Jaguars TE Evan Engram extremely focused from Day 1

It’s common for NFL players often have extra motivation when they play their former team. After all, they want to show that it was a mistake to let them go. But that doesn’t seem to be the case for Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram, who will be facing off against the New York Giants, the club that drafted him 23rd overall in 2017, in Week 6.

Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor spoke with the local media Thursday and said that he doesn’t see any differences in Engram’s preparation on the days preceding the game against the Giants.

“Evan’s a guy that’s from the day he’s got here been extremely focused”, Taylor said. “So he’s always kind of been about his business and about his work. Puts in extra work, as much as anybody else we have here, so I don’t know if I’d say anything different. He hasn’t acted any different to me”.

“I haven’t really brought anything up with him too. But there’s always sort of that kind of proving step of ‘I’m not there anymore, I want to show you all this’ but I don’t worry about that with Evan. Evan’s always been locked in and working as hard as he could to prepare himself ready to play on Sunday”.

Engram spent the first five years of his career with the Giants. He averaged 52 receptions per season and earned a Pro Bowl designation in 2020. However, he struggled with drops and mental errors during his tenure in the Big Apple. The former Ole Miss Rebel signed a one-year deal worth $9 million with the Jags in free agency and he’s appeared in all games this season with five starts and has hauled in 24 receptions for 208 yards.

Evan Engram has brought stability to the Jaguars’ tight end room

Tight end had been a weakness for Jacksonville for years but Engram has brought some stability to the position. While he’s not playing at a Pro Bowl level, he’s come up big at critical times this year. He’s also managed to keep his number of drops at a minimum and has only logged one so far.

Regarding Taylor’s comments, it’s only human to prove someone made a mistake when they let you go but everyone is different and not everyone is interested in revenge, payback, or anything of that sort. Short of getting into Engram’s mind, it’s hard to tell what he’s thinking ahead of the game against the G-Men.

Maybe Engram does see this as a revenge game but doesn’t talk about it. It’s also possible that this is business as usual. But in the end, what’s truly important is that the tight end plays well and helps the Jaguars put an end to the three-game losing skid in Week 6. While he would most likely love to have a big game, he will probably prefer a win.