Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton coaches from the sidelines against the Arizona Cardinals.
If the Denver Broncos are right, Bo Nix will be “spoiled” this season, estimates ESPN’s Bill Barnwell. However, a significant caveat remains: Broncos’ tight end Evan Engram.
Barnwell pointed to the oft-discussed “Joker” position in Broncos head coach Sean Payton’s offense and how, while Engram is on track to serve in the role, the former Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants star may not be a “natural fit” for it.
Engram signed a two-year, $23 million contract with the Broncos in free agency.
“He mostly served as a dump-off option and safety valve for Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville. His average air yards per target over the past three seasons was 5.4, which ranked 104th among all receivers over that span. Catching short passes is fine if a player is explosive after the catch, but while Engram racked up plenty of yards after the catch, those were equally a product of being far away from defenders than making them miss,” Barnwell wrote on May 22.
“Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Engram’s 1,211 yards after the catch were 88 more than an average receiver would have generated on the same catches, or 0.4 YAC over expected per reception. That figure ranks 53rd out of 77 receivers with 200 or more targets over the past three seasons.”
“The comparisons to [Jimmy] Graham and [Jeremy] Shockey also seem to be missing a critical component. Shockey was a physical force as a blocker,” Barnwell wrote. “Graham was a nightmare to cover in the red zone.
“Commanding red zone targets is also a skill, too.”
