Evan Engram opened his second Denver Broncos training camp with a reported day 1 splash. It’s something the Broncos desperately need from the second-year player, who didn’t exactly have the best start to his career in Denver in 2025.

The veteran tight end appeared in 16 games with two starts last season, recording 50 receptions on 76 targets for 461 yards and one touchdown. Engram’s 2025 campaign fell well short of his 2023 Pro Bowl season with Jacksonville. Across 124 games, he’s tallied 546 receptions for over 5,300 yards and 26 touchdowns on 810 targets.

Engram has been known as a pass-catching weapon. He fits the “Joker” blueprint that coach Sean Payton loves, maximizing a mismatch move tight end. That archetype was prevalent throughout Payton’s time with the New Orleans Saints but hasn’t quite taken hold in Denver.

Renewed faith in Engram under Davis Webb

There’s renewed faith in Engram under new offensive coordinator Davis Webb, who has a relationship with Engram from the two’s time together in New York in 2017. Engram’s performance at day 1 of training camp only fueled the idea. He caught passes from quarterback Bo Nix and every other quarterback on the roster, but the standout play of the day was a 50-yard deep connection with backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham that left reporters and fans in attendance in awe.

Sean Payton was asked after practice by Denver Post reporter Luca Evans whether Webb’s history with Engram could bring new ideas and help him get more involved.

“Yes, to some degree,” Payton said. “I think (Davis Webb) is trying to find different ways where, you might have a matchup. That’s a good thing. Now, it’s just executing. It’s ball security, catching, the landmarks, some of the nuances. He’s one other piece where you’re trying to spread the ball around. Who is going to earn those touches? That’s got to be earned.”

The moment showcased a veteran who is, in reality, fighting for his spot on the roster and his role as a top tight end in Webb’s offense. The pads have not come on yet, and that’s worth noting with any training camp hype. Still, this is the type of beginning to camp that’s worth monitoring throughout.

Was 2025 a Denver Broncos usage problem or a real decline for Engram?

Denver’s entire tight end room scored just three touchdowns last season. The offense leaned into 3-wide receiver sets at a 63% clip of that personnel grouping, which begs the question of whether 2025 was a decline for Engram or a usage problem the system could fix this season.

At the same time, the Broncos invested heavily in their wide receiver room again this offseason, trading for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle from the Miami Dolphins. It’s also worth noting that Engram’s 2025 season-long catch was just 41 yards. His 50-yard grab on day 1 of camp already surpassed that mark.

Is the roster bubble real for Engram?

The 31-year-old Engram finds himself firmly on the roster bubble after his 2025 performance. He carries $6.5 million in savings if he were cut, with $7.6 million in dead money in 2026. The Broncos re-signed Adam Troutman and Nate Adkins and drafted rookie Justin Joly. There’s also Lucas Krull, Dallen Bentley, and Caleb Lohner, a raw developmental prospect transitioning from college basketball to an NFL tight end.

Engram is going to need to keep stacking days like this, especially when the pads come on. Can he continue to deliver the dynamic production that flashed on day 1 of training camp, or is this the type of early pop that doesn’t carry over into the regular season? Payton has a long track record of scheming a mismatch move tight end as a featured offensive weapon. Whether that role remains available for Engram depends on how he performs throughout a long training camp against a crowded room of competitors.