Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos' Evan Engram Has BEST SHOT at REDEMPTION in 2026

Starting point is 00:00:00 2025 was not the year that Evan Ingram hoped for himself at the tight-in position, but in 26, he set up for redemption. You are Locked-on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked-on podcast network, your team every day. What's up, Broncos Country? Cody Roark-Sair Beninger here. And on today's episode of the show, we're taking a look at the Broncos tight-in position as we get ready to go into OTAs here in the next couple of weeks.

Starting point is 00:00:33 We'll talk about how this room could be reshaped going into the regular season. And what that may look like, how many players the Broncos will carry at this position? More importantly, new additions like Justin Jolie, Dallin Bentley. They're going to throw some intriguing wrinkles into the competition mix here at tight end, where I imagine there's going to be several key spots open for grabs this upcoming season. But we're going to kick things off by talking about how this collective tight end group featuring the return of Evan Ingraham and Adam Troutman, how that will be at the center stage of OT. TAs here on today's episode of the show. Sarah, let's talk about it here going into this off

Starting point is 00:01:08 season, tight end. I mean, we've talked about big needs, right? Team perception as to who they're going to add in free agency, who they could add in the NFL draft. And the Broncos, they kind of did a complete pivot from what everybody thought that they were going to do. They brought back Adam Troutman on a three-year deal. He had interest from teams like the Chicago Bears. I know Detroit Lions had interest in him as well, but they wanted to bring him back into the mix. They view him as one of their better blocking tight ends. Evan Ingram's entering the last year of his deal. They could have cut bait after 2025. They decided to run it back with him. And you've added some new pieces into the mix here in the NFL draft. Let's start things off by

Starting point is 00:01:46 talking about competition at this position. I think storylines, this is going to be the biggest storyline for tight end is what competition kind of plays out here. But I think more importantly, I want to start things off by talking about Evan Ingram, in line for redemption this upcoming season after being lowly utilized last season in comparison to what we had thought. It was really disappointing, I think, from the fans' perspective and even from Evan's perspective, and he was honest about that, right? After the season, kind of at those locker room exit interviews and press conferences, he was talking about the fact that, you know, he felt like it was going to be one way. It ended up being another thing. And he was just trying to be ready

Starting point is 00:02:25 as he could be whenever his number was called. And so that was a far cry from the role that was initially pitched or that we all had dreamed about a year ago at this time after he was signed. And we're kind of thinking, man, Evan Ingram could be the missing piece of this offense and certainly brings a dynamic element to the tight end position that the Broncos just haven't had. I mean, not since probably Julius Thomas had the Broncos had as good of an athlete at the tight end position as what Evan Ingram brings to the table. And so we just all sort of assumed, okay, this guy has been a high volume receiver in the past. He came pretty close to setting the NFL's all time record for receptions for a tied end once upon a time. And we've seen him get a high volume with targets even when he doesn't play all the games. Like he's just a high volume option and weapon in the passing game.

Starting point is 00:03:15 And then to see, I know he was third on the team in targets last year, but it just didn't feel like that. Did it? Cody, it felt more like he was an afterthought. it felt more like he played, what was it, 40 something percent of the snaps. I don't remember. Career low. It was the career low in percentage of snaps for Evan Ingram. And that is what it felt like as opposed to he was third on the team in total targets.

Starting point is 00:03:38 There was, if you would have asked me at the end of the season, hey, don't look at the stats. Who was number three on the team in targets? Evan would not have been among my top five guesses because it just didn't feel like that last season at all. And so what we need to see going forward is intentional involvement for Evan Ingram in this offense. And we hope that Davis Webb can be the guy to make that happen. In my opinion, Evan should have been the second leading target guy for the Broncos last season. Obviously, I think that was Troy Franklin goes Cortland, Troy. And then Evan, I just felt like they just didn't use him in the way that they envisioned.

Starting point is 00:04:14 And I also think they realized that because why would they bring him back this upcoming season, Sarah, if they felt like, you know, we kind of mishandled this situation. Or, you know, it would have been easily been like, all right, what was it? How much money was guaranteed after a certain time in March? Was it $5 million? Yep. Yep. They could have easily said, you know what?

