If the Denver Broncos don't sign tight end Evan Engram after a visit that reportedly spanned two days in the Mile High City, it could speak to a much larger issue at hand for the team. The Broncos got the fan base understandably excited when they signed safety Talanoa Hufanga and linebacker Dre Greenlaw from the San Francisco 49ers in NFL Free Agency, upgrading a defense that was already 3rd in the NFL in points allowed last year.
Upgrading the defense was necessary for the Broncos, especially given some of the positions of depth in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, but there are some non-negotiables offensively as well and raising the floor in the playmaker department is one of them.
The Broncos' failure (potentially, at this point) to sign Evan Engram would indicate a failure to get the best free agent tight end on the market. After taking him to dinner at Shanahan's Steakhouse and having him around the facility all day to talk ball, where would the recruiting pitch have gone wrong? What would keep Engram from begging to sign on the dotted line?
If the Broncos weren't aggressive enough in getting Engram, it could be indicative that this team isn't willing to do what it takes to surround Bo Nix and maintain more of the status quo.
Broncos have to be self-aware of offensive struggles in 2024
Sean Payton stated earlier in the offseason that the Broncos might be more set at the wide receiver position than people may think, but there is obviously a lot of projection involved there. The Broncos have three young players -- Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin, and Devaughn Vele -- who all showed big-time flashes last season but not a lot of consistency. The Broncos were also among the worst in the league when it came to dropped passes.
The Broncos were the worst team in the NFL at getting the tight ends involved in the passing game and that was a personnel issue. Adam Trautman led the tight end position with 188 yards receiving, barely averaging 10 yards per game. Lucas Krull led Broncos tight ends with 19 total receptions. One reception per game was just about good enough to lead the team last year.
The Broncos only had a running back go for over 500 yards on the ground because there were times they force-fed Javonte Williams the ball. There were jokes during the season that rookie QB Bo Nix was QB1, RB1, and WR1 because of the plays he was out there making.
And it's honestly not far off from the truth.
The Broncos desperately need playmakers offensively, and while waiting for the NFL Draft is fine in some instances, the team cannot let free agency pass them by without clearly raising the floor before the NFL Draft. The possibility exists that the Broncos won't get who they want in the NFL Draft, which is exactly what NFL Free Agency is designed for - built-in contingency plans.
A failure to get good players to upgrade your roster now is a failure to properly support Bo Nix. It's called roster malpractice.
Sean Payton has been known for having "his guys" but pivoting to Lil'Jordan Humphrey and getting designed touches for players like that won't fly in 2025. The Broncos need to be better. Signing veteran retreads like Josh Reynolds and then cutting him in the middle of the year? There's a level of hubris to moves like this that is frustrating. You love to see confidence in young players, and Sean Payton says that is bred through demonstrated ability.
While that's great, there's also Super Bowl LV to worry about. People who don't think the Broncos are contenders yet may be correct, but if you think the Broncos aren't in a competitive window, you're wrong. The team has to be aggressive.
What is even more frustrating is to hear that a player like Deebo Samuel wanted to play in Denver. Not that the Broncos have to go out and acquire every player who becomes available, but the plan had better start coming to fruition fast.
The Broncos need veteran floor raisers like Evan Engram before the NFL Draft. They need to be more aggressive in surrounding Bo Nix with talent. We've seen other teams with young quarterbacks do way more than the Broncos when it comes to supporting and surrounding their young franchise quarterbacks, and it's absolutely frustrating. The new league year doesn't even begin until March 12, so we can't get too far ahead of ourselves, but a failure to sign Evan Engram could be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Broncos setting the tone for the offseason.