Tight end Evan Engram felt the Broncos were a fit during free agency for many reasons.
Principle among those was Bo Nix, a rookie revelation for Denver last season who cemented himself as the team's quarterback of the future while helping end an eight-year playoff drought.
"He has everything that it takes to be great in this league," Engram said of Nix, via DNVR's Bennie Fowler. "The biggest thing that stood out to me was his presence in the pocket. He's very calm, very collected. When the pocket does breakdown, the plays he can make on his feet while having his eyes downfield is something that you have to continue to put great talent around because that is a weapon. That is a true weapon."
Denver benefitted greatly from Nix's dual-threat weaponry in 2024. He threw for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns to just 12 interceptions, steadily gaining comfortability with the long ball throughout his first year. But he also did damage with his legs, running for 430 yards and four more scores on the ground.
Something Nix lacked -- to no fault of his own -- was a trustworthy target at tight end. Lucas Krull, eighth on the team in receptions, was the leader in that category at TE. No player at the position hit 20 catches or 200 yards.
That's where Engram comes in, just two years removed from a 114-reception, 963-yard campaign in which he made his second Pro Bowl.
Although he experienced the best season of his career in 2023, Engram was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars following an injury-plagued 2024 campaign that saw him play just nine games with 365 yards and a single touchdown.
He quickly gained the interest of the Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers, sparking an AFC West recruiting battle he said made him feel like he was "in a movie that entire week."
"That was really the first time I was truly recruited since coming out of high school," Engram said. "You know us football players, that recruitment is big because there are teams, there are these organizations, these franchises or institutions that are asking you to bring your talents to that place. That means a lot to me."
He eventually landed on Denver, noting his positional fit and the excitement surrounding the team's turnaround as other factors outside Nix that sealed the deal.
Head coach Sean Payton has said since signing Engram that he believes the 30-year-old tight end fits squarely into the versatile "Joker" role Denver has been needing to fill to create mismatches for Nix. During Payton's tenure with the New Orleans Saints, the tight end fitting such a description was most notably Jimmy Graham. Now, in Denver, Engram by far represents the most game-breaking option Payton has had in the position room.
"Sitting down with Sean, it felt right," Engram said. "Everything kind of clicked. Everything just felt like this was the place for me."
He later added: "The vision that he has for that is that joker role. I love the narrative of the superhero, the supervillains, I love superhero stuff. ... I love creating that narrative for myself to put a little bit of healthy pressure on me too. That's something I'm going to fully embrace. Whatever I'm asked to do, I'm going to do it to the best of my ability."
The Robin to Nix's Batman, the Joker for Payton's offense -- whatever Engram needs to be -- he feels ready heading into his first year with the Broncos.
