Around the NFL

February 23, 2023

Evan Engram

Tight end hopes to return to Jacksonville

Evan Engram is headed for free agency, but to hear him talk he probably isn't going very far. He's hoping to return to Jacksonville, and it seems likely the feeling will be mutual. The tight end is coming off his best season.

Engram in 2022 set career highs in both catches (73) and yards (766). Moreover, he caught nearly 75 percent of the passes thrown his way, which was much, much better than any of his seasons with the Giants. Yes he was working with a better quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, but Engram also struggled with drops during his tenure in New York. Wherever you want to place the blame/credit, Engram went from having one of the worst catch rates at his position in New York to one of the best in Jacksonville.

Table shows all tight ends with 60-plus targets in a season since Engram entered the league in 2017. With the Giants, he was responsible for two of the three worst seasons at the position in terms of catch rate, as well as the 20th-worst in his last season in New York.

With Jacksonville, he finished just short of 20 best seasons in that regard over the last six seasons, including the 5th-best in 2022. Big difference.

TIGHT END CATCH RATES, 2017-2022
Year	Player	Tgt	Rec	Yds	TD	Catch%
2018	Austin Hooper, Atl.	88	71	660	4	80.7%
2022	Dallas Goedert, Phil.	69	55	702	3	79.7%
2019	George Kittle, S.F.	107	85	1053	5	79.4%
2022	Noah Fant, Sea.	63	50	486	4	79.4%
2022	Robert Tonyan, G.B.	67	53	470	2	79.1%
2018	Kyle Rudolph, Min.	82	64	634	4	78.0%
2021	C.J. Uzomah, Cin.	63	49	493	5	77.8%
2019	Tyler Higbee, LAR	89	69	734	3	77.5%
2019	Austin Hooper, Atl.	97	75	787	6	77.3%
2017	Benjamin Watson, Balt.	79	61	522	4	77.2%
2019	Darren Waller, Oak.	117	90	1145	3	76.9%
2022	Hayden Hurst, Cin.	68	52	414	2	76.5%
2021	Gerald Everett, Sea.	63	48	478	4	76.2%
2020	George Kittle, S.F.	63	48	634	2	76.2%
2021	Pat Freiermuth, Pitt.	79	60	497	7	75.9%
2019	Jason Witten, Dall.	83	63	529	4	75.9%
2021	Noah Fant, Den.	90	68	670	4	75.6%
2021	George Kittle, S.F.	94	71	910	6	75.5%
2017	Austin Hooper, Atl.	65	49	526	3	75.4%
2021	Dalton Schultz, Dall.	104	78	808	8	75.0%
2022	Evan Engram, Jac.	98	73	766	4	74.5%
2018	Zach Ertz, Phil.	156	116	1163	8	74.4%
2017	Jack Doyle, Ind.	108	80	690	4	74.1%
2022	Dawson Knox, Buff.	65	48	517	6	73.8%
2020	Darren Waller, L.V.	145	107	1196	9	73.8%
2021	Dallas Goedert, Phil.	76	56	830	4	73.7%
2020	Tyler Higbee, LAR	60	44	521	5	73.3%
2021	T.J. Hockenson, Det.	84	61	583	4	72.6%
2017	Hunter Henry, LAC	62	45	579	4	72.6%
2022	David Njoku, Cle.	80	58	628	4	72.5%
2022	Cole Kmet, Chi.	69	50	544	7	72.5%
2020	Travis Kelce, K.C.	145	105	1416	11	72.4%
2017	Jason Witten, Dall.	87	63	560	5	72.4%
2022	Travis Kelce, K.C.	152	110	1338	12	72.4%
2019	Hunter Henry, LAC	76	55	652	5	72.4%
2021	Tyler Higbee, LAR	85	61	560	5	71.8%
2019	Travis Kelce, K.C.	136	97	1229	6	71.3%
2018	Trey Burton, Chi.	76	54	569	6	71.1%
2020	Dalton Schultz, Dall.	89	63	615	4	70.8%
2020	Dallas Goedert, Phil.	65	46	524	3	70.8%
2017	Kyle Rudolph, Min.	81	57	532	8	70.4%
2018	Evan Engram, NYG	64	45	577	3	70.3%
2021	Tyler Conklin, Min.	87	61	593	3	70.1%
2021	Mark Andrews, Balt.	153	107	1361	9	69.9%
2022	George Kittle, S.F.	86	60	765	11	69.8%
2018	Vance McDonald, Pitt.	72	50	610	4	69.4%
