Troy

Fumagalli

Fumagalli was the oldest player working at San Francisco’s rookie minicamp and is coming back from an undisclosed injury that caused him to get waived last August. He has 14 career receptions and is a fantasy non-factor, but could chase the end of the 49ers roster.

Signed by the Patriots in May, 53 of Fumagalli’s 118 career receiving yards came in Week 14 of the 2020 season against the Panthers, in a game Noah Fant left. The Patriots have been plagued by injuries at tight end, leaving Devin Asiasi as the lone available player at the position in camp at times. That’s not the best time to be hurt if you’re a tight end trying to make the roster. Fumagalli will look to catch on elsewhere after he recovers.

A hyped college prospect, injuries prevented Butt’s Broncos career from ever getting off the ground. It’s remarkable he survived in Denver as long as he did. Of Butt’s 10 career receptions, two came in 2020. Four months shy of his 26th birthday, Butt’s NFL future is not bright.

Fumagalli saw increased playing time with Noah Fant leaving early with an illness and made the most of his opportunity. However, beat writers suggested Fant’s absence was food poisoning related, so he should be fine for the team’s Week 15 game against the Bills.

Fumagalli is competing for snaps behind presumed starter Noah Fant, but the Broncos are expected to use some two tight end sets, opening a path to playing time for a tight end like Fumagalli. A 2018 fifth-round pick out of Wisconsin, Fumagalli missed his entire rookie season with a sports hernia and isn’t expected to make noise as a pass catcher in 2019.

Fumagalli missed the entire preseason after sports hernia surgery. The fifth-round pick out of Wisconsin will spend his season on injured reserve.

Fumagalli (6’5/247) went from walk-on to 32-game starter in Madison, logging a 135/1,627/12.1/7 career receiving line and earning second-team All-American as a senior. Equipped with 34 ½-inch arms, Fumagalli won with a wide catch radius in the Big Ten, but struggled as a blocker and didn’t show exceptional athletic traits. He sat out the Combine and Wisconsin’s Pro Day due to post-season sports hernia surgery. Fumagalli would do well to carve out a Scott Chandler-like career.

Fumagalli didn’t practice this spring after sports hernia surgery. He should be cleared for the start of camp, where he’ll compete in a wide-open tight end depth chart. Fumagalli has some pass-catching upside but is unlikely to have an early season role.

He should be ready by training camp, but it was a missed opportunity for Fumagalli to impress Denver’s coaching staff in a wide-open tight end battle. Also in the mix for tight end snaps are Jeff Heuerman, Jake Butt, and Austin Traylor. Fumagalli was a highly productive former walk-on at Wisconsin, where he caught 135 career passes and earned second-team All-America honors as a senior.