Denver provided a surprise to close observers Sunday by waiving fifth-round rookie TE Justin Joly. That move left Evan Engram, Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins, and seventh-round rookie Dallen Bentley at the position on the initial regular-season roster.
The Broncos released fifth-round rookie TE Justin Joly. Insider Mike Klis calls it a "surprise," adding, "He did struggle adjusting to NFL in training camp and clearly he could use a redshirt year."
The Denver Broncos selected NC State TE Justin Joly in Round 5 of the 2026 NFL Draft. Joly entered college as a two-star WR at 190 pounds. He committed to UConn, bulked up to 228, and played a WR/TE hybrid role. He led the team in receiving as a sophomore, finishing with a 56-578-2 line. A transfer to NC State expanded his role at a higher level. He added weight to reach 251 pounds and totaled 92-1,150-11 over two seasons with the Wolfpack. Among the 27 TEs invited to the NFL Combine, Joly ranked 14th in 2025 aDOT (7.6), and 10th in team market share of receiving yards (18.6%). He ranked ninth in 2025 receiving yards per team pass attempt (1.38) and seventh in receiving yards per route run (1.78). He is currently 21 years old.
The Broncos have fired OC Joe Lombardi, NFL Network reports. Lombardi spent the past three seasons leading Denver's offense under HC Sean Payton and also spent 12 seasons under Payton in New Orleans. Denver's offense has been just fine under the Payton-Lombardi battery, ranking between 10th and 19th in points all three years. The Broncos did climb in total yards each season, from 26th to 19th to 10th. We'll see who's tabbed to replace Lombardi, but we wouldn't expect sweeping changes to the offense with Payton remaining at the helm.
TE Evan Engram scored his first TD as a Bronco in Sunday's win over the Eagles and did so in decently impressive fashion. Engram took a short throw over the middle from 11 yards out and then weaved through the defense and extended across the goal line while being tackled. That marked one of his 4 catches, which ranked second on the team. Engram tallied 33 yards and also ranked second among Broncos with six targets. His TD was Bo Nix's only passing score for the game. But don't overlook the key issue that remains in his usage.
After averaging 178.3 passing yards in his first three games of the season, QB Bo Nix shredded the depleted Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football to cap off Week 4. Nix threw for 326 yards and 2 TDs and rushed 6 times for 7 yards and another score as the Broncos ended their 2-game losing streak.
Broncos TE Evan Engram (back) was a full participant in Thursday's practice. That puts him on track to return for Monday night's game vs. the Bengals. Despite that plus matchup, Engram won't be a recommended fantasy starter. He's been a part-time player in Denver's offense so far, in between his multiple injuries.
Broncos TE Evan Engram (back) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Chargers. He didn’t practice all week, so this could be more than a one-game absence. Adam Trautman figures to step in as Denver’s lead TE this weekend but isn’t a fantasy option. We could see a few more targets go to the RBs and WRs with Engram out.
Broncos TE Evan Engram (back) missed practice again on Thursday, putting his status for this weekend's game vs. the Chargers in serious doubt. Engram has totaled just six targets on an 8.6% share through two games, so his absence would be just a slight boost to Denver's WRs. We'll update Engram's status again on Friday afternoon.
Broncos TE Evan Engram (back) did not practice on Wednesday. It's a new issue for Engram, who suffered a calf injury in the opener. It's been a brutal start to the season for the 31-year-old. He should not be in Week 3 fantasy lineups.
Broncos TE Evan Engram (calf) is not listed on the final injury report for Sunday’s game vs. the Colts. He practiced all week, including full workouts on Thursday and Friday, so it doesn’t look like the calf will be an issue. Engram’s playing time was underwhelming even before hurting his calf in the opener, though. Try to leave him on fantasy benches this week.
Broncos TE Evan Engram (calf) graduated to a full practice on Thursday. He'll play vs. the Colts this weekend, but he's not a recommended TE1 after underwhelming playing time in the opener.
Broncos TE Evan Engram (calf) got in a limited practice on Wednesday. That gives him a shot to play vs. the Colts this weekend after exiting the opener. Engram notably ran a route on just 49% of pass plays through three quarters, though, before the calf injury. He's not a recommended Week 2 fantasy starter.
Broncos TE Evan Engram suffered a calf injury in the second half of Sunday's game vs. the Titans and is officially questionable to return. We'll update his status when we know more.
Former Jaguars TE Evan Engram will be joking HC Sean Payton and QB Bo Nix in Denver. His deal is worth $23 million with $16.5 million fully guaranteed. With a glaring hole at TE, Engram should have a prominent role with the Broncos.
The Jaguars have released TE Evan Engram. That removes the player who caught 66 more passes than any other Jaguar since the start of 2022. Dumping Engram will save Jacksonville nearly $6 million in cap space, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. He'll turn 31 just before the start of the 2025 season.
Jaguars HC Doug Pederson announced Friday that TE Evan Engram will have season-ending surgery to fix a torn shoulder labrum. That should mean Brenton Strange leads Jacksonville TE opportunities over the final four games.
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