The Denver Broncos have lost back-to-back games and are searching for their second win of the season heading into their Week 4 tilt at home against the Cincinnati Bengals on “Monday Night Football.” Fortunately for the Broncos, Pro Bowl tight end Evan Engram could also return.
Engram missed the Broncos’ Week 3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts with a back injury. That followed a calf injury that limited him in practice the week before.
His return could provide a boost for a Broncos team that needs it as well as consistency.
Broncos TE Evan Engram Set for Return to Practice
GettyEvan Engram #1 of the Denver Broncos runs after a catch against the Arizona Cardinals.
Engram signed a two-year, $23 million contract with the Broncos in free agency this offseason after three years with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was supposed to provide a dynamic presence in the middle of the field for Broncos quarterback Bo Nix.
His injury has hindered their ability to further develop chemistry in practice.
Engram’s return is a positive turn for a Broncos team that has been beset by injuries to key players like him.
“Per source, #Broncos TE Evan Engram expected back at practice today,” 9News’ Mike Klis reported on X on September 25. “He missed last week’s practices and game with a back issue. Broncos getting healthier at a good time.”
The Broncos have also been without linebacker Dre Greenlaw since training camp. He is on injured reserve and must miss at least three more games, including Week 4 against the Titans.
Getting Engram back on the field is one thing for the Broncos, but unlocking him is another.
Broncos HC Sean Payton Urged to ‘Help Bo Nix
GettyDenver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks to Bo Nix #10 during a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Engram’s usage when healthy had become a source of consternation, with questions about how Broncos head coach Sean Payton chose to deploy the group.
Despite playing in the Broncos’ first two games, Engram did not start either. Criticism about Payton’s personnel groupings goes beyond just Engram, though. Former Broncos wide receiver and 2015 Super Bowl champion Bennie Fowler urged Payton to make fewer group changes.
Fowler believes that would alleviate some of the frustration Nix showed in Week 3.
“I want Sean to help Bo out a little bit more. I’m sick of Bo going, watching him break the huddle and go like this: ‘Hurry up. Snap the ball. Hurry up. Hurry up. Snap the ball.’ That means the play call is not getting in there,” Fowler told co-host Dave Logan on the “Broncos X’s & O’s” podcast on September 23.
“Obviously, Sean has got all of these different personnels. I want to see Courtland [Sutton] and Marvin [Mims] and Troy [Franklin] just stay out there for a whole series.”
“We’re wholesale changing all the time. And one of the things that I wrote down on my notes is ‘rhythm and timing.’ Michael Thomas didn’t really come off the field. When I played here with Demaryius [Thomas] and Emanuel [Sanders], they didn’t come off the field,” Fowler said.
“We would change the slots, or we change the tight ends. But your main guys, your horses, especially your receivers out there, stay out there.”
Payton staunchly believes in his methods, so change could be hard to come by for the Broncos.
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