Denver provided a surprise to close observers Sunday by waiving fifth-round rookie TE Justin Joly. That move left Evan Engram, Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins, and seventh-round rookie Dallen Bentley at the position on the initial regular-season roster.
What They're Saying: We Like Joly ... Just Not That Way
The Athletic's Nick Kosmider: "Arguably the biggest surprise cut for the Broncos was Joly. ... With Evan Engram heading into the final year of his contract, Joly was viewed as a potential replacement in that field-stretching role in 2027. ... The rookie didn't do enough to convince coaches and personnel staff he's ready to contribute."
GM George Paton: "Justin's a talented player. We knew when we drafted him he was raw. ... He was coming on at the end of training camp. The tight end position is a tough position for a rookie. He missed a lot of the offseason and was just a little bit behind. We wish we had another [preseason] game or two. We still like the player. We think he's going to have a nice career. You've just got to make tough decisions and build the best 53 that you can make."
HC Sean Payton on his TEs after the preseason finale, via The Denver Post: "We are working through it. It is a deep room. What is the role; what is the vision? That is something we are still working through and trying to look closely at. It is one of the topics that will be high on the list."
Troy Renck of The Post: "This is an offense that needs all the help it can get from targets beyond Courtland Sutton and Jaylen Waddle. And it is weird that everyone talks like it will be Engram, the veteran who had to plead for the ball to get a touchdown at Philadelphia last season and spent the rest of the year playing the good soldier and biting his tongue."
Let's Talk Justin Joly Impact First
It can certainly still be true that the Broncos like Joly. Most teams are bound to have to cut at least a couple of players they wish they could keep.
That said, Denver decided it would rather take a shot at losing Joly forever than lose any of those other four TEs, and players such as:
- No. 3 QB Sam Ehlinger
- No. 4 RB Tyler Badie
- and eighth-year WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey
That means you should at least dismiss any hopes of Joly contributing useful NFL numbers soon.
Miami did claim Joly off waivers, putting him on the roster that might present his best chance at 2026 contributions.
2026 Broncos Fantasy Impact: What's This Mean for Engram?
The biggest redraft question from this is whether Engram can deliver meaningful 2026 fantasy value.
Renck says that new OC Davis Webb "recruited Engram to the Broncos."
"His offense has more outlets for Engram to explore," Renck writes. "Bo Nix insisted that they are implementing Engram in different ways."
But Renck -- who has worked the Broncos beat for years -- also concedes that "it did not show up this summer." And betting on Engram to re-emerge in his age-32 season seems like a bad idea after he managed just a 50-461-1 receiving line in his first Broncos campaign.
If you want to snag the veteran at the end of a TE-premium draft, that's fine. But we're not betting on meaningful value from this group in any format.
Other Winners & Losers: Bentley's Intriguing ... Except for That One Thing
Trautman and Adkins are veteran blocking TEs unlikely to realize much receiving value. Bentley heads toward the regular season as the unknown.
He went quiet through much of his college career but tallied 48 catches for 620 yards and 6 TDs in his final Utah season. That positioned Bentley second on the team in catches and yards and tied for the TD lead.
Bentley followed that with a nice Combine, including an 88th-percentile 40 time and 89th-percentile speed score for the position. His biggest limitation: Bentley's already 25.
We'll see whether he can provide reason for optimism as an old rookie in 2026, but that age factor makes it difficult to get excited about Bentley's dynasty outlook.
