Noah Fant Says Offseason Workouts With T.J. Houshmandzadeh 'Worked Wonders'

(CBS4) - Denver Broncos tight end Noah Fant has two touchdowns in the first two weeks of the NFL season. That's tied for second among tight ends in the league. CBS4's Michael Spencer asked Fant on Xfinity Monday Live what has been working so well for him in the start to his second year.

"I think it's just an ... overall comfortability this year, having having a full year under my belt," Fant said. "I'm having a lot of experiences from last year to help me with this year. And I'm just you know, going out there and having fun."

Fant's rookie season was filled with ups and downs, and in the offseason he committed himself to being more consistently great.

"It was just constantly working in the offseason. Working out lifting, running, running routes, the whole thing. I spent some time out in California, lifting and working out out there and then working with a routes guy -- T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who used to play for the Bengals."

"(Houshmandzadeh) knows a lot of people through my agency that I'm with. So I got hooked up with him through there. And then with him just kind of worked on general footwork, getting in and out of cuts, dropping my weight. Obviously, if I can run routes like a receiver as a tight end then I'm going to be getting in pretty good position. So he helped me out a lot in that aspect. And obviously, there's still room to improve there, but he definitely worked wonders with me doing that."

With the loss of wide receiver Courtland Sutton for the season, the injuries continue to pile up for the Denver Broncos. Linebacker Von Miller is likely out for the year, and quarterback Drew Lock and running back Phillip Lindsay are also missing time. Fant says it feels like Denver "can't catch a break," and he prays for Sutton and Miller to have speedy recoveries. He said it's important now more than ever for the younger players on the roster to step up.

"I think we all know that we have a lot of guys that can really play good football that are still healthy and I think that gives us a lot of hope," he said.

The Broncos return home for Week 3, and this time when they face an opposing team they'll be doing it in front of fans, albeit a much smaller number than normal due to coronavirus.

"It'll be a good a good changeup this week to have some fans in there," Fant said. "I'm sure they will be loud and and cheering pretty loud. So I'm excited."

Denver faces Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Mile High. Kickoff is at 2:25 p.m.