Denver's tight end battle just got interesting. Second-year Broncos dark horse Caleb Lohner is sidelined for two weeks after a minor lower-body cleanup procedure. But one player's injury could soon turn into another 2026 fifth-round pick's opportunity.

This unexpected injury opens a massive door during June minicamp for rookies Justin Joly and Dallen Bentley to chase Sean Payton’s highly coveted "Joker" role on offense.

“With Lohner sidelined, all eyes will be on the two Broncos rookie tight ends, Justin Joly and Dallen Bentley. Both are competing for roles and potentially a roster spot (Joly is probably a lock), and are competing with Caleb Lohner for a role and roster spot with the Broncos," Mile High Report’s Scotty Payne stated on June 8.

Out of Denver's six draft picks this year, Joly was one of two tight ends drafted overall as the 152nd pick.

"These two weeks will give them a chance to possibly separate themselves from Lohner before he eventually returns for the start of training camp.”

To Sean Payton, a Joker is a total math changer and defensive mismatch. Think of an elite hybrid pass-catcher who lines up all over the formation.

Payton previously ran this through stars like Jimmy Graham to completely dictate matchups against confused defenses.

Justin Joly fits the profile well. At 6'3" and 263 pounds, he was touted as a bit of a mutant athletically by Nick Baumgardner from The Athletic.

The opportunity here is massive because Denver’s TE room lacks locked-in production. Aside from veteran targets like Evan Engram and Adam Trautman, this depth chart is totally wide open.

Lohner was turning heads in early workouts. But his sudden absence due to injury means that these unplayed snaps go completely to the rookies.

In fact, it's not just fifth-rounders. Seventh-rounders have been in the conversation around Denver, too.

Dallen Bentley’s Late-Round Value Sparks Training Camp Competition

Overall, 256th draft pick Dallen Bentley is basically the second half of this dynamic rookie puzzle on Denver's hands.

The 6' 4", 259-pound athlete might have slid late on draft day. He offers a nice mix of standard tight-end size and rare linear track speed.

Bentley clocked a solid 4.62-second 40-yard dash that beat the historical positional average of around 4.70 seconds.

Bentley caught 48 passes for 620 yards in 2025 for Utah, where he spent three years on the college roster.

He will actively push Joly for the opportunity to lock down Payton’s dynamic mismatch role on offense. This prompted ESPN's Field Yates to highlight him as a major sleeper candidate.

Lohner should return fully healthy by the time the July training camp launches in late July. But till then, these two mandatory minicamp weeks are absolutely crucial for the TE duo of Joly and Bentley.

Can one or both of Justin Joly or Dallen Bentley completely run away with the Joker role before training camp starts? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Nisarga Aseem Barkule

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote