Has Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton forgotten how to use his own joker?

Travis Wakeman

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Has Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton forgotten how to use his own joker? image

When the Denver Broncos signed free-agent tight end Evan Engram this offseason, some analysts felt it was one of the best moves any team made in free agency. 

The Broncos would be getting one of the league's most athletic tight ends — built much more like a big wide receiver — and Sean Payton would once again have the much-talked-about "joker" for his offense. Earlier this summer, he explained to Kay Adams what a joker in his offense is. 

He also stated that Evan Engram "is a joker". Well, so far, he hasn't been. In his first two games in Denver, Engram has caught only four passes for 33 yards and unless you've watched every snap from the first two games, you may have forgotten that he's even on the team. 

Did Payton forget how to use his own joker? In fairness, the last joker he had at the tight end position was Jimmy Graham with the New Orleans Saints and he and Payton weren't there together after the 2014 season. It's been over a decade since he had that luxury at that position, so there could be some rust that needs to be worn off. 

Broncos fans likely still have plenty of hope in this combination, but it needs to get going. Four catches in two games is not going to cut it, so Payton needs to figure out how to get Engram more involved. 

READ: Broncos should avoid this proposed trade with Miami Dolphins

This offseason, Engram chose the Broncos over the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency. Those two teams meet in Week 3. Payton needs to make it perhaps his biggest priority of the week to figure Engram heavily into the game plan. 

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Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.