Former ETSU TE Nate Adkins (Knoxville, Tenn.) made the Denver Broncos’ 53-man roster on Tuesday.
Now that the NFL preseason is coming to a close, pro teams are shifting focus to the regular season and shrinking their teams. Although 50-plus players sounds like a lot, NFL teams can sign and bring 90 players to training camp. During training camp and preseason games, teams must chop their roster down to the 53-man mark.
The cut was good news for ETSU alum Nate Adkins when the Broncos announced that he would officially start his rookie season as an NFL tight end.
Currently, Adkins is listed as the fourth-string tight end on the Broncos’ unofficial depth chart.
Denver head coach Sean Payton described Nate Adkins as “very consistent,” going further to say, “day in and day out, he just got his job done.”
Sean Payton also hinted at Adkins potentially getting some playing time as a fullback in addition to his tight-end responsibilities.
The Knoxville native and former Bearden Bulldog finished his ETSU career with 73 receptions for 749 yards.
Adkins is now the first Buc to make a 53-man roster since DB Gerald Sensabaugh (Kingsport, Tenn.).
Sensabaugh was a member of the Bucs football program during the 2001-02 season before ETSU canceled their program in 2003.
After the cancellation, Sensabaugh transferred to North Carolina, later becoming a fifth-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. The Dobyns-Bennett alum spent four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars and four more with the Dallas Cowboys.
Find more updates on Adkins’ NFL journey at etsubucs.com.
