The Denver Broncos could be in the market for a tight end next year.
As the Broncos enter the 2026 season, they’ll do so with veteran Evan Engram as the starting tight end. However, Engram is entering the final year of a two-year contract that he signed during the 2025 offseason. Furthermore, Engram is 32 years old and is coming off of a season that wasn’t exactly productive. He posted just 50 catches for 461 yards and one touchdown.
As Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano writes in his 2027 NFL Mock Draft, he predicts the Broncos to select Engram’s replacement, LSU’s Trey’Dez Green with the No. 25 overall pick. Green is one of the mostly highly touted tight ends in the nation and was a second-team All-SEC selection last year after posting 33 catches for 433 yards and seven touchdowns.
“The Broncos could use an upgrade at tight end after Evan Engram’s somewhat quiet first season in Denver,” said Manzano. “Also, coach Sean Payton is known for taking chances on athletic versatile playmakers. There has been plenty of hype regarding what the 6’7″, 244-pound Green could do with Sam Leavitt, the ASU transfer, as his quarterback in 2026. Green’s size and basketball background help him come down with many contested catches, but drops were a problem at times last season.”
Trey’Dez Green is a Dual-Sport Athlete, Having Played College Basketball
Entering his junior season, the 6-foot-7, 237-pound tight end is widely regarded as a consensus first round pick for next year’s draft. Based upon Manzano’s mock draft, Green would be the second tight end picked behind Oregon’s Jamari Johnson.
Green is a dual-sport athlete, having appeared in six games at LSU as a true freshman. NFL Draft Buzz raves about his skill set and his size. They mention his five drops on 51 targets and details how he may need to continue developing his blocking traits, but the athleticism and size can’t be taught.
“Not one of those cautions touches the ceiling,” writes NFL Draft Buzz in their scouting report of Green. “Tight ends with this frame, this speed and this production this young carry first-round conversations through every spring they stay healthy, and a full junior season as the centerpiece of a new-look offense should answer the hands and blocking questions one way or the other. He projects as a move-Y matchup weapon a creative coordinator can post up anywhere, with All-Pro upside if the catching mechanics tighten.”
Why Trey’Dez Could Be Broncos’ Missing Piece at Tight End
Adding a bonafide red zone threat at Green’s size could lift Bo Nix’s game to an even bigger level. Nix has been a touchdown machine over the first two seasons of his career, posting 33 total touchdowns during his rookie season and 30 total touchdowns last season.
Once upon a time, Engram was one of the top tight ends in the league, posting two Pro Bowl selections (2020 and 2023). However, it’s clear his production won’t match those heights again. It’s also concerning that he’s posted just two total touchdowns over the past two seasons. For perspective, he has only posted more than four touchdowns in a single season just once, and that happened back in 2017 during his rookie year.
Adding a bonafide threat at tight end may be the last piece the Broncos’ offense needs to become an unstoppable unit.
Broncos Predicted to Land 6-Foot-7 ‘Upgrade’ for Bo Nix