The Denver Broncos have announced that tight end Julius Thomas will be their starter in the position this season.
The 25-year-old, who was selected 129th overall in the 2011 draft, has risen above Jacob Tamme, Virgil Green and the injured Joel Dreessen to become the number one tight end at the club.
Thomas told the club's official website: "It's extremely exciting for me. I've had to battle through a lot in my football career so far and I'm just really excited to be out there playing.
"The more versatile I can be, the more I can help my team. So I'm just looking forward to doing whatever our coaches and our team needs of me. Just trying to get some wins this season."
Meanwhile, the club also revealed that Ronnie Hillman will start the season as their number one running back, beating out rookie Montee Ball and Knowshon Moreno.
