Despite re-signing three tight ends and drafting two others this offseason, the Denver Broncos have not done enough to improve the tight end position in the eyes of some.
The lackluster 2025 season put forth by Evan Engram has a lot to do with that, but the Broncos have veteran Adam Trautman and blocking tight end Nate Adkins to go with last year's seventh-round pick, Caleb Lohner. The team is also excited about rookie Justin Joly and added Dallen Bentley in the seventh round of this year's draft for good measure.
Still, Matt Okada of NFL.com believes it is still the biggest remaining roster issue for the team, less than two weeks out from the start of training camp.
"The Broncos arguably saw the least turnover in the league this offseason and have a Super-Bowl-contending roster in my book. But they also did next to nothing to improve at tight end after a disappointing 2025 campaign from Evan Engram (461 yards, one TD) and the entire tight end room (seventh-fewest receiving yards in the NFL).
Adam Trautman is used primarily as an in-line blocker, so unless Engram posts a bounce-back season or fifth-round rookie Justin Joly is a surprise breakout, Sean Payton will likely go another year without his coveted versatile tight end in Denver", wrote Okada.
That seems like looking at things from a glass-half-empty perspective.
Engram did play poorly for the team last year, but he has the ability and the experience to bounce back with another year in Sean Payton's system. In addition, fifth-round selection Joly has a chance to be one of the steals of this draft as the Broncos can use his athletic ability in the passing game.
It's hard, at least for me, to understand how the tight end position is weaker than the Broncos' current situation at inside linebacker.
Projected starters Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad come with questions. Singleton, now 32, has missed time with injuries in each of the last two seasons. Strnad has never been a full-time starter. Behind them, the depth is questionable as seventh-round pick Red Murdock and four players, who were all undrafted free agents at one point, make up the rest of the depth.
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It seems that if the Broncos are looking to add a trusted veteran to their roster at this stage of the summer, an inside linebacker should be prioritized over a tight end.
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