During a preseason broadcast of a Denver Broncos game, commentators Steve Levy and Brian Griese discussed on-air a conversation they had with offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave about his tight end position.
The Broncos, at that point, were bracing for the reality of heading into the season with very little experience in their tight end room as Jeff Heuerman was the team’s career receptions leader at 18. According to Levy and Griese, Musgrave — at the time — had identified that particular position group as ‘bleak’.
Contextually, Musgrave was referring to the team’s health at the position with Jake Butt coming off of injury, Jeff Heuerman having missed some significant training camp time with an injury, and Troy Fumagalli missing the entirety of training camp before being placed on injured reserve.