Analyst Explains Why Jaguars Moved On From Evan Engram

Move signals Jacksonville's commitment to an offense predicated on establishing run

Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram (17) is tackled by Indianapolis Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard (53) during the third quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Indianapolis Colts 37-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

Evan Engram enjoyed the best year of his career year as recently as 2023. Now, he gets a head start on free agency after Jacksonville’s new regime turned him loose on Thursday. ESPN analyst Mina Kimes said general manager James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen made the move for two primary reasons.

“One is they like Brenton Strange,” Kimes said on Friday’s edition of NFL Live. “And then the other, I think this tells us a little bit about Liam Coen's offense; coming from the Rams, and what we saw in Tampa Bay, the emphasis on running the football and integrating the run and the pass.”

"This tells us a little about Liam Coen's offense."@minakimes on the Jags letting Evan Engram walk ✍️ pic.twitter.com/WQYpU9w5fG

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) March 7, 2025

Strange, 24, entered the league as Jacksonville’s second-round selection (61st overall) in the 2023 draft out of Penn State. He saw limited snaps as a rookie, when Engram posted career highs in both receptions (114) and yards (963).

Last season, though, Engram missed four games early in the year with a hamstring injury and finished the year on injured reserve after tearing his labrum. He wound up playing in just nine games. In his place, Strange registered 411 yards and two touchdowns on 40 receptions. But Kimes said the Jaguars like more about Strange than simply his pass-catching ability.

“Ingram, while terrific with the ball in his hands,” she said, “a great pass catcher, great in space … not much of a blocker. So, it doesn't surprise me too much from Jacksonville's perspective, and I do think Ingram can find a home elsewhere.”

That home could be AFC South rival Indianapolis, Kimes said. The Colts are set to lose Mo Alie-Cox in free agency and Engram could be an upgrade. NFL teams can sign Engram anytime because the Jaguars released him under contract. He doesn’t have to wait until unrestricted free agency begins Wednesday.

Engram, 30, was entering the final season of the four-year deal he signed in 2022 as an unrestricted free agent. He was due to earn $14.75 million in 2025 before the Jaguars turned him loose.

The veteran tight end was one of six players trimmed from the Jaguars’ roster on Thursday, including the trade that sent Christian Kirk to Houston. Brian Thomas now enters his second NFL season as the Jaguars’ primary focus in the passing game.

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