Broncos’ Addition of Evan Engram May Alter Pick 20 Blueprint, Per Insider

The Denver Broncos have signaled that Evan Engram is the team's long-awaited 'joker,' but not everyone's convinced. But it has re-shaped pick 20.

Nov 3, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram (17) makes a catch against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos signed free-agent tight end Evan Engram to be part of the 'joker' solution for Sean Payton. Apparently, even Engram himself has been told of his 'joker' expectation by the team, as his X post last week seemed to indicate.

Payton himself has defined a 'joker' as a pass-catching running back or tight end who can work the middle of the field and be moved around the formation as a mismatch weapon. As a tight end, Engram fits the bill.

Engram is too big for defensive backs to cover easily and too fast and athletic for linebackers, making him a prime mismatch weapon for Payton and young Broncos quarterback Bo Nix to deploy. But not everyone is convinced that Engram is the solve-all solution for Payton's elusive 'joker' role.

"Evan Engram was a nice signing by the Denver Broncos, but I don’t know that’s he’s the 'joker' that Sean Payton was talking about," Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer wrote on Monday. "The good news is the draft has a bunch of guys like that. I do wonder, though, if this makes it more likely that it’d be a back (such as Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson) or receiver (Missouri’s Luther Burden III) than another tight end."

🤫 pic.twitter.com/jwfGNPYZ9i

— Evan Engram (@eazyengram) March 13, 2025

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Whatever misgivings Breer may have, he makes an excellent point. The Engram addition does not preclude the Broncos from either a.) drafting another tight end or b.) drafting a running back (or two) with some 'joker' upside.

Henderson is an interesting 'joker' candidate in Round 1. From an explosiveness perspective, he fits the bill, but the Broncos would need to work long and hard with him to fully flush out his receiving prowess.

There are several 'joker' running back candidates in this draft class, and it's conspicuous that Denver has not signed a free agent at the position, indicating that the team plans to capitalize on the depth of this 2025 group come April. Other 'joker' candidates — most of whom aren't first-round options —include Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, Tennessee's Dylan Sampson, Iowa's Kaleb Johnson, Arizona State's Cam Skattebo, and Kansas' Devin Neal, among others.

As far as 'joker' tight end candidates go, the Broncos again have myriad options in the draft. Beyond the first-round likes of Penn State's Tyler Warren and Michigan's Colston Loveland (who are likely out of Denver's reach), one of Nix's old targets at Oregon, Terrance Ferguson, would make sense.

Like running back, the 2025 tight end class is deep. Miami's Elijah Arroyo, Bowling Green's Harold Fanin Jr., Texas' Gunnar Helm, and Clemson's Jake Briningstool check a lot of 'joker' boxes. It wouldn't be a shock to see the Broncos double-dip at either tight end or running back this year, Engram's arrival notwithstanding.

Broncos Country is excited for the Engram addition and what it could mean for Payton's offense. Engram gives Nix that F/big slot presence to work the middle of the field and the seam, and combined with the Broncos' existing receiving corps — which really blossomed down the stretch last year — this offense is poised to take some big steps forward in 2025.

All that's missing is a dynamic running back. That's not to take away from the respectable skill sets of Broncos running backs Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estime, Blake Watson, and Tyler Badie, but there's a reason why the team's rushing attack was one of the worst in the NFL last year, despite boasting one of the top one or two run-blocking offensive lines in the league. Every name listed above is fine depth, but not a back to be feared by defenses.

It's a running back problem in a got-man league. The Broncos are fixin' to rectify their dearth of impact running back when the 2025 NFL draft rolls around.

And don't forget wide receiver. As Breer suggests, it's very much on the table of options at pick No. 20 overall when the Broncos go on the clock next month.

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