Since hiring Sean Payton almost 4 years ago, the Denver Broncos have gone position-by-position in improving the roster on the way to building a Super Bowl contender.
That’s with 1 notable exception — at tight end.
The Broncos took a relatively big swing in free agency before the 2025 season with 2-time Pro Bowl tight end Evan Engram on a 2-year, $23 million contract that blew up in their faces when he couldn’t produce.
Headed into 2026, NFL.com singled out tight end as the “biggest remaining roster issue” but also dropped the idea that the answer to the issue might already be on the roster in rookie tight end and 5th-round pick Justin Joly.
“The Broncos arguably saw the least turnover in the league this offseason and have a Super-Bowl-contending roster in my book,” NFL.com’s Matt Okada wrote. “But they also did next to nothing to improve at tight end after a disappointing 2025 campaign from Evan Engram (461 yards, one TD) and the entire tight end room (seventh-fewest receiving yards in the NFL). Adam Trautman is used primarily as an in-line blocker, so unless Engram posts a bounce-back season or fifth-round rookie Justin Joly is a surprise breakout, Sean Payton will likely go another year without his coveted versatile tight end in Denver.”
Broncos Won’t Invest at Tight End in Draft
If the Broncos really wanted to improve at tight end, they could have drafted 1 in the earlier rounds at any point since hiring Payton, which they haven’t.
The Broncos have shown little backbone when it comes to drafting tight ends, actually. They used a 7th-round pick on 6-foot-7, 250-pound Caleb Lohner in 2025 and stashed him on the practice squad. In 2026, Denver used a 5th-round pick on North Carolina State’s Joly and a 7th-round pick on Utah’s Dallen Bentley.
Critics Focused on Justin Joly’s Shortcomings
The reason Joly dropped to the 5th round — outside of playing for North Carolina State — was over concerns surrounding his size and blocking ability.
The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner is more focused on what Joly can do and how he thinks the former North Carolina State star can contribute when he finally gets on the field for the Super Bowl contenders. It’s Joly’s upside that landed him at the top of The Athletic’s list of the “Biggest Sleepers” coming out of the NFL draft.
“Joly is a bit of a project — you might never get true first-down, run-blocking power out of him,” Baumgarnder wrote. “But he’s a bit of a mutant athletically (6-3, 241), with great vertical speed and enough wiggle to separate at the top of routes. He could be a potential matchup problem in the NFL.”
Any offensive pick for the Broncos the last 2 years comes with 1 question off the bat — how will they fit with starting quarterback Bo Nix?
“Broncos use No. 152 for TE Justin Joly,” Broncos reporter Mike Klis wrote on his official X account after the Broncos selected Joly. “Offensive weapons continue to stack up for Bo Nix.”
Joly spoke with DNVR’s Zac Stevens about playing for the Broncos, saying head coach Sean Payton and offensive coordinator Davis Webb envision him as a “Swiss Army Knife” in the offense.
Joly also spoke about playing with Nix, who has become 1 of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks over his 1st 2 NFL seasons. The Broncos missed the playoffs in 8 consecutive seasons before Nix was drafted in the 1st round (No. 12 overall) of the 2024 NFL draft.
In 2 seasons with the Broncos, Nix has led the team to consecutive playoff berths, including a 14-3 regular season and a spot in the AFC Championship Game following the 2025 season.
“Leadership and knowing what to do at all times,” Joly said when asked what he expected of playing with Nix. “He’s such a smart quarterback. Be reliable and be there when he needs you.”
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