New Orleans Saints need to avoid Evan Engram in free agency
Tight end is a position of need for the New Orleans Saints and it’s not hard to see why. With that said, however, current Giants tight end Evan Engram is not someone who should be on NOLA’s radar.
This past season, New Orleans rolled with the likes of Adam Trautman, Juwan Johnson, and Nick Vannett at the tight end spot. Trautman led the group with 263 receiving yards while Johnson led them in touchdowns with four.
Trautman is only two years into his rookie deal so it’s very likely that he’s the TE1 entering the 2022 season due to still having room to grow and New Orleans not having a ton of money to play with in the offseason.
One tight end free agent the Saints need to stay as far away as possible from is Evan Engram of the Giants. Engram went 23rd overall in the 2017 NFL Draft and looked pretty good as a rookie, compiling 722 yards and six touchdowns that year.
It was pretty much all downhill from there, however, as he never came close to matching those totals.
New Orleans Saints should steer clear of Evan Engram
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report included Engram on his list of free agents for teams to beware of and offered this analysis on the former first-round pick:
"Engram has caught just 61.1 percent of the passes thrown his way. He’s had 17 drops over the past two years, while eight of his targets were intercepted over that span. In 2021, Engram helped provide a passer rating of only 80.2 when targeted. He was even less effective in his Pro Bowl season, providing a rating of 55.4.His Pro Bowl selection—which came with 654 yards and a single touchdown—says more about last year’s NFC field than it does about Engram."
Knox mentions how Engram was decent in the 2020 season but that’s not enough for teams to take a flier on him. He does touch on how Engram didn’t have great quarterbacks during his Giants career but are the Saints in that much better of a boat there? I’m going to say no there.
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Yes, New Orleans has a strong need for a reliable tight end but Engram is not the guy they should target if they are going to turn to free agency.