Starting point is 00:04:33 We're just going to cut bait with that. I mean, look how quickly they cut bait with Dre Greenlaw in that situation. That money's going to free up here for Denver here soon. So I think that's a dynamic to follow. I think Evan, because of what you mentioned there with Davis Webb, and we'll dive deeper to that here as today's show goes on. But I think he's going to have a little bit of a larger role this upcoming season. even with the new faces there.

Starting point is 00:04:52 But let's now shift our thoughts here to Adam Troutman. Sarah, not necessarily a fan favorite, especially if you ask people in Broncos country, he's a coach's favorite. And I think at times, we all get caught up in the shiny object theory, where, you know, I'll make a comparison to, like, vehicles here, right?

Starting point is 00:05:10 Let's say, you know, you want a Ferrari, you want a Maserati at the tight end position. But, you know, you've got an old school Ford that just gets the job done, gets from A to B. Like that is Adam Troutman. It's not the sexy appeal, but here's the thing I think Adam Trotman gets unnecessary hate at times. I feel like he does such a good job just being consistent, right? He's not the best blocking title in the NFL. I know a lot of people think that, but he's good. He's consistently good. There's times where obviously he misses some blocks,

Starting point is 00:05:42 but that's the nature of the position and even the best guys do that. I think he's very underrated in the past catching game and has not been used enough. 600 plus 6.00 plus. snaps for him last season, Sarah, 23 targets, 20 catches. To me, Adam, when they've gone to him, he's produced specifically in the red zone. He's always making one of these plays here or there. And I think because of how they use him as block, block, block. Okay, now their defense isn't even accounting for him. Oh, here's Adam Trotman wide open down the seam. I like how Troutman gets the job done as that guy. But I think at the expense of Evan Ingram not getting as many targets or as many snaps. That's where I have the problem. If you could find a way to split the snaps between these guys,

Starting point is 00:06:24 I think it would be a little bit better, but that's just me. How are you supposed to make a positive impression on a fan base with 23 targets in 17 games? I mean, I get it, right? And when you paint the picture that way, it does make a lot more sense. And dating back to 23, I mean, a lot of Adam Troutman's catches, I know they're few and far between. They do stand out. I mean, remember the touchdown catch that he made for Russell Wilson? I can't remember if it was against the chiefs or who it was against, but he like barely got his ankle in bounds. And it was just a ridiculous catch in the end zone. He makes the one-handed touchdown catch in the 2024 season. I think that was against Carolina or Atlanta. And he obviously had that huge play last

Starting point is 00:07:03 year against the Washington commanders where he gets rumbling and bumbling and stumbling down the sideline. From Troutman's perspective, he's gotten the opportunity to basically play his entire career for one coach, Sean Payton, which is, that's crazy. I mean, For a player like that to be able to do that, the only season that he spent away from Sean was the year that Sean was out of the NFL and working in the media. And other than that, he's been under Sean Payton. Also, he's been, I think he's had the same position coach dating back to college, right? Or at least for at least a large chunk of his career, he has Austin King, who was at Dayton with Adam Trotman.

Starting point is 00:07:41 So he's got that familiarity aspect. And it's honestly, like, kind of cool for him to be able to do that. And I think that's a perspective that not a lot of people are going to see because, well, you know, he's going to be that guy that if he doesn't come through when his number is called or if he's not absolutely crushing it as a blocker, fans are going to come after this guy. It might be the minority voice on Twitter and things like that, but it's going to be a loud voice. So I think the Broncos, they put a lot of faith in Trotman, giving him a three-year deal. And they also brought back their other in-house players, Lucas Crowell, obviously Nate Adkker. who was injured much of last year. And then they bring back Caleb Loner, who was on the practice squad.

Starting point is 00:08:24 And I don't mind that, Cody, especially when it comes to, okay, you went after some players in the draft who have that upside. Now you've got guys who know the offense competing with guys who have that athletic upside. I think the Broncos did a good job of supplementing this room. Yeah. And I think competition obviously going into OTAs at this position, I think it's going to heat up. It's going to be fun to watch.

Starting point is 00:08:47 Like, I look at other teams. And I listen to some other lockdown shows around the NFL. And you hear them talk about, you know, the Broncos or not the Broncos, their team respectively is thin at this position, this position. The Broncos have numbers at almost every position. And they've got quality players. They've got exciting players with high upside as well. To me, that's why the Broncos are in such a unique position right now.

