Sean Payton: Evan Engram “is someone that has those skillsets” to be the Broncos’ joker

Heading into the offseason, talks were brewing about how Sean Payton needed his ‘joker’ for the Denver Broncos in order to take the offense to the next level in Bo Nix’s second season. After the team was able to sign Evan Engram to a 2-year contract, Payton knew that he had his guy.

Engram, 30, began his career with the New York Giants before going to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022. He has almost 5,000 receiving yards in his eight-year career along with 25 touchdowns.

“I would put him in that category or that family. He is someone who has those skillsets. One of the things that helped us in the process of him making that decision was that role. You can talk about it, but historically speaking [and] having had players like him, I’m excited,” Payton said at the Annual League Meeting on Monday.

What makes Engram a great candidate for the joker role is his combination of size and athleticism. Standing at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, Engram has the size to be a tight end, but spends most of his time lined up as a receiver instead of on the end of the offensive line like a traditional tight end. He lined up as a stand-up receiver on 65.6% of the snaps he played in 2024.

During his time in New Orleans, Payton was able to utilize tight ends Jimmy Graham and Jeremy Shockey as his jokers in that offense headlined by Drew Brees. While both of those guys were a bit bigger than Engram is, the principal still stays the same. Create mismatches on the inside against linebackers and safeties in coverage. Payton knows that Engram will excel at that.

“Obviously, he’s someone that we feel like can run and give us a passing threat on third down and [in the] red zone,” Payton said. “I think he has good body control, and I think he is really good when he gets the ball into his hands.”

Sean Payton on Evan Engram: "I think he's got good body control. Real good with the ball in his hands … with him, it was a lengthier process. It was kind of like the old days of free agency"

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) March 31, 2025

General manager George Paton also spoke at the Annual League Meeting on Monday, and had his own good things to say about what Engram can do for Denver’s offense.

“[Engram is] helpful for the entire offense. It just opens up the middle of the field a little more, that’s something that we lacked. An explosive element that we’ve lacked in the middle of the field,” Paton said. “As we’ve talked about, he’s a mismatch-type player, and that only helps the quarterback.”

In Nix’s two seasons at Oregon, while he had an outstanding group of wide receivers including Troy Franklin, he also utilized his tight end a lot. Terrance Ferguson, a potential target for the Broncos in the 2025 NFL Draft, had 32 receptions in 2022 and 42 receptions in 2023. If the talent is there at the tight end position, which it wasn’t for the Broncos in 2024, Nix knows how to utilize it and attack the defense with it. Having Payton designing and calling the plays will only play to his strengths.

While Engram is a great first step in solving the joker equation, Paton also didn’t say that the search for a joker was over by any means.

“I don’t think the search is ever over. I do think we have a homer. We have a mismatch tight end,” Paton said.

The joker can also be a running back, as seen with Reggie Bush back in Sean Payton’s days with the Saints. That’s another position where, if the right guy is lined up at running back, mismatches with linebackers can easily be created to help Nix and the Broncos move the ball. The Broncos won’t be targeting a running back in free agency, but have some names in the Draft they’re keeping an eye on.

For now, Payton and Paton have their guy as the Broncos try to build off their first playoff appearance in nine seasons.