Broncos Weigh a 28 Million Dollar Bet on Former First Round Tight End to Fix Their Depth Dilemma — Could This Bold Gamble Change Their Season?

While it’s impossible to deny the Denver Broncos are already better at tight end in 2025 than they were in 2024 — at least on paper — it would be a stretch to say there’s supreme confidence in what was arguably Denver’s weakest position group last season.

That’s even with the addition of Pro Bowl tight end Evan Engram on a 2-year, $23 million contract with $16 million in guaranteed money and taking 6-foot-7, 256-pound Utah tight end Caleb Lohner in the seventh round (No. 241 overall) of the 2025 NFL draft.

ESPN’s Jeff Legwold singled out the tight end as the biggest question for the Broncos following the draft.

“Denver’s tight end group lacked production in 2024, with Lucas Krull leading the group with 19 catches,” Legwold wrote on April 29. “The Broncos wined, dined and signed Evan Engram in free agency, but he’ll turn 31 before the season starts, and injuries (he sat out eight games last season) and his ability after the catch are concerns despite being a 100-catch player in 2023. If Engram is injured this season, the Broncos are largely back to the same cast as last season.”

One fix for the Broncos in 2025 would be to add one of the best free agent tight ends still available in veteran and former first round pick Hayden Hurst.

Hurst is a low risk high reward option for the Broncos — he played on a 1-year, $1.125 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024, where he saw limited action in just 9 games.

Not Everyone Sold on Bringing Engram to Denver

In the first 2 seasons under head coach Sean Payton, the Broncos’ offense has been noticeably devoid of a threat tight end — a spot that carries extra importance as the versatile “Joker” role in Payton’s offense.

Not everyone thinks Engram is the solution Payton, Broncos and their fans hope he will be.

ESPN’s Ben Solak called out signing Engram as one of the NFL free agent deals he “didn’t love” and wondered if Engram can really be a viable fix for the Broncos’ tight end woes.

“(Engram) adds the most value when he’s a high-volume underneath receiver,” Solak wrote. “On days in which Courtland Sutton demands high volume, or on which the Broncos want to be a run-heavy team … Engram could be obsolete. He doesn’t create big plays downfield or after the catch, and he isn’t an impactful blocker. It’s not a bad deal since the financial commitment isn’t huge. I’m just less enthusiastic about it than most are.”

Hurst Could Be Part of TE Group Backing Engram

While Engram will be the featured tight end in the offense, there’s room for a player like Hurst to team up with Lohner and an assorted group of role player types to form what essentially amounts to one decent backup.

While Hurst never lived up to his promise as a first round pick (No. 25 overall) by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2018 NFL draft, he has a 17-game average of 39 receptions for 382 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns over his career. He also has approximately $28.2 million in career earnings.

Those type of numbers would be welcome in Denver, where the franchise hasn’t had a Pro Bowler at tight end since Julius Thomas made it in consecutive seasons in 2013 and 2014.