Are the Broncos Truly Set at Tight End After Signing Evan Engram?

The Denver Broncos landing Evan Engram was a good move to give their tight end room a significant boost. After all, it was one of the worst tight end rooms in the NFL last year, if not the worst.

When you add up what the Broncos' three tight ends did in 2024, as a group, they still aren’t in the top 15 in receiving yards for an individual tight end. Engram is a boost, but he doesn’t fix all the team's issues.

Throughout his career, Engram has had issues staying healthy. He's also 30 years old and on a two-year deal.

Engram is a short-term fix to a long-term problem, and tight end is a position that takes time to develop, with a few rare exceptions. If Engram, knock on wood, gets hurt this year, do you want the Broncos to have to turn to Nate Adkins, Adam Trautman, Lucas Krull, or Thomas Yassmin? The depth at the position is that bad.

Trautman is a fine third tight end, but he has been forced into a more significant role for which he isn’t a great fit. Plus, he's entering in the final year of his deal.

Adkins had some moments as a receiver, but he improved as a blocker to close out last season. He is also more of a tight end No. 3 than a secondary tight end.

Krull is a practice squad player, and Yassmin is still learning the game as an international player from Australia. Neither of these players should be counted on to step up as legit options to fill the void if Engram goes down, and none of them are the long-term solution.

That's where the draft comes in.

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This is one of the better draft classes in the last 25 years. The Athletic's Dane Brugler has 18 tight ends with a draftable grade. If all of them get drafted, it would match 2022 as the most tight ends drafted since 2015.

What makes this year different than 2022 or 2015 is where the tight ends are projected. Neither of those years had a first-round tight end, and only four went in the first three rounds. This year has two tight ends projected as first-round picks, a third as a borderline, and seven total in the first three rounds.

There's a point where the talent starts to drop off, and the Broncos need to be cautious not to sit on tight end until after that cliff. The Broncos have brought in a couple of tight ends for team visits and met with a lot at the NFL Scouting Combine. They have been working, and many expect Denver to draft a tight end with one of its first four picks.

Even with Engram in the fold, the Broncos shouldn’t be close to done with their tight end room. If the Broncos miss on one in the draft, they should look at adding another veteran to the room, either via a trade or a post-draft signing.

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