The Denver Broncos suddenly have an embarrassment of riches on the offensive side of the ball. With the recent additions of players like J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Jonah Coleman, Evan Engram, and Jaylen Waddle, this offense has honestly been rebuilt with a group of young players and tested veterans.
One of the more notable additions this team made was signing Engram to a two-year deal last offseason after his release from the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was initially thought that Engram was finally going to bring that high-end receiving at the position that the Broncos have not had for years.
And while Engram did have 50 receptions, he finished with under 500 yards and had just one touchdown. His 2025 production was more productive than what the Broncos had in previous years, but nothing like what many fans had expected. Well, a recent bit of news from Broncos training camp could thrust Engram into more of a role in 2026.
Denver Broncos' TE Evan Engram has been used more in blocking roles during training camp
On Monday, quarterback Bo Nix explained that the Broncos have been using Engram more in blocking instances, perhaps finding a new avenue to get him onto the field more and to allow for the play-action game to thrive:
Bo Nix said the #Broncos have been using Evan Engram somewhat differently this training camp. Still a vertical threat but more involved in the run game and blocking and, thus, potentially more involved in the play-action game.
— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel) August 10, 2026
This is quite the development. Engram isn't much of a blocker and never has been. He's truly been a receiving threat at the position for his entire career and might not be a 'true' tight end in the eyes of some. The Broncos do have some respectable blockers in the room in guys like Adam Trautman and even Nate Adkins, so the Broncos obviously didn't plan on signing Engram to ask him to get involved as a blocker.
But in these certain situations, getting Engram on the field and asking him to hold his block for a second or two in play-action scenarios could be a realistic ask and would allow Engram to see more snaps and have a bigger role in the passing game.
And this would also be a rather unexpected development overall. Engram played in just 42 percent of the snaps on offense last year, so it's clear that he was a limited player in a very limited role, but just because that happened in 2025, that doesn't mean the same thing has to happen in 2026.
Furthermore, according to Pro Football Reference, Nix owns a 101 passer rating with play-action calls. Play-action won't work well without a stout run game, and with the addition of Coleman into the backfield, the Broncos may actually be able to get that unit going.
And in that instance, play-action would be a major threat, and if Engram finds himself on the field in those instances, it also gives the Broncos another option for Nix, and he's already proven to be efficient with these plays.
There isn't a guarantee that Engram will actually be used this way in 2026, but it is quite interesting that Nix revealed this. With Davis Webb now calling the plays, it does appear as if the offense is going to look and run much differently than it has.
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