New York Giants tight end Evan Engram had six catches for 46 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night, on nine targets. But two of those three missed opportunities were ugly. One was an interception where he batted the ball in the air. Then he had a bad drop late in the fourth quarter, which would have all but sealed a win for the Giants.
With that 22-21 loss, the Giants are now 1-6 on the season. They aren’t necessarily dead in the dismal NFC East, but they have now lost head-to-head to the Cowboys and the Eagles.
After missing eight games last season, Engram has played all seven games this season. He is second on the Giants in catches (26), targets (44) and receiving yards (223) thus far. He also has four carries and touchdown on the ground.
The Giants picked up Engram’s fifth-year option, worth a little over $6 million, for 2021. But there is no commitment to him beyond that.
At 26 years old, Engram would seem to be a prominent piece of the Giants’ future. But if they push into sell-mode between now and the Nov. 3 trade deadline, he could also be a prime trade asset.
On that note, these three teams should pursue a trade for Evan Engram.
3. Buffalo Bills
Dawson Knox does not seem close to returning from a calf injury, and the Bills don’t feature the tight end prominently in their offense anyway. But Engram is a moveable piece around the formation, and he can stretch the field vertically. That would fit nicely with what Josh Allen does best.
Having multi-faceted threat at tight end would give Buffalo an enviable set of weapons (Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, John Brown), and stretch what offensive coordinator Brian Daboll can do. GM Brandon Beane is not afraid to make moves, and a call to David Gettleman about Engram has to be on the radar.
2. New England Patriots
The Patriots haven’t gotten much from their tight ends so far, with Ryan Izzo (six catches for 82 yards) the only one to register a catch. Rookies Dalton Keane (81 snaps) and Devin Asiasi (zero snaps) have not found traction yet.
Cam Newton’s productive history throwing to Greg Olsen with the Carolina Panthers informs the idea that tight end is a spot the Patriots need to improve. They are are an easily rumored suitor for Browns tight end David Njoku, who was taken six picks after Engram in the 2017 draft. But Engram has been a better player, even with an uptick in his drop rate this season.
1. Arizona Cardinals
Kliff Kingsbury’s offense ignores the tight end in the passing game. Through six games, the Cardinals have had one or zero tight ends on the field 68 percent of the time (according Sharp Football).
But as mentioned, Engram can’t be pigeonholed as just an in-line tight end. Via RotoWire (entering Thursday night’s game), he lined up for 165 of his 322 snaps in the slot (153) or on the outside (12).
Imagine Kyler Murray throwing the ball to DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk and Larry Fitzgerald, with Engram as a threat defenses have to actually account for from the tight end spot. That could be a differentiator in a competitive NFC West.
