The Denver Broncos tight end production was not great in 2025, but it was much improved with the late free agency addition of Evan Engram last offseason. Engram signed a two-year deal with the Broncos, so he now has just one year left on that pact.
He finished with under 500 yards and just one touchdown, but that production was actually considerably better than in previous seasons. It really feels like Denver's tight end room has been a liability for years now, and based on the team's actions this offseason, it's clear that the front office felt the same way.
There is no guarantee that the team will field an improved, more productive room in 2026, but based on who all is in the room right now, an impossible roster crunch is certainly going to happen when camp rolls around.
The Denver Broncos may soon have to make an insanely difficult tight end move
Obviously, final roster cut downs aren't for a while - August 30th at 6 PM ET is the deadline, but this is still less than six weeks away, which truly isn't that long.
As of now, the Broncos have all of the following players in the room:
-Adam Trautman
-Caleb Lohner
-Lucas Krull
-Justin Joly
-Evan Engram
-Dallen Bentley
-Nate Adkins
With a whopping seven players in the room right now, nearly half are likely not making the final roster. In 2025, the Broncos initially kept Adkins, Engram, Krull, and Trautman on the roster. In 2024, it was Adkins, Greg Dulcich, Krull, and Trautman.
Denver is going to keep four tight ends on the roster, as that's been the case in recent years, and while the four might be obvious, what if it isn't? Both Trautman and Engram are the veterans in this room and are almost certainly making the roster.
Trautman inked a fresh three-year deal this offseason, and Engram is not only a receiving threat and has another year left on his deal, but his relationship with offensive coordinator Davis Webb, even before their Denver days, makes him a virtual lock to make the roster.
That would leave two spots open and another five players battling for those spots. Bentley and Joly are the new faces in town, as the seventh round and fifth-round picks both profile as NFL-caliber tight ends, but all of Lohner, Krull, and Adkins are present.
Both Krull and Adkins, though, did struggle to get and stay on the field in 2025, so the injury concerns plagued each players' 2025 season and only hurt their chances at making the roster. Lohner is an interesting case, and actually might have a legitimate shot at making the roster. Head coach Sean Payton had positively talked about Lohner earlier in the offseason, and his basketball player profile does, in theory, make him a potentially elite redzone threat.
Lohner is 6-7 and 250lbs, and you simply do not see players that big at the position that often. He spent the 2025 season on the practice squad, which also made sense, as he was nearly undrafted and is still rather new to football.
But potential is the big word with Lohner, as his size and athleticism are two things you can't teach. Lohner, though, did miss OTAs and minicamp due to a small procedure, so those couple of weeks were suddenly lost and would also hurt his chances at making the roster.
Denver may have to risk losing one or more of Krull, Adkins, and Lohner to another team if the trio are cut during the final roster cut downs, but this also assumes that Bentley and Joly do enough to make the initial roster.
Bentley is already 25 years old and was just a seventh-round pick, but he's got ability as a blocker and receiver, and could end up getting up to speed a bit quicker than the other tight ends whose spots aren't guaranteed.
Joly, on the other hand, is not yet 22 years old, so his youth and sheer upside are also worthwhile traits to bank on. As of now, it does feel like Engram, Trautman, Joly, and Bentley are going to be the four in the room, with one or more of the other three brought back on the practice squad, but with seven tight ends occupying the room right now, that also opens up the possibility that something totally unexpected could go down.
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