Evan Engram landing spots: Best fits for tight end after release from Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars are making significant changes to their pass-catching corps. After agreeing to trade Christian Kirk to the division rival Houston Texans, the Jaguars are also releasing tight end Evan Engram, according to NFL Media.

Engram appears to have no hard feelings about the move. “It’s all love Jax,” he said on social media. “But they just let a mf dog loose! Excited for what’s next!”

Engram made the Pro Bowl after a 114-catch season in 2023, but he struggled to stay healthy last year and caught just 47 passes for 365 yards, setting a career low in yards per reception. 

His release saves Jacksonville approximately $5.99 million against their books, according to Over the Cap. (Unless they designate him a post-June 1 release, in which case they’ll add $15.5 million in cap room.) This comes after the Jags had already cleared around $10.4 million in the Kirk trade.

Jacksonville now has a somewhat thin pass-catching group around Brian Thomas Jr. The Jaguars now count only Gabe Davis and Parker Washington among their notable wide receivers, while Brenton Strange is the only tight end currently under contract.

Under new head coach Liam Coen, the offense is expected to change quite a bit — and the personnel already is as well. The Jaguars will surely need to add more receiving talent as they attempt to maximize Trevor Lawrence’s talent, and they’ll have upwards of $50 million in cap space to do so.

With Engram set to be on the move, here are a few potential landing spots for the former Pro Bowl tight end.

Sean Payton has been looking for a pass-catcher that can work in the short areas of the field. He would ideally get what he calls a “joker” who can operate out of the backfield as well, but giving Bo Nix another target on underneath passes — and one who has experience creating yards after the catch — is a worthwhile bet.

The Colts have seemingly been rotating a million tight ends for years. Are they really getting everything they need out of guys like Mo Alie-Cox (who is now a free agent), Kylen Granson (same), Jelani Woods and Will Mallory? Probably not. So why not give Engram a call and see if he can help Anthony Richardson on the quick-game throws that have been an issue for him to date?

The Chargers really need to add pass-catchers to give Ladd McConkey some help. That’s especially true with Joshua Palmer hitting free agency. Will Dissly had some solid games last year, but Hayden Hurst is back in free agency and Dissly has never played more than 60% of his team’s snaps anyway.

Juwan Johnson is hitting free agency, so the only tight ends on New Orleans’ roster are Foster Moreau, Taysom Hill (who both isn’t really a tight end and is coming off a major knee injury) and Dallin Holker. Especially if they’re going to stick with Derek Carr at quarterback, the Saints need to make sure they have underneath options for the passing game that aren’t Alvin Kamara. You don’t want to keep overloading him with touches as he enters his 30s.

Tyler Conklin is hitting free agency and the Jets have already cut ties with the Aaron Rodgers half of their receiver room, so they are in desperate need of pass-catching help. You could do a lot worse than having Engram as a security blanket for whomever is under center next season.