Bo Nix‘s breakthrough rookie season came without much help at the tight end position. As the Broncos would seem to need help at all three skill-position spots, Sean Payton has emphasized tight end and running back over wide receiver.
A Denver free agency visit underscores that, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Evan Engram is meeting with the Broncos today. The Jaguars made a few moves stripping down their skill group last week, and Engram was moved off the roster. He may well have shot up the TE free agent rankings, and the Broncos will see about a fit ahead of the former first-rounder’s age-31 season.
The Jags moved on from Engram despite the ex-Giants draftee breaking and then re-breaking a franchise record for single-season tight end yardage. After a 766-yard 2023 that featured Engram scoring a touchdown in the Jaguars’ wild-card shootout/collapse against the Chargers, he posted 963 yards in 2024. Engram caught 114 passes in 2023, after signing a three-year extension; only Jimmy Smith‘s 1999 featured more catches (116) by a Jaguar.
Engram’s 2022 slate prompted the Jags to franchise tag him, letting their other tag candidate (Jawaan Taylor) walk. That proved to be a wise decision, but the Jags fired both Doug Pederson and Trent Baalke this offseason. Liam Coen and James Gladstone are retooling, having traded Christian Kirk and cut Josh Reynolds and Devin Duvernay. As the Jags regroup around Brian Thomas Jr., the Broncos are in dire need of receiving help at tight end.
Denver included Noah Fant in the Russell Wilson blockbuster and has been unable to approach the middling first-rounder’s production since. Adam Trautman has been among the brigade of ex-Saints players and coaches to trek to Denver to rejoin Payton, but he has offered little receiving-wise. The Broncos have seen their starting TE go for 204 and 188 yards, respectively, over the past two seasons. This makes even Engram’s nine-game 2024 (365 yards) appear flashy.
While Engram could help the Broncos immediately, it would stand to reason they will explore a draft addition — in a strong TE class — after largely sitting out the market last year. Nix still threw 29 touchdown passes — second-most by a rookie in NFL history — but the Broncos are early in a mission to further help out their new centerpiece player. It would be interesting to see the Broncos add Engram when ex-Saints TE Juwan Johnson is on the market, but the sides are exploring a move that would stand to prevent a Johnson-Payton reunion.