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If we have learned one thing about the Denver Broncos this offseason, it is that Sean Payton will change the way the roster looks completely and as a result, entirely change the product we see on the field. Another great piece of evidence to support that has surfaced with news about a player that almost no one has heard of, who will get a tryout with the team.
The Broncos are going to bring in former Princeton defensive end Matthew Jester to the team’s upcoming Minicamp. But Jester will not be evaluated as a tight end.
For those not familiar with Payton, he often talks about this “joker” position he likes to include on his roster. This is a running back or tight end who the team uses all over the field and the joker aspect is basically defined as a player who provides an athletic advantage on the field.
Another player getting pro tryout at Broncos’ rookie minicamp is Matthew Jester. A 6-4, 250-pound, three-year starting DE at Princeton, he’s getting a look at fullback. Was undrafted rookie for a time with LA Rams last offseason. #9sports
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Look at how Payton used Taysom Hill with the New Orleans Saints for an example of what he is talking about.
Coming to Denver, it was assumed that tight end Greg Dulcich would be this player for Payton. He seemed perfect for it. But injuries have slowed the career of Dulcich. Payton did not find another tight end in this year’s draft and while the hope is that Dulcich can finally be productive this season, the reality is that another player needs to enter the fold.
So where does Jester, a defensive end, fit into all of this? The Broncos intend to try him out at fullback. That is interesting, considering Jester has not played offense in college or the NFL. Jester went undrafted last season and signed with the Los Angeles Rams.
Payton envisions Jester as a fullback and perhaps one who could take over this “joker” position on the roster. A fullback can also be used as a tight end in today’s game as some of them fit into that hybrid position or H-Back spot. At some point, Payton has seen something in Jester’s game to experiment with this idea. Almost certainly, it’s his athleticism.
He is 6-foot-4 and about 250 pounds. He had 10.5 sacks in college. Nothing on film suggests that he’s a “freak athlete”, but Payton sees something. So this will be one of the top stories to watch during the team’s rookie Minicamp, which runs from May 10-12.
Author(s)
Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024.
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