Starting point is 00:09:09 And they have to figure out who is the best group of guys for this room. And what specific position battles are going to take place at tight end? Can Evan Ingram challenge Adam Troutman for more snaps this upcoming season? What about the rookies? Dallin Bentley, Justin Jolie. Where do they fit into the mix? We're going to share our thoughts on several competitions we have our eyes on here at Tide-end on today's episode of the show. Today's episode, the show was brought to you by our friends over there at Square.

Starting point is 00:09:36 Support for today's episode comes from Squirts, the system that helps fix one of the biggest headaches in running a business. Starting a business, it's exciting. But actually running it, well, that's where things can get complicated fast between payments, inventory, staff, scheduling, online orders. It's a lot to manage. But that's why Square brings everything together into one connected system. Square helps you take payments, track sales, manage inventory, and keep your business running smoothly without juggling a bunch of disconnected tools.

Starting point is 00:10:02 One thing I've noticed is some of my favorite local spots are including a coffee shop down the road. The experience seems seamless because I can go into there. They have a reward system that they use where I enter my phone number when I go to make a purchase every time I accumulate rewards and then I can get free coffee. Square helps businesses thrive. in that type of situation. That's what stands out to me because Square helps businesses feel more efficient, more

Starting point is 00:10:22 professional, and helps them get ready to grow even further. So if you're starting a business or running one that deserves better tools, Square helps you sell, manage and grow without slowing down. Right now, you can get up to $200 off Square hardware at square.com slash go slash locked on NFL. That's SQU-A-R-E dot com slash geo-locked-on NFL. Run your business partner with Square. Get started today.

Starting point is 00:10:49 The Denver Broncos added some young playmakers to the tight end position in the 2026 NFL draft. Justin Jolie, Dallin Bentley, bringing some upside to a position that was arguably one of the worst in the league. Let's just be honest about it, Broncos country. We're going to talk about what these new guys bring to the table, as well as more about the position outlook, looking ahead here to the 2026 season. But I want to say thank you so much to all you every dayers out there for making lockdown Broncos, your first listen of the day every single day. And if you are an everydayer, if you want an ad,

Starting point is 00:11:19 free version of this show every single day. Check out the everydayer club at lockdown broncos. Dot supercast.com. Cody, I really like the Broncos. This is going to be way too on the nose, but they got great value in the NFL draft. I think that a lot of times, you know, it comes down to,

Starting point is 00:11:36 hey, we want to get the name brand. We want to go after the guy that everybody in the NFL draft community is talking about. And I do think, I think if the Broncos had him sitting there at what pick number 60, was it, 60 overall, They hadn't been that long. I should remember.

Starting point is 00:11:50 62. Even. My goodness. Look at this. I can't even remember where they picked in the draft. But I think if Max Claire had been there, I think the Broncos probably would have taken him based on what we kind of heard at the time.

Starting point is 00:12:04 But I still think, you know, there was no reason to necessarily get married to the idea of going after a Max Claire or an Eli Stowers. Even though that would have been an exciting option, either of those guys, I think the Broncos really did find, I mean, truly, I know it's on the nose, once again, but great value in the NFL draft. No, I agree with you.

Starting point is 00:12:26 I mean, there's a great value. There's Kirkland brand, you name it. I mean, we're going to dish it out here on Locked on Broncos. But no, I mean, I agree with you. And that's kind of how the NFL draft, I mean, for people that I've spoken to here at the Broncos in the building, the idea was they were letting the draft kind of fall to them. And they had a list of targets. You and I've talked about it at nauseam.

