Evan Engram isn’t the consistent vertical stretch threat that he was earlier in his career.
And that’s perfectly fine.
The Denver Broncos don’t need him to be the persistent downfield target that he was when they first saw him at Empower Field at Mile High eight years ago. Back then, on an October Sunday night when he was a New York Giants rookie, he was the only viable option on a team with a decimated wide-receiving corps, and the Broncos still couldn’t contain him.
Engram had 82 receiving yards that night; no one else with the Giants had more than 15. He powered New York to a win that plunged the Broncos into the depths of their longest losing streak in a half-century.
Back then, Engram was poised to become a classic “seam ripper” tight end. Success evolved into something different for Engram, who arrives in Denver equally effective — but in a different way.
In the space between, Engram evolved.
During the 2022 season — his sixth year and his first in Jacksonville after five Giants seasons — Engram’s success rate instantly spiked from 41.1 percent in 2021 to 55.1 percent in 2022.
That year, Evan Engram set new career highs for receptions and yards. He elevated those standards in 2023 with an audacious 114 catch total that still saw him fall short of 1,000 yards.
This isn’t a knock on Engram, it’s simply a testament to how he’s used. Shallow crossers, dump-offs, swing passes, screen passes, mesh concepts … in every aspect of the short-to-intermediate passing game, Engram can be a helpful target.
HOW EVAN ENGRAM WILL ALIGN
Evan Engram’s alignment evolution actually began in 2021 while he was still with the New York Giants. That marked the first season in which his snaps were not at the in-line position next to the tackle.
Engram’s snaps in space — in the backfield, in the slot or out wide — over the last four years.
2021: 449 (62.1 percent)
2022: 557 (55.9 percent)
2023: 607 (66.3 percent)
2024: 188 (51.8 percent)
One should expect this trend to continue in Denver.
As a “joker” in Sean Payton’s attack, Evan Engram is likely to assume the role of inside-area pass-catching target that has been missing from his offense in the last two seasons.
“I know we’re searching for the joker,” general manager George Paton said at the NFL Combine. “It’s kind of like the Loch Ness monster trying to find a god dang joker.
“But I’ve played Sean’s teams that had them — and they’re hell.”
The search will go on for a “joker” at running back in the coming weeks because when Payton’s offenses go from light speed to ludicrous speed is when he has a “joker” option at both running back and tight end.
It will also go on at tight end, as well.
EVAN ENGRAM’S IMPACT ON THE DRAFT
Just because the Broncos have Evan Engram doesn’t mean they fall out of the mix to take a tight end from a deep class. But it gives them greater flexibility in the early rounds to go in multiple directions — and also provides the ability to take a chance on a a higher-upside prospect on Day 2 who might need a longer runway before being ready to play.
It also might have forced them into a situation where they felt pressure to trade up for Tyler Warren or Colston Loveland in Round 1 if they felt they needed a tight end who could immediately step into the starting lineup. Loveland might still fall to No. 20, and given that Engram is headed into his ninth year, he would remain a viable option. But the Broncos can now exercise patience regarding tight end and let the Round 1 board fall as it will.
The Day 2 tight-end options now become more intriguing because the Broncos won’t have to force a pick onto the field.
Without a tight end like Evan Engram in the mix, the Broncos might have been tempted to force a potential draft pick onto the field before being ready. Now, they can take a high-upside, raw prospect such as Elijah Arroyo of Miami (Fla.) or Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr. on Day 2 and provide him a lengthier runway to being the Broncos’ No. 1 option at the position.
Fannin is a particularly tantalizing long-range option given his age; he doesn’t even turn 21 until July.
With Engram, the Broncos got their tight-end position right now. The draft gives them the chance to get it right “from now on,” in the parlance of John Elway.
The Broncos can now nimbly thread that needle, taking advantage of a robust draft class while giving Bo Nix the immediate help down the middle of the field that he needed.