It’s rumor season in the NFL but one position, in particular, keeps popping up in relation to the Buffalo Bills: tight end.
In recent weeks, The Athletic reported that the Bills could be interested in Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end and Buffalo native Rob Gronkowski during free agency. Now we have another known-TE option connected to the Bills: Evan Engram.
Again via The Athletic, the Bills were called a “top suitor” to sign Engram. He is also a pending free agent but for the New York Giants:
Coincidentally, a source identified the Bills as a top suitor for Engram. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the league views the Giants’ 2017 first-round pick next week.
Engram, 27, has spent his entire career with the Giants. He has mostly been inconsistent but he was a first-round pick for a reason. Engram has playmaking talent ,but in the NFL he has struggled due to issues with drops and injuries.
Despite that, the one time injuries did not plague a season for him in 2020, Engram was a Pro Bowler. That year, he had 63 catches for 654 yards and a touchdown. In 2021, Engram missed two games and notched 46 catches for 408 yards and three scores.
The report indicates that Engram will be “priced out” of the Giants’ budget in free agency. It remains to be seen if he’s in the Bills’ ballpark.
Buffalo is only slightly over the salary cap right now and The Athletic estimates Engram to land a deal somewhere around $7-8M per year. Free agency always has the possibility to make price tags go up as well so finances will play a big part here in of Engram to the Bills.
In Buffalo, Engram would be paired up in a tight end duo with Dawson Knox. The two might be open to that since they were college teammates at Ole Miss.
The Bills would have to figure out a way to make such a formation work, though. Buffalo’s interest in Engram will probably involve quarterback Josh Allen’s thoughts and new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey.
Does the one now pulling the string for the offense want a formation with two playmaking tight ends?
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