Starting point is 00:12:44 There were a handful of players that they had, six players they felt like when they they're at 62 they would take. And I imagine Max Claire was one of those guys. And then here comes John McVeigh and the L.A. Rams. They come out and they snite Max Claire away. And the LeBronk's like, well, there goes our guy. So let's trade back and let's see if we can just get some more back in capital. And honestly, I think when you look at it on paper, Sarah, how it played out in terms of Denver moving back,

Starting point is 00:13:08 accumulating another pick. Like that helped them add the pieces that they did in this year's draft, whereas they might not have been in the position to get certain guys because of how the board fell. mean, it's crazy. That's why the NFL draft is a crapshoot. But adding Justin Joey, adding Dallin Bentley, you have two guys, two different archetypes. Jolie, the F-type move around tight end. Dallin Bentley, traditional inline Y. I think that they fit the archetypes of what Evan Ingram and what Adam Troutman do. And if you eventually want these guys, if you think that they have high upside traits that you feel like they can translate maybe even as rookies, maybe a year

Starting point is 00:13:42 from now, you have these two guys who can learn from those two guys on top of getting. valuable reps and maybe rotating in a little bit. But I think so much of the Broncos tight-in usage this here, Sarah is going to be contingent upon how they use different personnel groupings, right? So according to our friends over there at True Media, the Broncos, they had 1,092 total offensive snaps last season, and their base personnel was 11 personnel. And for those that don't know what 11 personnel is, that is one running back, one tight end, 63% of the snaps.

Starting point is 00:14:13 So 687 out of 1,092 snaps were in 1192. personnel for Denver. Okay. So only one tight end on the field. Their secondary personnel was 12, one running back, two tight ends. 112 snaps out of 1,092. That translates to 10.3% of their offensive snaps. And then their third most used personnel was 22, two running backs, two tight ends, 8.2% of the time. So 89 out of 1,092 total snaps. When you think about it that way, you're only having one tied in on the field for 63% of your snaps. 10% of the time you're going to have two. And 8.2% of the time you're going to have two with the additives of two different running backs.

Starting point is 00:14:55 Now, here's the thing. And that 22 personnel, that's where guys like Evan Ingram, that's where guys like Justin Jolie might be able to play that in the back field type stuff where they're moving around underneath the formation. That's kind of how you categorize it. That is going to change probably this upcoming season. I think it's a safe assumption with Dave's Webb, right? How do you feel about that considering he's now taking over play calling? He's a former quarterback. He must understand how important this position is.

Starting point is 00:15:19 I think he does. And here's the deal too is that the Broncos have different types of guys to fill that spot when they go to 22 personnel. And it's been Michael Burton in the past. This past year it was Adam Prentice who was brought back on a one year deal. Right. And now you've got the, okay, Nate Adkins type, who is a hybrid tight end slash fullback. and then you've got Justin Jolie and Evan Ingram who are kind of what the F tight-end position like you're talking about. I think that it all kind of, I don't know, confusing is not the right word because obviously those guys all have defined positions essentially, you know, in a way or they have defined ways that they can be used.

Starting point is 00:16:00 But the question is, is do we have to kind of throw out what we know about the Broncos offense over the last two years in order to sort of project what it's going to be this coming year? because last year at this time, I know I've said it a number of times on this show. We don't even know what the Broncos offense looks like with an Evan Ingram type. Well, now we kind of saw for a full season what it looks like. But at the same time, we still don't really know what it looks like because I don't think even the Broncos figured out how to properly use him. That has to be something that as they've gone to the drawing board and they look at these

Starting point is 00:16:35 percentages themselves, when they are in 11 personnel, why is it that Adam Trotman is on the field the majority of the time or when they're in, you know, 12 personnel, they want to go heavy or, you know, I don't know. That's just what I get confused by is that you've got to find ways to make your offense multiple using that personnel as opposed to telegraphing what you're doing by putting certain guys like Mercedes-Lewis, Tyler Badegh at running back, Adam Prentice, out on the field, like that gives defenses every opportunity to know what you're about to do. Well, let's get into some competition dynamics here, right? I think maybe, Adam Troutman versus Evan Ingram for tight-in one.

Starting point is 00:17:14 That might be something that we see going into the summer beginning here at OTAs. I think regardless, those are going to be your top two tight ends this upcoming season. So what does that look like for the back end guys? Well, you bring back Lucas Crowell. You have Nate Atkins back on this roster. I very much think you have guys and Caleb Loner, can't forget him. I very much think there's kind of this open competition for those third and fourth tight-in spots here on this roster.

Starting point is 00:17:38 Denver traditionally keeps four of these guys. that's where Justin Jolie, I would imagine we're going to pencil him in as a lock. So there's three spots, not necessarily the order of him being the third or the fourth guy, but really I look at that fourth spot and I think, okay, Dallin Bentley, Lucas Crowell, Nate Adkins, Caleb Loner. These guys are going to be competing for that final spot here. In your opinion, what's the intrigue of those four guys and who do you think has the advantage right now going into things on paper?

