The Denver Broncos landed veteran tight end Evan Engram in free agency this offseason. Engram drew interest from Denver and the Los Angeles Chargers but ultimately signed a two-year deal with the Broncos based on his meeting with head coach Sean Payton.
Engram says “everything kind of clicked,” when he spoke with Payton, according to ProFootballTalk. The two-time Pro Bowler was sold on the Broncos when Payton said he wanted to use Engram as a vertical threat.
“In Jacksonville, I was kind of a master of the underneath game, which is big for offenses, it’s big for young quarterbacks, it’s big for staying ahead of the chains… I love that role in that offense. And I’m going to continue to be great at that and be great at whatever I’m asked to do,” Engram said, per ProFootballTalk.
Evan Engram is ready to embrace vertical role with Broncos
“But I think the vertical presence that he mentioned and brought to the table and the vision he had for that was really big for me too. Because I do have that part in my game and I’m ready to be unleashed in that aspect. The vision that he has for that is that joker role. I love the narrative of the superhero, the supervillains, I love superhero stuff. I love Spiderman, Batman, all that stuff, it’s definitely cool. I love creating that narrative for myself to put a little bit of healthy pressure on me too. That’s something I’m going to full embrace. Whatever I’m asked to do, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability,” Engram added.
After being selected in the first round of the 2017 draft by the New York Giants, Engram landed with the Jaguars as a free agent in 2022. However, Jacksonville made the surprise decision to release Engram this offseason, which allowed him to sign with the Broncos.
Denver had a strong season with rookie quarterback Bo Nix controlling the offense. The team went 10-7 and made the playoffs for the first time in nine years. Now the Broncos have another offensive weapon for Nix to utilize in Engram.
