Evan Engram will be a focal point of the Broncos’ passing attack in 2025

The Denver Broncos are hoping Evan Engram will be their ‘joker’ who will help transform the offense in 2025.

There are a lot of reasons to be optimistic and intrigued about the Denver Broncos for the 2025 season. One of the biggest is the potential of the offense.

Over the course of the offseason, the Broncos added a lot of talent around second-year quarterback Bo Nix via free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft. Multiple running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends have all made their way to the Mile High City. Each position group is stronger, more competitive, and poised to perform better than last year.

A key area of emphasis for the team in the early months of the year was finding a player capable of being a ‘joker’ in Head Coach Sean Payton’s offense. Both Payton and General Manager George Paton divulged it was mission critical to find another player who could be a mismatch weapon to help take their offense to the next level.

Your mileage may vary, but I think the most important addition on offense—and the one that could make the unit special in ‘25—was the signing of veteran tight end Evan Engram at the start of free agency. At 30 years of age, Engram is hoping to experience a revival with the Broncos after an injury-plagued ‘24 season limited him to the worst production of his career.

If he can stay healthy and revert to prior form, I have no doubts he will be a focal point of the team’s offense. Let’s take a deeper look at what Engram brings to the Broncos’ offense for upcoming season.

Player Profile

Age: 30 | Experience: Ninth Year | College: Ole Miss| Height: 6’3” | Weight: 240 pounds

Arm Length: 33-1/2” | Hand Size: 10” | Broad: 10’5” | Vertical: 36” | Bench: 19 reps

40-yard dash: 4.42 seconds | 20-Yard Shuttle: 4.23 seconds | 3-Cone: 6.92 seconds

Evan Engram’s 2025 outlook with the Broncos

The Denver Broncos had some of the worst statistical production at the tight end position of any team in the National Football League. The silver-lining from the unit’s lackluster stat totals last season is the fact that the Broncos were very efficient (catch rate) when targeting their tight ends.

Injuries limited Engram to just 9 games in ‘24. He wound up with just 47 catches, 365 yards, and 1 touchdown. For whatever it’s worth, that’s still more than any of the tight ends the Broncos fielded last season. Though I expect him to do much better than that in his first season with the Broncos.

In his 2023 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Engram was Trevor Lawrence’s top target and saw an astounding 143 targets. He caught 114 of them for 963 yards and 4 touchdowns enroute to his second Pro-Bowl honor. I don’t believe he will get that much volume in Payton’s offense. However, I believe he is in store to get the second most targets in the passing game behind wide receiver Courtland Sutton. If I had to put a number on it, I’d roughly guess about 100 targets.

The ninth-year pro doesn’t have the premier athleticism he boasted coming out of Ole Miss, but he is still a savvy route runner with the ability to separate from man coverage. The Broncos had a hard time in medium range passing situations (2nd / 3rd and 4-6 yards to go) last season and struggled to sustain drives.

As a safety valve and quick hit option for Nix, I think Engram will help the Broncos move the chains more consistently this season. His versatility as player who can be lined up at multiple slots will help Payton generate some unique mismatches with his personnel groupings. If he stays healthy, I wouldn’t be surprised if he snags around 70 receptions. It’s been years since Denver has had that kind of productivity, but I’m hopeful Engram will rise to the occasion and be a great weapon for the offense.

Final Thoughts

Only time will tell whether or not the Broncos’ offense realizes it’s potential over the course of the 2025 season. I think they have a chance to be special. They boast a stellar offensive line and a second-year quarterback who continues to get better each and every day.

If all goes as planned, Engram’s skillset and experience should provide a significant boost to Denver’s third down efficiency and overall offensive productivity. If my predictions and projections for him come to fruition, the Broncos will certainly have a Top 10 offense in the NFL.