Starting point is 00:18:08 Well, that last question that you just asked is the toughest one to answer right now because I think that honestly, what a different spot though compared to last year. Like this is actually better in my opinion. Yeah, I completely agree because last year at this time, it just felt it felt like you were kind of trying to make the most of sort of a, you know, a situation that didn't have much upside, right? Because a year ago at this time, and I know he didn't play any snaps, you know, this past season, but a year ago at this time, Caleb Loner was a rookie and we. saw that when he was on the practice field for training camp or preseason games or what have you. That was the review. It was that, man, he looks raw out there. So now he's got a year in the system.

Starting point is 00:18:49 His situation is different. Lucas Kroll and Nate Adkins are both coming off of seasons with the injuries, right? And so to me, I would say it's Caleb Loner and Dall and Bentley that you would, if I was the Broncos GM, George Payton and, you know, head coach Sean Payton and whoever else is ultimately getting to bang the table and have their voice be heard, I would be trying to convince myself, okay, there's got to be somebody who like clearly beats out Bentley and Loner because they both had the long term upside. And we got to experience last year life without Nate Adkins for the most part. And now you've added Justin Jolie who has that sort of skill set, not necessarily a hybrid fullback type, but you can say he could replace Nate Adkins on this team.

Starting point is 00:19:35 I just think that it's does loner play special teams? Does Bentley play special teams? That could be a factor because they have to. I mean, Adkins plays special teams. So that's a, that is somewhere where maybe Darren Rizzy's pounding the table. I don't know,

Starting point is 00:19:50 Cody. I don't know who has the upper hand right now. To me, it would always gear towards the longer term upside, but we know that Sean Payton has his favorites. Yeah, no, he does. But also I think there's a respect to the how the process is going to ultimately play out as to, okay, we like these guys, but we've invested in these younger guys, and we have

Starting point is 00:20:10 to get better. There's always this race, as Sean Payton says, to improve the urgency that we have have to just continue to upgrade our roster. And I think the injuries definitely count negatively, unfortunately for Nate Atkins, who dealt with that a little bit, started in training camp, carried over in the regular season, and then happened once again in the regular season. It was tough, and he's a competitor. He's a warrior. I like him. I would much rather they put Nate Adkins at fullback because of his ability to get out and also leak out in the passing game, but he's also one of their better blockers. So in my opinion, I think Nate Adkins, his path to the roster could be at that full

Starting point is 00:20:45 back position, that H-back type role. I think you could find a way to get away with that. But Justin Jolie is going to be a guy who will play special teams. That other guy, you have to make that calculation. Can this guy play special teams for us right away, whoever it is loner, Bentley, Lucas Crowell, obviously can play special teams. We know that. but that's where this competition is going to be decided ultimately is who makes plays in the passing game

Starting point is 00:21:07 primarily and also in the blocking game. But who stands out as getting special teams reps? Who is taking on the opportunity to go out there and get more special team snaps during training camp practice versus other guys who are taking a break? That is something I'm going to keep my eye on here, the Titan position. And Broncos country, we set it here to begin the show. We think the Titan Room is going to be reshaped going into 2026. We'll tell you what that looks like with some new faces here on today's

Starting point is 00:21:32 episode of the show. And who was the sponsor of today's episode, Lock on Broncos. The NBA playoffs are here. And my goodness, have they been good for the Western Conference Finals? And the Eastern Conference Finals, Wemby going crazy and taking it to the Oklahoma City Thunder. And then you've got Jalen Brunson and the Knicks who powered back in a 22-point comeback in the fourth quarter to win in overtime. The NBA playoffs are heating up.

Starting point is 00:21:57 And Fando has a great offer to get you started and bring you closer to the action here today. because right now new customers can bet $5 to get $150 in bonus bets if your first bet wins. That's right. Turn five bucks into $150 and bonus bets just for getting started here today, where you can go in and you can look at the matchups, the trends and the stats between the Eastern Conference Finals, Western Conference Finals, how teams do at home, how they do on the road, and you can make your picks hidden side of the Fandu app. It's a really easy app to navigate and it makes playoff basketball even more engaging from start to finish.

