Giants Insider Breaks Down What Jaguars Are Getting in TE Evan Engram
Few teams made as much noise in free agency's first wave as the Jacksonville Jaguars. While other teams were wheeling and dealing in terms of making blockbuster trades, the Jaguars spent big on the free agency market and brought in seven new starters, with six of them on multi-year deals.
But what will each new player bring to the Jaguars' roster in 2022 and beyond? To find the answers, we go through FanNation's deep pool of talented insiders and reporters from across the NFL to get the skinny on each new Jaguar.
First up, new Jaguars tight end Evan Engram, who the Jaguars signed to a one-year, $9 million deal with $8.25 in guaranteed money, making him the only free agent the Jaguars signed to a one-year deal.
"When he plays at his best, he can be a dangerous weapon for the Giants. He has the size, athleticism, and speed to compete and make big-time plays in the open field," Giants Country wrote before the offseason.
This is similar to the scouting report the Jaguars themselves gave Engran when asked last week about the former first-round pick.
"He's a runner, you know, he's got great speed, he's smart, he can separate, he does well against safeties, obviously against linebacker matchups, even third corners and things that you see on tape that he can do and have success with," Jaguars head coach Pederson said on Wednesday.
But what does Giants Country publisher Patricia Traina see in the Jaguars' newest target for quarterback Trevor Lawrence? After covering Engram since 2017, how does Traina see him fitting into Jacksonville?
1. Why didn't Evan Engram re-sign with the Giants? Was there any interest?
Traina: I don’t know if there was interest or not on their part—I did hear that Engram was hoping to stay, but my best guess is that the Giants knew Engram was going to get a hefty contract on the open market, especially after all the tight ends were tagged, and they knew they weren’t going to be able to match what he got.
2. What does Evan Engram do best?
Traina: I think he can be a good “big slot” receiver. Put him against a linebacker or safety, and he should be able to win that matchup. Have him run away from the line of scrimmage, and he should be fine if he can create space between himself and the defense (a challenge in the past).
3. What are some of Evan Engram's weaknesses?
Traina: There are several. First, he has had a bad case of the dropsies—if there is a bad drop to be had, Engram will find a way to get it done. He has 29 career drops—that’s seven percent of his pass targets (405). Then there is his blocking—he’s a willing blocker, but don’t ask this guy to do in-line blocking against a 270+ pound defensive end because you will be disappointed.
There is the injury factor—he’s made it through one complete season just once in his career (2020). He does a poor job of setting up defenders and getting away from them. His hands have been suspect—he has been the target on 12 career interceptions, with many of those bouncing off his hands. He doesn’t get open or separate as well as he should, and considering his size, his contested catch rate is awful (24.4 percent).
I look at Evan and I see a good athlete, but not a very good football player. Whether that’s a result of his shortcomings or how he was deployed is hard to say, but he was never really a solid fit for this team.
4. Is Engram someone who the Giants will struggle to replace?
Traina: Nope. Great kid. Hard worker. Great locker room presence. Willing to do whatever was asked of him. The media will love him in that he’s always accountable and he never ducks if he has a bad game.
But the Giants can probably find someone like that who does all the things they need to do in their new offense (which isn’t expected to be as reliant on the tight ends, from what I understand). Bottom line is that Engram and the Giants needed to move on from one another.
5. Did Engram live up to his first-round billing?
Traina: Nope. Part of that is how he was deployed by the coaching staffs. They also didn’t do him any favors by switching systems and position coaches. But that said, there are things Engram should have brought to his game which he didn’t, and the Giants made the wise decision to move on.
