Pritchard: Heuerman needs to ‘capitalize’ on breakout performance

In a losing effort against the Houston Texans, Denver Broncos tight end Jeff Heuerman was his team’s leading receiver, getting 11 targets for 10 receptions, 83 yards, and a touchdown.

Heading forward, “Pritchard and Cecil” co-host Mike Pritchard said, for Heuerman’s sake, the fourth-year pro need his performance against the Texans not to be a temporary success.

“I think Heuerman, look for him to capitalize on this, and if he can, now you’ve got something. Now it’s not a flash in the pan,” Pritchard said. “But if he can’t, it might just be that flash in the pan moment.”

Pritchard said it’s time for Heuerman, who eclipsed his entire 2017 receptions total against the Texans, to “get greedy” and work toward elevating his game.

“You have to start thinking that way because, one, Heuerman needs to be consistent,” Pritchard said. But then, two, he needs to understand, OK, I’m in a position now, I’ve just showcased what I’m capable of, I’m in a position now to elevate, to get to that next level and to create another situation with my contract that’s different than what people anticipated.

“Because when you think about Heuerman, they were ready to move on. Butt, Fumagalli … Who’s Heuerman. Over his career, he’s had, what, 18 total catches. Now, because he has a game that he had last week, there’s something else there.”

Heuerman’s in a strong position as well, Pritchard said, because of Broncos quarterback Case Keenum’s preference for the tight end position.

“The quarterback loves that position. He loves to target that position with the football. So, now it’s up to Heuerman,” Pritchard said. “Understanding that, one, but then, two, understanding what you can become because you created this opportunity for yourself.”

Pritchard’s co-host Cecil Lammey, however, said there could be unintended consequences with Keenum targeting Heuerman more often.

“Here’s the double-edged sword. I think it might take some targets away from Courtland Sutton,” Lammey said. “If we want Case Keenum to be about 25-30 passing attempts, if you’re throwing 10 passes to Jeff Heuerman, you may not be throwing to Courtland Sutton as much as some want.”

However, Pritchard said he’d not be willing to take away targets from Heuerman to force feed Sutton.

“I would love to see Courtland get more targets too. I would also love to see him catch touchdown passes, not drop them,” Pritchard said.

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.