When the Jacksonville Jaguars signed tight end Evan Engram in 2022, he quickly became a mainstay of their offense. During his three-year stint in Duval, the two-time Pro Bowl nod set several personal and team records. However, a new regime took over in 2025, and he was no longer part of the team's vision, so the 2017 first-round pick was given the boot just before the start of free agency.
It didn't take Engram much time to find a new home, though. The Denver Broncos signed him to a two-year, $23 million deal to give quarterback Bo Nix a safety blanket. Unfortunately, things didnt pan out the way they expected.
Although Engram has had a handful of strong performances at Mile High, he hasn't been nearly as dominant as he was with the Jags, proving that general manager James Gladstone made the right call.
Evan Engram was a non-factor for the Broncos after leaving the Jaguars
Evan Engram suited up for 16 games with four starts for the Broncos in the regular season, hauling in 50 receptions for 461 yards and one touchdown. Overall, he put up better numbers than in 2024 but wasn't nearly as productive as he was in 2022 and 2023.
Compounding the issue is that Engram has been a non-factor in the divisional round of the playoffs, catching just one pass for seven yards. Simply, Denver didn't get enough bang for its buck.
In his first season with the Jags, the former Ole Miss Rebel set a new team record for receiving yards and catches by a tight end in a season. He followed that up with an even better 2023. That year, Engram racked up 114 receptions, the third-most by a tight end in NFL history, for 963 yards with four touchdowns. However, injuries limited him to just 47 passes for 365 yards with one touchdown in 2024.
Couple that with the emergence of Brenton Strange, and it's easy to see why the Jaguars moved on from Engram last offseason. They freed up nealry $7 million, which they then used to address the larger scale roster.
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The Jaguars knew Evan Engram had a limited impact on offense
You cannot blame the Denver Broncos for giving Evan Engram a shot. Aside from the fact that they needed help at tight end, he was just one year removed from a banner season. The expectation is that he would bounce back after dealing with injuries the season prior, but that wasn't the case.
It's also worth noting that the Broncos are finding out that Engram isn't much of a blocker. While he offers a big target in the passing game, his inability to block limits the kind of impact he can have.
Maybe Evan Engram will put it all together in 2026, but it's fair to say that his first season with the Denver Broncos didn't go as planned.