ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The two biggest offseason changes to the Broncos ' offense figure to help tight end Evan Engram in his second year in Denver.
Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle's addition via trade from Miami should benefit all the pass-catchers as the speedster draws extra attention from defenses, leaving others 1-on-1, and Engram is very familiar with the team's new play-caller, former QB Davis Webb, who was a member of Engram's draft class with the New York Giants back in 2017.
A second season with quarterback Bo Nix also should help Engram, who caught 50 passes for 461 yards and a touchdown, in Week 4 against Philadelphia.
All the changes might allow Engram to be more of the “joker” he was hailed as when he first got to Denver last year. In Sean Payton's offense, a “joker” is a multi-tasking hybrid player, typically an elite receiving tight end or dynamic running back who moves all over the formation to stress defenses, exploit size-speed mismatches and prevent opponents from either double-teaming or substituting for better matchups.
“Last year was kind of I'm trying to learn the lay of the land and getting used to the offense and the complexity of it and just really learning the culture here and immersing myself in it and now I'm just feeling way more comfortable,” Engram told The Associated Press in an interview after the team's first practice of training camp Friday.
“The relationships are just way better, I'm definitely more comfortable in the offense. My voice is a little bit louder in the leadership role, just being around the guys and seeing how everybody operates," Engram said. "I think just how close we were last year to the big dance, I think what else could I do? What more could I add to my part of the puzzle to help us get over that hump?"
Being the player he's mostly been during his nine seasons in the NFL — five with the Giants and three with the Jaguars before coming to Denver — would give the Broncos' offense another dynamic option.
Engram caught a 58-yard pass in an exhibition game last summer where Davis was filling in as the offensive play-caller, and he's eager for more opportunities with his former draft classmate.
“Yeah, me and Davis got drafted together in New York, lived right next to each other, got really close,” Engram said. "I just got to know him as a person, got to know him as a pro, I got to see how hard he worked and how hungry he was for his opportunity to play and it never came until the very end of his career. But he always prepared as if it was going to come that next game.
“I just remember Eli (Manning) slowly leaning on him, Eli was like, ‘I need you to help me game-plan, can you find certain looks, can you find plays that will help this week?’” Engram recalled. “From that moment on I knew he was going to have a future if not playing quarterback, as a coach.”
Davis, who took over play-calling duties from Payton this season after serving as Nix's position coach the last two years, had a couple of head coaching interviews last cycle and is seen as a rising star who shouldn't have to wait long to become an NFL head coach.
That's no surprise to Engram.
“No, I knew when he got the job here. I'm like, how do you know Sean? I think it was his resume and his interview just blew everybody out the water,” Engram said. “I was like, Davis, he's going to climb up fast. I knew that from the beginning because of how he works. I think when you work like that round-the-clock and you're that dedicated, the sky's the limit.”
If there's any hiccups to start out, not to worry, Engram said.
“I think obviously, we'd love for things to start off perfectly and we hit the ground running, but I know how he responds to adversity, as well,” Engram said. “It's the NFL. We're going to face adversity; he's definitely built for it.”
And this offense is building around Waddle now, who commands double-teams, which should help the likes of Courtland Sutton, Pat Bryant, Troy Franklin and Engram get open.
“Defenses can't leave Jaylen alone, they can't forget about him," Engram said. “So, I think not only myself, everybody's going to benefit from him just being on the field. And yeah, he can blow the top off a game at any moment. I do think that addition is going to help out everybody on our offense.”
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