JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Getting quarterback Trevor Lawrence immediate help was clearly the Jacksonville Jaguars’ strategy in free agency.
To do that, they paid big money to sign wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, handing out a combined $118 million in total contract money and $51 in guaranteed money to a pair of players who have never made a Pro Bowl or caught more than 77 passes or posted 1,000 yards in a season. That earned a lot of criticism.
It also allowed the signing of tight end Evan Engram to be somewhat overlooked – and it shouldn’t be. Adding the former New York Giants’ first-round draft pick may be just as important for Lawrence as anything the Jaguars will do this offseason.
“He's a guy that's got a great skill set,” head coach Doug Pederson said. “He's got great speed, he's smart, ... he can separate, he does well against safeties, obviously against linebacker matchups, even third quarters and things that you see on tape that he can do and have success with.
“You throw in Dan Arnold, and now you've got a couple of guys that can really stretch the field along with [Chris Manhertz] and [Luke Farrell]. You just look at that [tight end] room as a whole, which has been one of the better rooms on the team, and now we've just made it a little bit better.”
It’s potentially a lot better.
Engram may not have become the impact player the Giants expected when they selected him 23rd overall in 2017 out of Ole Miss, but he is the best pass-catching tight end the Jaguars have had since Julius Thomas in 2015. He also gives the Jaguars some consistency at the tight end position, something they haven’t had in a while.
Engram has caught at least 44 passes in each of his five seasons. The Jaguars have had a tight end catch more than 40 passes in a season just six times in franchise history: Marcedes Lewis did it three times, Kyle Brady twice, and Thomas once.
In fact, as a rookie in 2017 (64 catches for 722 yards and 6 TDs), Engram bested the best season by a Jaguars tight end (Brady’s 64 catches for 729 yards and 3 TDs in 2000). Had he not been bothered by a sprained MCL and later placed on IR because of a foot injury, Engram was on pace to catch 88 passes for 934 yards and 6 touchdowns.
He’s unlikely to put up those kinds of numbers in Jacksonville with Kirk and Jones joining Marvin Jones Jr. (73 catches, 832 yards, 4 TDs last season) in a revamped receiving corps that likely will add a rookie in the upcoming draft. However, he can expect the Jaguars to move him around and try to take advantage of mismatches the way Pederson did with Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert and Trey Burton when he was the Philadelphia Eagles' head coach.
“A big part of my decision [to sign with the Jaguars] was Doug coming in here,” Engram said. “Obviously, playing against him twice a year the last four years when he was in Philly, and his resume and pedigree, using the tight end position, and some of the talent that he’s developed was a big part of my decision. Having Trevor at quarterback, and even the direction they were going in free agency, I kind of felt that it was starting to head in the right direction, and I want to be a part of it.”
Engram signed a one-year deal worth up to $9 million dollars. Not signing a multi-year contract was his choice, so he’s banking on a big season to land a bigger deal in 2023, whether that’s in Jacksonville or somewhere else.
“I just want to be used, and I’m going to do everything I can to be used all over the field, wherever my skill set can be used, wherever is best for the offense in that week or in that situation,” Engram said. “I feel like that can be a big help to Trevor, along with the other talent that’s already here. I know there’s a lot of talent that’s already here that is going to help him as well.
“My biggest thing is to come in and learn as much as possible and grow that relationship to where that trust is there in big moments, [and] in key situations, I can show up for him and help him develop and make those big plays and help him gain confidence as well.”