The number one priority for the Denver Broncos in the 2025 offseason was to find a difference-maker on the offensive side of the ball at tight end (or running back) in the passing game. Sometimes, you get dealt a hand you didn't expect, and that's pretty much what happened with the new regime in Jacksonville deciding to cut ties with veteran tight end Evan Engram.
One man's trash, as it were...
The Jaguars unceremoniously cut Engram, who missed all but nine games last season. It was the first time as a member of the Jaguars that Engram had missed any games due to injury, and entering the 2025 offseason, they were at a proverbial fork in the road. New general manager James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen must have decided that Engram wasn't going to be a fit for their offense, so they cut him and moved on quickly.
Broncos quickly finding out Evan Engram's got a lot left in the tank
It should come as no surprise that, following his release, there were two playoff teams in the AFC immediately fighting for Engram's services. And they happened to be in the same division.
The Broncos were the first ones to secure a free agent visit with Engram, but he ended up taking a visit with the Los Angeles Chargers as well. Frankly, it felt like once Engram left Denver after his visit that it was all but a done deal that he would end up with the Chargers. Call it pessimism, but free agents typically don't leave without a deal, visit another team, and then sign with the team they initially visited with.
Actually, come to think of it, free agents don't really take visits anymore these days.
But the Broncos landed Engram, who was the biggest fish they reeled in during the entire 2025 offseason offensively. And he filled their biggest "must have" need of the offseason, which was a "joker", according to Sean Payton.
In three seasons with the Jaguars, Engram took his game to another level as a possession type of receiver, while still bringing to the table his exceptional skills at the catch point and after the catch in the open field. He went from being a nice secondary option in the passing game to becoming a true "easy button" for the offense, averaging 78 catches per season and 93 catches per 17 games played (43 games total).
The craziest stat from Engram's time with the Jaguars that went completely under the radar when it happened was that he actually finished second in NFL history behind only Zach Ertz for the NFL record of receptions in a single season by a tight end (114).
Engram's game has evolved. He's a quarterback's best friend, and the early returns from Broncos offseason work and training camp have proven exactly that. They stole Engram, who should have never been available in the first place.
You can't blame the Jaguars for going young and getting the most out of their investment in Engram. He was a good player for them. And a new regime almost always means major roster overhaul. But this might have been a major oversight on their part, and roster malpractice.