On Monday, the Broncos announced that former personnel executive Tom Heckert has died. Heckert, who also served as the GM of the Eagles and Browns, was widely beloved in the football world. After battling amyloidosis for a lengthy period, Heckert passed away peacefully on Sunday night in the company of his family.
“Tom was an integral part of our organization and we’re all incredibly saddened today,” GM John Elway said in a statement. “With his many years of experience and time as a GM, Tom was a tremendous resource and a key member of our team. He was a very good evaluator—He had an eye for talent, and we always trusted his voice. It’s easy to see why Tom was widely respected and had so many great relationships across the league. I’ll always be grateful for how he helped me transition into this position. My prayers go out to Tom’s family, friends and everyone he worked with during his career.”
With Heckert’s memory in mind, here’s more from Denver:
- Former Mr. Irrelevant Chad Kelly could wind up as the team’s backup quarterback behind Case Keenum, coach Vance Joseph told reporters on Sunday. For now, former first-round pick Paxton Lynch is taking practice reps with the second-team offense, but it’s a situation to keep an eye on. In theory, if the Broncos feel confident in Kelly’s ability, they could shop Lynch to other teams. Although Lynch hasn’t done a whole lot in his NFL career, he was on the radar of several teams before the Broncos selected him No. 26 overall in 2016, so the Broncos might be able to get something in return for him.
- This week, Joseph told reporters that Broncos left guard Ronald Leary underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in late May (via Mike Klis of 9News). It appears that Leary is still dealing with some effects of the procedure, and he was held out of Sunday’s scrimmage as a precaution.
- The Broncos and center Matt Paradis are discussing a new deal.
Kelly was a third round QB before he got hurt that’s why he was me irrelevant
RIP, much too young to go.