Sean Payton still views Evan Engram as a 'key piece' in his offense

What kind of workload will Evan Engram have with the Denver Broncos in 2026?

Engram underwhelmed in his first season with the club, and he diplomatically implied after the 2025 campaign that he would have liked to have been more involved on offense. Now, with the NFL draft just days away, there's been plenty of buzz that Denver could use an early pick on a tight end.

Just one year after having signed Engram, do the Broncos still view him as a key piece of the roster?

“We definitely view him as a key piece," coach Sean Payton said during the team's pre-draft press conference last week. "I would say this about this class, in my opinion, if you are looking for a blocking ‘Y,’ there are a handful available that would be targeted. If you are looking for a move, maybe a little bit undersized ‘F,’ they are out there. To each his own, the different type of tight ends are available.

"It’s always a challenge with that position because sometimes you are projecting maybe in an offense that is playing them differently. Relative to Evan, he’s someone that gave us a lot of big plays a year ago and we will continue to find ways to keep him and add to his workload.”

Payton seemed to imply that different styles of tight ends have different roles, so Denver could draft one and still have a key role for Engram this fall. The 31-year-old tight end totaled 50 receptions for 461 yards and one score in 2025. We'll see if his utilization (and production) is set to increase in Year 2.

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