Greg Dulcich was one of the rookies who made the most of his chance for the Denver Broncos

Jan 16, 2023, 1:11 AM

Senior Broncos Writer

EDITOR’S NOTE: This week, we’ll be giving out Broncos awards for the 2022 season.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

CECIL: Damarri Mathis

This might be a shocking selection for some out there who will automatically go with TE Greg Dulcich. I like Dulcich, and I appreciate his upside, but I think the most important rookie was Mathis. The future looks bright for Mathis, and he’s ready for a starting role in 2023 in my opinion based on the development we saw from him this season.

Injuries at the cornerback position thrust Mathis into a larger role in the 2022 season, and he did not look good initially. However, Mathis maintained his confidence and he learned quickly from his mistakes. Mathis kept his physical play style you saw in college, and he showed that he would not back down from a challenge in the NFL. He was heavily penalized in college, but he showed more nuance as a pro player in coverage. Young cornerbacks can be “grabby” in their early seasons, but I like what Mathis showed in terms of hiding his hand-fighting.

He earned his first start in Week 6 against the Los Angeles Chargers, and Mathis was worked by QB Justin Herbert. Against an elite-level passer, Mathis was going to get picked on and he was — and it did not look good. However, as the season progressed, I felt his game improved.

Mathis had five pass breakups, and I’d like to see that number improve in 2023. He allowed a catch on 67.1 percent of the passes thrown his way — another number that will need to improve next season.

Mathis is a smart player, and as previously mentioned he’s a quick learner. I anticipate he’ll make the adjustments needed to his game this offseason and enter training camp competing for the starting job opposite of All-Pro Pat Surtain. With the respect Surtain gets, it means the player opposite of him will get a lot of attention.

I believe Mathis will be ready.

MASE: Greg Dulcich

As a tight end, Dulcich has a unique and difficult job. Effectively, he must master the work of multiple positions, learning how to run routes, pass protect and run block. It’s a reason why few rookie tight ends flourish, and why the learning curve is steeper than that of other offensive rushing/receiving positions like running back and wide receiver.

For Dulcich, the task became more difficult when he injured his hamstring in OTAs. He lost reps in the spring. When he aggravated the injury in training camp, his repetitions further dwindled.

That his rookie season was not a complete wash was a credit to Dulcich’s ability to maximize his mental repetitions. For weeks on end, those were all he received. Yet by the time he made his playing debut in Week 6, he was adept enough to catch a 39-yard touchdown pass on his second career reception.

In terms of yardage and receptions, Dulcich had the second-best rookie tight-end tallies in Broncos history. And he did that despite playing just 10 games, as a recurrence of the hamstring issues ended his season after Week 16.

***
2022 WINNERS:

Offensive Player of the Year: