The Denver Broncos tight end room must be used more in 2026 if the offense is going to make another leap forward. What does the room look like going into training camp?

Denver Broncos tight end group must be used more in 2026

Since Sean Payton took over the head coaching job for the Broncos, the tight ends in his offense have been a valuable piece, but not in the way that most people perceive the position.

When you hear about tight ends, you typically think of the guys who are catching 75+ passes and impacting the middle of the field. That role is important to have inside of Payton’s offense, but the Broncos have not used the tight ends that way.

Veteran Adam Trautman returns after signing a three-year deal in free agency, and he’s been the No. 1 tight end in terms of snaps played. In 2025, Trautman had 651 offensive snaps (57%) and appeared in all 17 games, where he had 20 catches for 195 yards on 23 targets, according to Pro Football Reference.

The issue with Trautman isn’t the overall number of snaps; it’s the number of targets. While he’s the Broncos’ best blocking tight end, I believe he’s been underutilized in the passing game. He’s not a world-beater with size or athleticism, but Trautman’s got some pretty sure-fire hands.

He’s been a checkdown or outlet option primarily, where he’ll chip a defender, block for a second or two, and then release to the flat on a route or run a curl. Trautman, if he’s going to play that large a volume of snaps, needs to be thrown to more. Coming back on a three-year deal, this makes him arguably the sharpied in starter.

What about Evan Engram? He played a career low in snaps last season, only seeing 458 snaps compared to Trautman’s 650+. His utilization rate was too low, and there was never a real moment where he was allowed the opportunity to get hot on a consistent basis.

Engram had 461 yards receiving on 50 catches with one touchdown. He also was tied for the most drops on the team with Courtland Sutton with eight, but some of those throws weren’t always placed accurately to him, especially early on in the season as he and Bo Nix continued to work on their chemistry.

Engram never once pouted or showcased to us at practice, in the locker room during the week or postgames if he was frustrated, but if he was he had every right to be.

Denver’s offensive roles at tight end are viewed as in-line Y and move-around F-type players. The in-line Y is Adam Trautman, while Engram is the F-type. Their two roles are solidified going into 2026, and while Trautman needs more targets in the passing game, Engram needs more overall snaps as the top two guys.

Competition to watch for with the Broncos tight end group

Behind Adam Trautman and Evan Engram, there is wide-open competition for two potential spots on the 53-man roster. I believe that the Broncos will ultimately carry four tight ends, and my belief is that rookie Justin Joly will be the third lock at this position.

Joly’s draft positioning gives him an advantage coming into camp, but it’s the potential and upside that stand out with him. He has big and strong hands; I’d know because I’ve shaken his hand — it feels like he’s trying to break it, but he’s not. His hands are one of his biggest strengths, and we’ve already seen him haul in a couple of tough grabs dating back to rookie minicamp.

He’ll get plenty of opportunities to work in during camp and the preseason, but he feels like one of the safer locks as we head into camp with his ability to contribute immediately behind Engram, and his potential to evolve even further during his rookie year or going into next season.

This leaves competition wide open for a tight end who can play both the in-line or move-around role. That competition would likely be seventh-round rookie Dallen Bentley, veterans Lucas Krull and Nate Adkins, and last year’s seventh-round pick Caleb Lohner competing for the perceived fourth spot.

Bentley has a similar size profile to Trautman and is arguably more athletic than he is, which will be fun to watch in training camp and the preseason. Krull has always had a high athletic upside to him, but he hasn’t been able to carve out a consistent role for himself on the active roster. Adkins is the most proven versatile name of the bunch, having been a core four special teams contributor and a hybrid fullback-tight end, while Lohner was mainly a developmental project behind the scenes in 2025.

Adkins dealt with injuries last year that impacted his availability, as did Krull. This was a room the Broncos view highly, but the production from a numbers perspective at tight end has a lot of national folks pinpointing this position group as the team’s biggest weakness, and maybe they’re right, but I’d argue that their roles were not designed to be heavily featured in the passing game last year.

Perhaps the usage of this position group changes with Davis Webb as the playcaller. While Adkins would be the safe bet, I’m going to tell Broncos Country to keep an eye on Bentley throughout camp and the preseason, because he has a great opportunity to earn that perceived final possible spot if he has a strong summer.

Prediction: The Broncos will keep four tight ends on the active roster — Adam Trautman, Evan Engram, Justin Joly, and Dallen Bentley.