The Denver Broncos have received a mixed bag as Pro Football Focus continues its offseason rankings of the top 32 players at each position. Broncos quarterback Bo Nix ranked 19th, wide receiver Courtland Sutton ranked 31st, but at least inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw ranked fifth.
What about tight ends?
PFF's Josh Kosko ranked the tight end position, where Denver's Evan Engram checked in at 11th.
"Engram missed multiple games due to injury in 2024, and the Jaguars as a whole disappointed, resulting in roster and coaching changes," Kosko wrote. "But Engram is just one season removed from a monster 114-reception 2023 campaign in which he earned a 73.2 PFF receiving grade. He now gets paired with one of the best play-callers of the 21st century in Sean Payton."
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While that may seem low, it's probably fair for an aging tight end who missed eight games last season with injuries, especially with how many great NFL players there are at the position. However, Engram is one season removed from his best campaign to date and is now paired with Payton.
Payton is highly recognized as one of the best play-callers in the NFL and is known for getting the most out of his players. Even with Engram's age and injury history, he should have a big year for the Broncos if he can stay on the field.
Adding to Engram and what he can bring to the Broncos is the fact that he'll be the second weapon in the passing game behind Sutton. The Broncos were desperately missing that piece last year, and now Engram brings it, along with the ability to create mismatches with opposing defenses because he can line up as a big slot receiver or as an in-line tight end in passing situations.
Engram has a well-documented history of being a poor blocker, so he likely won’t see the field much on obvious running downs. However, he'll still see some utilization as a blocker, as the Broncos won’t want to become predictable, given that he's a bit of a tell when it comes to opponents anticipating whether it's a pass or a run. When working as a big slot, though, he can offer more as a blocker compared to working in-line.
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When looking at PFF's tight end rankings, nine of the players ahead of Engram deserve to be there. After him, there's an apparent drop-off. There could be an argument made for switching Engram at 11 with Dalton Kincaide, who ranked 10th, but the youth of Kincaide is likely the tiebreaker, making Engram at No. 11 spot-on.
