Russell Wilson loses key target in first half of Week 1

Greg Dulcich is once again out with a leg injury as the young Denver Broncos tight end left the first game of the 2023 NFL season with an issue in his lower body.

Dulcich was limited to 10 of the Broncos 17 games last year with a hamstring issue and was holding the same area as he walked off the field against the Las Vegas Raiders. Before exiting, Dulich caught both of his targets for 22 yards.

Notably, the Broncos traded receiving tight end Albert Okwuegbunam before roster cutdowns, so Sean Payton and Russell Wilson’s attack will be heavily reliant on Adam Trautman. The issue with Wilson’s weapons confounds when you consider Tim Patrick, Jalen Virgil and K.J. Hamler suffered major injuries in preseason, and top target Jerry Jeudy is out for the Broncos opener with a hamstring issue.

Denver called up two practice squad receivers, Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Phillip Dorsett, for the season debut. Humphrey and Sutton have each caught touchdown passes from Wilson, as Denver leads 13-10 at the time Dulcich was ruled out early in the second half.

Dulcich was taken in the third round out of UCLA in the 2022 NFL Draft. In his rookie year he caught 33 passes for 411 and one touchdown.