with four catches for 46 yards. Quarterback Jarrett Stidham found Okwuegbunam for an 8-yard touchdown that gave the Broncos a 17-0 lead. It wasn't until the fourth quarter that the former Missouri tight end saw another target his way. In the final quarter, on a fourth-and-4 play, Okwuegbunam capped the performance with a one-handed snag for 20 yards.
"It was great," Okwuegbunam said of his 109-yard outing. "One thing about this profession is you don't get to pick when you get opportunities, but you get to pick when you take advantage of them. That's just what I did tonight -- have fun -- and that's what you guys saw."
Okwuegbunam, a fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, is in a competitive tight end room with Adam Trautman, Greg Dulcich, Chris Manhertz and Nate Adkins. Now, he will have to wait and see if his performance persuaded Payton and the rest of the coaching staff to keep him on the 53-man roster heading into the Week 1 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
"(I) had a good game tonight," Okwuegbunam said. "Been stringing some good practices together and good weeks. Really, I've pretty much done everything I could do, so just go into these next couple days and see what happens."
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