Getty New York Giants TE Evan Engram.
Evan Engram is arguably one of the most talented tight ends in all of football when healthy. Unfortunately, Engram has rarely been healthy throughout his first three seasons with the New York Giants, the organization that drafted him in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Ole Miss.
Reports out of New York this offseason have pointed towards the franchise’s patience wearing thin with the injury-riddled tight end, with ESPN’s Matthew Berry even stating that sources close to him believe the Giants would shop the tight end this season.
However, recent reports appear to show that New York may be a bit more committed to the tight end than once perceived.
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Giants Did Not Consider Dumping Engram
Paul Schwartz of the New York Post recently wrote a column detailing why it would be a surprise if the Giants were to draft a tight end in the 2020 NFL Draft. However, it was his take on a current Giants tight end that grabbed headlines.
“Evan Engram is returning for a fourth season with the Giants, and no, the new coaching regime did not consider dumping him.”
Schwartz appears certain that the Giants will not move on from Engram in the near-future, all but assuring he will be part of New York’s 2020 roster, something that just a few months ago seemed highly uncertain.
Schwartz pointed towards Engram’s injury woes as a reason why fans may be ready to give up on the talented playmaker, but noted that his salary is just too cheap to pass up on a player with his type of talent.
“There is no doubt Engram is a polarizing player to Giants fans,” Schwartz said. “His skill-set is enthralling, but his inability to stay on the field is frustrating. We get it. But he comes cheaply this year ($1.9 million in base salary), and he has loads of talent.”
2020 is a Make-It or Break-It Year for Engram
No one doubts the type of player Evan Engram can be. When healthy, he’s arguably a top-five player in football at his position. He gave us a glimpse of what he can be a season ago when he recorded 113+ receiving yards and a touchdown in two of his first three games of 2019.
Unfortunately, Engram, per usual throughout his three-year pro career, was once again bitten by the injury bug. Engram would go on to play in just eight games this past season after suffering what proved to be a season-ending foot injury. An injury that as of late February, kept Engram in a walking boot and is expected to keep him sidelined until training camp, per the New York Post.
The tight end has played in just 19 of his 32 potential games over the past two years and has yet to complete a full 16 game slate in his career.
While Schwartz has reported that the Giants are committing the Engram in the short-term, he was quick to point out that his future employment with the team beyond this next season is certainly up in the air.
“This is a big, big year for Engram, Schwartz said. “The Giants can pick up the fifth-year option on their 2017 first-round draft pick, but nothing is assured and his return in 2021 is far from guaranteed.
Speaking of Engram’s fifth-year contract option, New York must come to a decision fairly quickly, as they must decide by May whether to pick up or decline Engram’s contract option for 2021.
New York may be keeping Engram around for next season, but they seem to be preparing themselves for the potential that he once again misses time. The Giants currently have six tight ends in total on their current roster, including Kaden Smith, Levine Toilolo, Garrett Dickerson, C.J. Conrad and Eric Tomlinson.
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