‘Definitely not ideal’: Broncos’ Greg Dulcich deals with recurrence of hamstring issues

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As successful as Greg Dulcich’s rookie season was, it was defined as much by injuries as his work in the 10 games he played.

He began the regular season on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury. He ended it in the exact same place. In the space between, he had 33 receptions for 411 yards. Only one rookie tight end had more yards; just two had more catches.

And each of those three who exceeded Dulcich’s totals — Tampa Bay’s Cade Ototn and Baltimore’s Isaiah Likely in receptions, and Tennessee’s Chigoziem Okonkwo in yards — played at least 6 more games than the Broncos’ third-round pick.

But now, the recovery from a hamstring injury will define the coming months.

“The biggest thing is sorting out what’s going on with this hamstring,” he said. “I never had problems with it before. So, that’s going to be the emphasis I have this offseason.”

Simply put …

“Definitely not ideal,” Dulcich said.

With better health, he not only would have played more — he could have been better prepared to play. After all, he didn’t lose just regular-season time. He missed the entire preseason, much of training camp and most of OTAs, too. Everything he did came without the aid of repetitions he needed.

“Not getting those reps was difficult, and I’m sure in my first few games, you could see some rust,” Dulcich said.

Despite that, Dulcich flashed. He stretched the field vertically. Three of his catches covered at least 30 yards; only Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy had more for the Broncos this season.

But after his second and final touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 25, the problem that defined his offseason and preseason arose again.

Dulcich was one of 13 Broncos to miss at least one game due to a hamstring injury. But unlike some other Broncos, he wasn’t done after his first recovery.

“It was a little different spot [than the previous injury],” Dulcich said. “It was weird, because I didn’t plant when it happened. [It] was just kind of a freak thing.

“I was hydrated. I got plenty of sleep. But that’s how it goes sometimes.”

So, while teammates scatter, Dulcich will stick around UCHealth Training Center. He’ll work with the team’s training staff to complete his rehabilitation.

It’s not how he hoped to end his rookie season. But if it can help prevent a recurrence of the issues in his second year, it will be worth the effort.

“I’ll be working with the trainers and doing the plan to get it right,” he said. “It’ll be OK.”

The Broncos certainly hope so.

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