Ready to watch Sean Payton do what the Broncos hired him to do?

You’re in luck, because for the first time as the head coach of the Denver Broncos, he’s about to. This rocket is about to take flight.

Payton, who’s been on the job for two seasons now, is an offensive genius. At least that’s what we’ve always believed. His reputation with the Saints preceded him, and the fact that he’s steadily improved the Broncos offense – without all personnel an offense like his requires – is evidence that he’s still got it. Prior to Payton’s arrival, the Broncos possessed the worst scoring offense in football. In his first year, with a quarterback he didn’t much care for, he made the leap to the NFL’s 19th-best scoring offense. This past season, with a rookie quarterback he did like, the Broncos jumped to No. 10.

Keep in mind, he did this with rookie signal caller, a middle of the pack (No. 16) running attack that put up just over 100 yards per game and a tight end room that was practically nonexistent.

Fun fact: Within Payton’s top-10 scoring offenses (not including last season) – of which there were 13 in his 16 years with the Saints – his tight ends have averaged nearly 59 receiving yards per game.

Not so fun fact: Over the past two seasons, all Broncos tight ends combined for 90 catches and 845 yards – or – a paltry 2.6 catches and 25.85 yards per game. That’s less than half the tight end production Payton grew accustomed to with the Saints, who, for what it’s worth, represent one of the best offenses in NFL history during his stint.

Payton’s high-flying offenses have only dipped below the 30-yards-per-game mark four times in his 17 years of head coaching prior to this season – and two of those seasons have come in Denver.

Here’s a hint: It’s not the altitude.

It’s the guys hand he’s been dealt with regard to the position itself.

Adam Trautman – bless his blocking little heart – is not the kind of tight end a Sean Payton-led offense requires. His production in the past two seasons? Receiving totals of 188 and 204 yards respectively.

Evan Engram, who the Broncos just inked, is.

Engram is more in line with some of the greats that have been great in a Payton offense. Ben Watson (825 yards in 2015), Jimmy Graham (who eclipsed 1200 yards twice and averaged 1099 between 2011 and 2014) and Jeremy Shockey who was posting 500-yard seasons before the position truly became en vogue are the types of players Payton deployed as a major part of his aerial attack.

Engram is one such tight.

In 2023, Engram caught 114 passes on 143 targets for Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars, hauling in four receiving touchdowns and finishing with 963 yards in 17 games. Before his injury last season, Engram had 47 catches for 365 yards in nine games for Jacksonville. To put last season in better perspective, Engram’s production was about what everyone who played the position in Denver did in an entire season. In 2024, Broncos tight ends grabbed 51 receptions for 483 yards.

When healthy, this Joker is no joke.

Engram is not a plodding blocker who may or may not haul in a quick out before stumbling to the ground. He’s big but fast. He’s a sharp route runner whose yards after catch light up the stat sheet (watch him do what he does in Cody Roark’s film room breakdown). Payton now has the keys to the Ferrari.

And the best part – assuming Engram can stay healthy – is that he’s a known. By signing him as a free agent, the Broncos are freed up in the draft, allowing Payton and George Paton to target other areas of need – running back, wide receiver. Quarterbacks and tight ends in the draft are few and far between. Even when they’re there, selecting one is a gamble. Good running backs and receivers emerge from every draft class.

A quick tour of the last 20 NFL Draft classes shows some major inconsistencies in the tight ends selected. Not every draft has a good one. The best ones – Greg Olson (31), Rob Gronkowski (42), Travis Kelce (63), George Kittle (146), Sam LaPorta (34) and Brock Bowers (13) – aren’t always taken in the first round. And plenty that are turn out to be underwhelming (see Eric Ebron, O.J. Howard, Hayden Hurst and Noah Fant).

If the Broncos still want to grab a tight end for the future beyond Engram, great. The pressure and risk have been diminished. If the right running back falls to them at No. 20, they can make the pick knowing that the keys to the car are already in hand.

Thus far, the Broncos have had a great offseason.

Most importantly, Evan Engram allows Sean Payton to be Sean Payton.