To this point in his almost decade long NFL career, the story on tight end Evan Engram is that he’s been a really good tight end on some really bad teams.
Through his first 8 seasons, Engram has played on exactly one playoff team, with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022, when he was pretty exceptional with 12 receptions for 124 yards and 1 touchdown in 2 games.
It’s just that playing in 2 playoff games in 8 years isn’t going to do much for your legacy in terms of a football life.
Headed into his ninth season, Engram has a chance to finally change the narrative in his first season with the Denver Broncos — a team with not only legitimate playoff hopes but one that’s being looked at as a possible dark horse AFC contender.
That’s why Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon put Engram at the top of his list of the NFL’s “Biggest Free Agent Steals” headed into 2025.
Engram signed a 2-year, $23 million contract with the Broncos on March 12 that includes $16.5 million in guaranteed money — a significant investment on Denver’s part but not necessarily breaking the bank.
“The 30-year-old veteran has made two Pro Bowls (one with the Giants, one with the Jaguars) and has three 700-yard campaigns under his belt,” Gagnon wrote on August 8. “There’s plenty of hype that he could become a go-to for second-year franchise quarterback Bo Nix, and that contract is far from being albatross.”
Broncos Addressed Weakest Position With Engram
It’s no secret the Broncos have struggled mightily at tight end in the first 2 years of the Sean Payton era — struggles that made tight ends the de facto weakest position group for the Broncos in that span.
In 2024, the Broncos made the playoffs for the first time since 2015 despite having essentially no viable weapons at tight end or running back., something Payton addressed by signing Engram then drafting UCF running back RJ Harvey in the second round as well as signing free agent J.K. Dobbins.
This offseason, however, it’s been Engram who has been creating the most buzz out of any of the new additions.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport singled out Engram as one of just a handful of new additions who might be able to turn their teams into actual contenders.
“I feel really at home in this offense,” Engram told USA Today’s Jon Heath on August 8. “I feel like my strengths are being used at the highest level.”
Denver Needs Engram to Stay Healthy
The issue with any NFL player past the age of 30 is always going to be health.
Engram, who turns 31 years old in September, is not only past 30 years old he’s also coming off a torn labrum that forced him to miss 8 games in 2024 — the most games he’s missed in a regular season since the 2017 first round pick missed 8 games with the Giants in 2019 with a foot injury.
Part of keeping Engram healthy might mean establishing some depth behind him, which might mean the Broncos have to bring in another veteran free agent tight end with no one reliable on the roster behind Engram.