Starting point is 00:22:27 So head to Fandu.com to get started. Fandu play your game. The Denver Broncos tight-in room is going to look a little bit revamped this upcoming season if things go how we project in our training camp predictions ahead of OTAs. Thank you once again to Broncos Country for tuning in every single day, making us your first listening to the Locked on Podcast Network. You know it's your team every day. It's also the number one sports podcast network in the country.

Starting point is 00:22:51 Thanks to all of you. Sarah, I think you and I can both agree. And I'm sure a majority of Broncos country is going to agree that when it comes to the roster, who's making it at tight end? Adam Troutman, Evan Ingram, Justin Jolie. I think you and I are pretty sold on those being at least three locks, right? And do you differ from me or are we on the same page here? I think that has to be it, right?

Starting point is 00:23:13 Because the Broncos don't want to go into a season without it. I mean, I try to think of like the crazy off the wall stuff that could happen, right? Because you have young players at the position. You've got three guys that you drafted, even though they've been day three picks. So like does the situation with, you know, like, Evan getting cut after training camp or traded after training camp. Does that even make any sense? You try to explore every avenue.

Starting point is 00:23:38 I don't think it does, Cody. I think that the Broncos have those top three guys solidified, defined game day roles for probably all of them, although maybe Jolie kind of takes a backseat to somebody else who's in that third slot. We'll kind of find out and see. But the conundrum that I have here, Cody, is that I don't know who should be that fourth player on the roster right now. And I don't know if it's going to be just four. Could it be five if they try to protect somebody from hitting the waiver wire?

Starting point is 00:24:09 I mean, Bentley and Loner are the two guys that I would say I'm kind of debating between right now. And that's no disrespect to Lucas Crowell or Nate Adkins. It just feels like those guys have the longest term upside. So I hate to say I'm not planting my flag this early, but I want to see more. I want to see Caleb Loner in the preseason. I want to see Allen Bentley in the preseason. And I think that's, you know, where we're at right now is that do you keep one of those guys? Do you keep both? Do they force the issue? Does Nate Adkins or Lucas Crowell just look that much better than them?

Starting point is 00:24:41 I don't know. But what are, what's your take here? Do you feel like it's going to be one of those two younger guys or do you feel like the more experienced players have the edge right now? I mean, I would like it to be one of those younger guys. And look, I even think we would like it at times to be Lucas Crowe. I mean, Lucas has been a guy since 20, 23. that we've been watching.

Starting point is 00:25:00 The Broncos snagged him off the Saints practice squad. He had a stellar preseason, I believe, in 2023 in New Orleans. And once again, continuing the tradition of the Saints, the Broncos pipeline. And then we started seeing like some flashes during the regular season where he gets in a Monday night football. He gets open on a wheel route. Russell Wilson doesn't even see him. And you see Sean Payton chewing out Russell Wilson in that game for that. We've seen.

Starting point is 00:25:23 And then there's the jump ball situation against the Houston Texans, which is a little bit of a sore subject. That's not on Lucas Crowell. that's more so on a Russell Wilson, unfortunately, in that situation. But we have never seen Crowell kind of materialized into the guy that we had for Sean Peyton necessarily, you know, I'd say behind the scene, say, hey, like this guy, he's exciting. He's got some athleticism. He's got good height to him.

Starting point is 00:25:46 And I think when he combined his athleticism with his height, the ability to jump, it's like, that's a strength that the Broncos, Adam Troubleman doesn't have hops. Evan Ingram's got some hops and some athleticism that we saw last year. But basically, Lucas Crowell was kind of like this, you're more athletic, higher, vertical type guy that you had on your roster. So I would like to see how Bentley and Loner kind of challenge that narrative a little bit. Lucas Crowell's been a guy who's been invited to George Kittles, tight end you camp almost every single season. So to me, there is this appeal of maybe seeing like, hey, can Lucas Crowell figure it out? Now, at this point, too, Sarah, I'm wondering, are Nate Atkins and Lucas Crowe, are they vested yet?

