The struggle continues for Jake Butt.

Once projected as a second-round pick coming out of Michigan, the former first-team All-American suffered a torn ACL that required surgery in January 2017 to repair. He'd subsequently drop precipitously four months later in the 2017 NFL Draft, but the Denver Broncos gave him the nod in the fifth round with the 145th-overall selection. He'd land on the team's injured reserve list due to the pre-NFL injury and ultimately redshirt his rookie season, but things began to look up in 2018, when Butt was healthy enough to participate in training camp last year.

On Sept. 27, he would again suffer a torn ACL, ending his season after just three games. Now entering his third year, the injury bug has bitten him yet again, with Butt experiencing soreness in his surgically-repaired ACL -- per James Palmer of NFL Network -- that will now require another surgical procedure, albeit a minor one this time around.

Butt has just eight receptions for 85 yards with no touchdowns in his two-year NFL career and, as mentioned above, it's not because he lacks talent. The 24-year-old is a former two-time first-team All-Big Ten talent who also won both the Ozzie Newsome Award and John Mackey Award in his time with the Wolverines. Butt was also a two-time winner of the Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year Award, which explains his high draft projection prior to tearing his ACL in 2017.

Time will tell if he'll ever regain prime form as he battles his own knee, but the Broncos have prepared themselves in the event he doesn't. By selecting Noah Fant in the first round of the 2019 draft, they've all but assured a top tight end target for newly-acquired quarterback Joe Flacco. Fant had his own injury scare this preseason, but it turned out to be minor, and he's expected to take the field in the season opener against the Oakland Raiders on Sept. 9.

Unfortunately for Butt, he'll again be forced to watch from the sidelines until further notice.