ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Denver Broncos' quest for tight end Evan Engram to be an impactful part of their offense has been hampered by bad injury luck.
Engram, who the Broncos signed to a two-year, $23 million deal in March, was ruled out with a back injury for Sunday's game at the Los Angeles Chargers. This after he injured his calf during the second half of Denver's Week 1 win over the Tennessee Titans.
Broncos coach Sean Payton said Friday that Engram's back injury "came up during Sunday's game'' against the Indianapolis Colts. Engram had one catch for 12 yards on two targets and played 25 snaps.
For the season, Engram has four receptions for 33 yards on six targets, fewer in all categories than the Broncos envisioned for their offense.
Tight end has been a trouble spot in recent seasons, including last year when Lucas Krull led Denver's tight ends with 19 receptions. Across the league in 2024, 16 teams had two tight ends with more than 19 receptions and one, Cincinnati, had three.
Despite Engram's recent injuries, Payton still believes he will have an impact in the offense in the weeks to come.
"Certainly he's going to play a big role for us,'' Payton said.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw, one of Denver's other major free agent signings, was also ruled out Friday with a thigh injury. Greenlaw did not play in the preseason and did not play in the Broncos' first two games.
