The Denver Broncos are betting big on Bo Nix making major strides in his second NFL season, and this offseason added a potentially game-altering weapon to his arsenal.
According to one NFL executive, the Broncos signing veteran tight end Evan Engram has the potential to be one of the under-the-radar moves league-wide that could define the upcoming 2025 season.
“Quarterback favorite,” an AFC South Scouting Director recently told me, of Engram. “He should help a strong second-year signal caller take a big step.”
Engram, 30, arrives in Denver where he has the opportunity not just to develop into a security-blanket for Nix but also an after-the-catch weapon in Sean Payton‘s offense, for a Broncos team looking to build on their young quarterback’s stellar rookie season.
According to Pro Football Focus, Engram only dropped one pass last season despite wildly inconsistent quarterback play in Jacksonville, but now becomes a complementary weapon to the likes of wide receivers Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, and emerging star Troy Franklin.
Beyond his reliable hands, Engram’s 5.8-yard average depth of target suggests that he can become a bit of a deep threat for Nix, and thrive in the space created by the Broncos’ receivers on the perimeter.
Originally chosen by the New York Giants with the No. 23 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Engram arrives in Denver with 496 career receptions for 4,922 yards, and 25 touchdowns.
Signing Engram is an investment in bolstering Nix’s supporting cast, and the 6-foot-3 and 240-pound savvy veteran pass catcher could be an ideal fit not only for the Broncos’ scheme but what the second-year quarterback needs to take his game to the next level.
Evan Engram Fired Up About Playing in Sean Payton’s Offense
Mike Carlson | GettyVeteran tight end Evan Engram could make an instant impact on Bo Nix, and the Denver Broncos’ offense.
After miring in an offense that failed to gain much consistency last season, with a revolving door of quarterbacks after Trevor Lawrence’s injury in Jacksonville, Engram sounds thrilled to be in Denver.
Engram caught 47 passes for 365 yards and a touchdown, in nine games before tearing his labrum last season.
Now a Bronco, Engram is already comfortable in Payton’s scheme and on the receiving end of passes from Nix.
“It’s been awesome. Really. I feel really at home in this offense,” Engram told reporters after the Broncos’ first training camp practice in front of fans on Friday. “I feel like my strengths are being used at the highest level. And it’s also challenging me to be sharp with my tools and be sharp with my details, the little things that I need to clean up and get better at. It’s challenged me every single day, just the different ways that they’re planning to use me, and also just the mentality that they have… I’m just really excited to be in (Patyon’s) scheme and excited to work with him throughout the season to help his team the best way I can.”
After making the playoffs last season, propelled by winning five of their last seven games and getting some help down the stretch, the Broncos are built to take another step in 2025.
According to Engram is already impressed by the culture being forged by Payton and the players in the Broncos’ locker room.
There’s also a key difference between Denver and Jacksonville that’s already standing out.
“My favorite thing about being a Bronco right now, just the way that this team connects, the way they push each other, the way they challenge each other, the way that we bond, just the standard that we have for ourselves,” Engram said. “I tell people, all my family, it’s hard to be the first one in the building. I’m used to being the first one in (the building) in Jacksonville. I was always the first one. It was really easy. Here, it’s kind of tough.”
NFL Rival Reveals Bo Nix’s Rookie Turning Point
GettyDenver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix.
By season’s end, Bo Nix finished as one of the most prolific quarterbacks in a loaded rookie class at the position.
However, it didn’t always look like Nix would guide the Broncos to the playoffs. After all, Nix didn’t even throw a touchdown pass until the final game of September of his rookie season.
According to Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, the Broncos’ 10-9 win over the Jets proved to be a launch pad for Nix’ rookie season.
“We played them in Week 4, and so he was still getting in a groove then. And then after that, he just took off. He was getting more decisive, and it was just cool to watch, seeing the throws he wasn’t making the week before. After the win against us, I think that gave him some confidence,” Thomas shared in the video announcing Bo Nix as the 64th-best NFL player leading into the 2025 season.
Thomas might be on to something.
After the Broncos survived against the Jets, on that miserable Sunday afternoon in East Rutherford, Nix seemed to turn a corner. The No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 draft went on to toss all 29 of his touchdown passes, the second-most all-time among NFL rookies, after that game.
“Bo Nix is a product of excellent coaching,” an NFL defensive coach told me last season, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about another team. “During our game and another one this season, neither defense got a sack. Lots of seven-man protection for him, two wide receiver routes, and when it wasn’t max protection, the ball was out so fast that they aren’t allowing him to make mistakes.
“With young quarterbacks, it comes down to hitting him which will force those mistakes. We weren’t able to do that.”
NFL Executive Lists Broncos’ Signing as Move That Could Define 2025 Season