After sitting out four games with a hamstring injury, Denver Broncos tight end Greg Dulcich returned to the lineup in Week 6 only to suffer another hamstring injury that forced him to exit the game.
Dulcich is now in danger of missing another game after his latest setback. Broncos coach Sean Payton was asked Monday if the team put the tight end back on the field too soon after he returned from injured reserve last week.
“We went through the protocols, and we felt like we were pretty patient,” Payton said. “You rely on the athlete; you rely on the medical team and the experts. You go through the recovery and the rehab. You spend a lot of time really testing before you ever go out into game conditions.
“It’s easy to look back on that and say, ‘Hey, was it too soon?’[With] all the information we and the feedback, he felt confident. We regroup with him right now and get him quickly up to speed to recover and we go from there. It’s unfortunate because I know he’s frustrated. It’s been a recurring issue for him, specifically with the hamstrings.”
Dulcich missed seven games with a hamstring injury as a rookie last season and he missed four more games this year before reaggravating his hamstring in Week 6. In two games this season, the tight end has hauled in three receptions for 25 yards. Perhaps the team will be a little more cautious with Dulcich’s return to action timeline after this latest setback.
