The Denver Broncos' entire tight end room combined for 719 receiving yards during the 2025 season. That number would have ranked 9th in the NFL as an individual player, just above Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland at 713 yards.
To put it nicely, the Broncos' production at tight end in the passing game was nowhere near good enough in 2025, and they knew it.
To have an entire room full of tight ends combine for fewer yards than eight individual players around the league last season is unacceptable for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, especially one that paid up in free agency to get Evan Engram. The Broncos used two picks on the tight end position in the 2026 NFL Draft, including trading up in the 5th round to get North Carolina State star Justin Joly.
After catching 166 passes in 49 career games at the college level, Joly gives the Broncos the potential for a training camp "problem" that they might absolutely welcome: A young tight end who can actually be featured in the passing game.
Justin Joly gives Broncos a much-needed weapon to unleash in 2026
One thing everyone will be fascinated to see during Denver Broncos training camp is how the tight end position is being deployed.
Last year, the Broncos lived primarily in 11 personnel. According to Sharp Football Analysis, the Broncos used 3 WR, 1 RB, and 1 TE 64.2 percent of the time, 10th-most in the NFL.
There's nothing inherently wrong with that, except for the fact that Adam Trautman played the majority of the snaps at tight end last year. He played 651 total snaps, 57.1 percent of the total offensive snap count last season for the offense. Evan Engram played a career-low 40.18 percent of the Broncos' offensive snaps, just 458 snaps in total.
On a total of 651 snaps, leading the position by almost 200 total snaps over the course of the season, for Trautman to only have 23 targets in the passing game is unbelievably bad.
If you're living in 11 personnel the majority of the time, your primary tight end has to be a more consistent receiving threat. And that's where Joly's usage is going to come into play.
It feels like there could be a bit of a "big brother" type of situation with Joly coming in as the heir apparent to Evan Engram, who is entering the last year of his deal with the Broncos. But the Broncos also have to make sure they change the way Engram is utilized this year, making a more concerted effort to get him onto the field.
Prioritizing Joly on Day 3 of the NFL Draft indicates perhaps a bit of a change in offensive philosophy for 2026. The Broncos at least recognized the need for a dynamic presence at tight end a year ago when they signed Engram, but they perhaps underestimated even their own weakness.
With Davis Webb now calling the plays, and a player like Joly with undeniable pass-catching talent at the tight end position, the new "problem" the Broncos might have is a good one: The guys they have at tight end might be too good in the passing game to consistently ignore.
As a result, will we see more 12 personnel from the Broncos? Will we see Joly playing a versatile role like Nate Adkins has played in the past?
The Broncos used a lot of heavy personnel packages last year, but will those heavy packages feature more of Joly and Engram, maybe even Dallen Bentley?
These are major questions that have to be answered as training camp progresses along, and Joly stepping up early in camp could force the hand of both Davis Webb and Sean Payton.
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