Getty Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton.
The Denver Broncos enjoyed their largest margin of victory in 2024 in Week 7, defeating the New Orleans Saints 33-10 on Thursday Night Football. That keeps them in the hunt for the postseason at 4-3 and 10 games to go.
With several teams fading fast and the trade deadline two weeks away, calls for the Broncos to take advantage continue.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine suggests targeting Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram.
“The Broncos offense was really humming against the Saints, but a lot of that was still driven by Bo Nix’s rushing ability. He had 75 rushing yards, and the Broncos’ leading receiver was Troy Franklin with five catches for 50 yards,” Ballentine wrote on October 21.
“The Broncos are getting next to nothing out of Adam Trautman as a receiver, and Lucas Krull was only relevant this week. Getting a bona fide pass-catching tight end could help Nix reach his next level as a passer. Given how rocky the Jaguars’ start to the season has been, they may be willing to part with Evan Engram. There would be some financial hurdles, but the Broncos’ success could be enough to convince them to push some chips to the middle of the table.”
Evan Engram with the nice break.
Trautman, who is a willing blocker, leads the Broncos with six starts in their seven games.
He has two receptions for 28 yards on six targets. Krull has outproduced him and fellow backups Greg Dulcich (five receptions for 28 yards on 12 looks) and Nate Adkins (4-19 on five targets) are close behind.
Broncos tight ends have caught 12 of 32 targets for 136 yards and 0 touchdowns through seven games in 2024.
Engram had five catches and 35 yards on five targets versus the New England Patriots in Week 7.
But he tallied 10 grabs for 102 yards on 10 targets in Week 6 versus the Chicago Bears. It was his second game of the season after he suffered a hamstring injury in Week 1. Engram caught 114 passes (143 targets) for 963 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2023.
Broncos Trade Pitch Lands Evan Engram From Jaguars
GettyEvan Engram #17 of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Engram, a Pro Bowler in 2020 and 2023, is owed $1.2 million in base salary over the next 10 games. That is the prorated portion of his $2 million salary in 2024.
He is in Year 2 of a three-year $41.2 million contract.
His salary jumps to $14.7 million in 2025. The Broncos can afford him in both seasons. But he will count $9.5 million against the Jaguars’ salary cap in 2026 if they do not rework his contract before it expires at the end of the 2025 season.
This Heavy Sports trade pitch looks to land Engram from the Jags, who won their second game of the 2024 season in Week 7.
Broncos get:
- Evan Engram
Jaguars get:
Instead of potentially sending draft capital to the Jaguars, or at least sending as high of a pick as it might take to land Engram, the Broncos opt to move one of their many pass rushers. Cooper is second on the team with 5.0 sacks.
He is also in the final year of his four-year, $3.6 million contract.
Broncos, Jaguars Can Help Each Other
GettyHead coach Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos.
Fellow edge defender Baron Browning is in a similar contractual situation at the end of a four-year, $4.7 million pact.
He could be substituted for Cooper in this package. But a foot injury that cost him four games this season could have significantly hurt his trade value. Meanwhile, Nik Bonitto starts opposite Cooper and the Broncos have rookie Jonah Elliss to replace whomever they would trade.
The Jaguars would incur a $17.5 million dead cap hit if they traded Engram during the season.
However, Ballentine also listed edge rusher among his top five needs for the Jaguars (the Broncos too).
Adding Cooper in a trade could help address two issues with Engram’s future looming large amid the team’s overall struggles. At the same time, Engram’s return preceded Jags QB Trevor Lawrence have two of his three best games of the season in terms of completion percentage.
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Broncos Urged to Trade for 2-Time Pro Bowler to Replace Unproductive Starter