The Denver Broncos need more playmakers on the offensive side of the ball and could replace tight end Evan Engram with their first-round pick.
The Denver Broncos came up short against the New England Patriots in the American Football Conference championship game, but it wasn’t because of the defense.
The defense kept them in the game. It was the lack of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball that held Denver back, and even though starting quarterback Bo Nix likely changes the outcome of that game, this was an issue throughout the season.
It’s not that the Broncos don’t have enough talented players on offense, it’s that they don’t have enough players that can take over a game when they need to. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton is a great receiver and highly trusted within the offense, but you won’t see Sutton take over games often. Denver lacks multiple options that can be that guy, which is why they should be looking to upgrade the offense this offseason.
When the Broncos signed tight end Evan Engram last year, the hope was that he would become Head Coach Sean Payton’s “joker,” a player that is essentially a jack of all trades and can do everything on offense. Payton has raved about having that type of player and he thought Engram would be that guy for him in Denver.
Unfortunately for everyone involved, the first year of Engram as a Bronco left a lot to be desired. He caught 50 passes on 76 targets for 461 yards and just one touchdown over 16 games. This isn’t bad production, as he averaged 9.2 yards per catch, but given what he did in his last full season with the Jacksonville Jaguars (114 catches, 963 yards and four touchdowns), Payton and the Broncos thought they would get more out of him.
Engram is a cut candidate and if the organization decides to move on from him to save money, drafting a replacement who can better portray the joker role would be extremely beneficial.
ESPN’s Field Yates has the Broncos selecting Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq with the 30th pick in the 2026 National Football League Draft, but he acknowledged that Sadiq could be taken much sooner and he would be a great value pick at 30.
“Coach Sean Payton has long valued a player who can be their "joker," a player who is either a top-end receiving back or mismatch tight end,” Yates wrote Wednesday. “Previous examples from Payton's time in New Orleans include Darren Sproles, Alvin Kamara and Jimmy Graham.”
Sadiq is exactly that, an elite receiving tight end that is a huge mismatch for linebackers and safeties. He has shown that he can take over games with his exceptional strength and speed, proving to be an effective weapon that can be used in several ways to impact games.
“Sadiq fits that description with an outstanding athleticism that makes him a threat after the catch. He had to wait his turn behind Terrance Ferguson at Oregon, but Sadiq blossomed in the primary role last season with team highs in both catches (51) and receiving touchdowns (8).”
This is the guy that Payton is looking for. He is a versatile playmaker that would be an excellent fit within any team’s offense. Sadiq has to clean up his blocking, but his raw talent as a pass-catcher is too good to pass up if he falls to Denver.