Starting point is 00:26:26 That's one thing I'm trying to figure out in terms of years. Because if they are, you could easily play around with this by, let's say you want to keep Dallin Bentley and you want to keep Caleb Loner or you just want to keep one of those guys, Dallin Bentley. Let's say that. You can release Lucas Crowell. You can release Nate Adkins and you can bring them right back on your practice squad where you have the flexibility to navigate them up and down, to elevate them.

Starting point is 00:26:53 Like there's certain roles that guys have played. We've seen little Jordan Humphrey be that. We've seen Michael Bandy be that in the past. You have the ability to keep your young guys while also keeping these other guys intact as well as part of your practice squad, which is an extension that the Broncos believe of their 53-man roster. And I think with Nate Adkins, I think he's one year away from vested veteran status because he's got three credited seasons at this point.

Starting point is 00:27:19 I think he's really close. And so he's going to make it. He's probably going to make it, right? That's what it feels like to me. I mean, that's kind of where I sit here today, and I'm kind of just stuck between a rock and a hard place, because I want to sit here and say, up,

Starting point is 00:27:34 Dallin Bentley is making the team or Caleb Loner's going to prove Sean Payton right, and he's going to make the team. But Nate Adkins is the guy with the experience, and he's the guy who's played the versatile role in the offense, and he plays special teams. He's proven. He's been an asset there. The only thing that I can think to,

Starting point is 00:27:52 and I'm not trying to make a case to get rid of Nate, Adkins. But the one thing that I keep coming back to is the idea that the Broncos got to experience life without him last year. And how did they, were they that much worse off not having him to sacrifice what was one of the worst past catching tight end rooms in the NFL, right? Because even when Nate was healthy and when he was playing, it's not like he adds this dynamic element in the passing game. And it's also not like he's always playing in line. And, blocking out in that way. I mean, he does offer, you know, some upside as a blocker. He does offer some upside as a receiver. But you have Angram. You have Jolie. Those are two guys who need to be

Starting point is 00:28:37 doing those roles. So that's where I say, okay, if somebody else can play special teams, you can justify like the lack of upside with Adkins out there in the passing game. That's the way that I view it is that you're putting a ceiling in a deliberate cap on your past catching upside. by keeping him out there on the field as many snaps as he gets, whereas if you would at least, you know, consider the idea of Dallin Bentley or Caleb Loner even, because those two guys offer that kind of upside in the passing game, even if it's just in the red zone,

Starting point is 00:29:11 even if it's just, Dalton Bentley had no drops last year, zero drop passes. I mean, how clutch would that have been for the Broncos to have had on their roster? So I just, that's where I'm so stuck right now. is that it feels like the trend is that Sean Payton keeps his guys around, but also now you've got these new guys in. And it's the tough part of the off season where it's the devil you know versus the devil you don't. And you always just want to wipe, you know, clean house and wipe away the old and just in with the new.

Starting point is 00:29:42 Let's start fresh. But it doesn't always work out that way. Yeah. And Nate Atkins is one of Sean Peyton's favorites. And the only way, in my opinion, that he doesn't make the rosters, if he gets injured during training camp or preseason, and there's an injury, or if there's an injury to another position, then I think that obviously that will help him stay. But also, if there is a guy like Dallin Bentley that emerges, Caleb Loner really emerges, then you can make the argument about that. And you can try to sell it. Hey, we still want to

Starting point is 00:30:09 bring you back on the practice guard or the Broncos listen to us and say, you know what, Nate Atkins, fullback, there you go. That opens up a realm of possibility to maximize. I would say this position group, but also these guys that where this room wasn't great enough last year, I think has a chance to be massively better this upcoming season. What will that look like? That's the mystery. But we're going to keep an eye on this as the Broncos report for OTAs on June 2nd. We'll be a practice.

Starting point is 00:30:35 So we'll have you covered every step of the way as we look at various competitions. They're going to start the heat up here for your Denver Broncos. With that said, Broncos country, thank you so much for rocking with us tomorrow show for all you every dayers. We're going to be taking a look at the safety position. Will Brandon Jones be back after this upcoming season? And is there going to be a name that could emerge as a rock? Oster Rock over a proven veteran signing this Aussies. We'll go through that and much more on tomorrow's episode of the show.

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos' Evan Engram Has BEST SHOT at REDEMPTION in 2026

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.