2021	Dawson Knox, Buff.	71	49	587	9	69.0%
2018	Travis Kelce, K.C.	150	103	1336	10	68.7%
2021	Travis Kelce, K.C.	134	92	1125	10	68.7%
2022	Austin Hooper, Ten.	60	41	444	2	68.3%
2019	Tyler Eifert, Cin.	63	43	436	3	68.3%
2017	George Kittle, S.F.	63	43	515	2	68.3%
2017	Jesse James, Pitt.	63	43	372	3	68.3%
2022	Zach Ertz, Ari.	69	47	406	4	68.1%
2017	Travis Kelce, K.C.	122	83	1038	8	68.0%
2017	Tyler Kroft, Cin.	62	42	404	7	67.7%
2017	Austin Seferian-Jenkins, NYJ	74	50	357	3	67.6%
2018	Jared Cook, Oak.	101	68	896	6	67.3%
2017	Zach Ertz, Phil.	110	74	824	8	67.3%
2018	C.J. Uzomah, Cin.	64	43	439	3	67.2%
2022	T.J. Hockenson, 2TM	129	86	914	6	66.7%
2017	Delanie Walker, Ten.	111	74	807	4	66.7%
2022	Tyler Higbee, LAR	108	72	620	3	66.7%
2020	Noah Fant, Den.	93	62	673	3	66.7%
2022	Gerald Everett, LAC	87	58	555	4	66.7%
2022	Tyler Conklin, NYJ	87	58	552	3	66.7%
2019	Dallas Goedert, Phil.	87	58	607	5	66.7%
2021	Hunter Henry, N.E.	75	50	603	9	66.7%
2020	T.J. Hockenson, Det.	101	67	723	6	66.3%
2017	Charles Clay, Buff.	74	49	558	2	66.2%
2019	Jared Cook, N.O.	65	43	705	9	66.2%
2020	Gerald Everett, LAR	62	41	417	2	66.1%
2017	Julius Thomas, Mia.	62	41	388	3	66.1%
2021	Zach Ertz, 2TM	112	74	763	5	66.1%
2020	Mark Andrews, Balt.	88	58	701	7	65.9%
2020	Jimmy Graham, Chi.	76	50	456	8	65.8%
2017	Rob Gronkowski, N.E.	105	69	1084	8	65.7%
2020	Austin Hooper, Cle.	70	46	435	4	65.7%
2020	Logan Thomas, Was.	110	72	670	6	65.5%
2019	Mark Andrews, Balt.	98	64	852	10	65.3%
2018	Rob Gronkowski, N.E.	72	47	682	3	65.3%
2019	Zach Ertz, Phil.	135	88	916	6	65.2%
2021	Mike Gesicki, Mia.	112	73	780	2	65.2%
2018	George Kittle, S.F.	136	88	1377	5	64.7%
2019	Evan Engram, NYG	68	44	467	3	64.7%
2022	Cade Otton, T.B.	65	42	391	2	64.6%
2022	Juwan Johnson, N.O.	65	42	508	7	64.6%
2022	Mark Andrews, Balt.	113	73	847	5	64.6%
2021	Cole Kmet, Chi.	93	60	612	0	64.5%
2020	Hunter Henry, LAC	93	60	613	4	64.5%
2022	Pat Freiermuth, Pitt.	98	63	732	2	64.3%
2018	Jordan Reed, Was.	84	54	558	2	64.3%
2022	Dalton Schultz, Dall.	89	57	577	5	64.0%
2020	Hayden Hurst, Atl.	88	56	571	6	63.6%
2018	David Njoku, Cle.	88	56	639	4	63.6%
2019	Greg Olsen, Car.	82	52	597	2	63.4%
2020	Jonnu Smith, Ten.	65	41	448	9	63.1%
2021	Evan Engram, NYG	73	46	408	3	63.0%
2017	Jared Cook, Oak.	86	54	688	2	62.8%
2020	Mike Gesicki, Mia.	85	53	703	6	62.4%
2017	Cameron Brate, T.B.	77	48	591	6	62.3%
2017	Vernon Davis, Was.	69	43	648	3	62.3%
2021	Kyle Pitts, Atl.	110	68	1026	1	61.8%
2021	Rob Gronkowski, T.B.	89	55	802	6	61.8%
2018	Jimmy Graham, G.B.	89	55	636	2	61.8%
2017	Eric Ebron, Det.	86	53	574	4	61.6%
2020	Eric Ebron, Pitt.	91	56	558	5	61.5%
2019	Noah Fant, Den.	66	40	562	3	60.6%
2018	Eric Ebron, Ind.	110	66	750	14	60.0%
2019	Jack Doyle, Ind.	72	43	448	4	59.7%
2017	Jimmy Graham, Sea.	96	57	520	10	59.4%
2021	Darren Waller, L.V.	93	55	665	2	59.1%
2020	Rob Gronkowski, T.B.	77	45	623	7	58.4%
2021	Jared Cook, LAC	83	48	564	4	57.8%
2020	Evan Engram, NYG	109	63	654	2	57.8%
2019	Mike Gesicki, Mia.	89	51	570	5	57.3%
2017	Evan Engram, NYG	115	64	722	6	55.7%

At pro-football-reference.com, you can find specific drop rates for players. The 2022 numbers for all tight ends with at least 60 targets are shown below. Engram's drop rate of just over 5 percent last year was fairly middle of the pack; just a little below-average. Best in this regard was Dallas Goedert; worst was Gerald Everett (perhaps that's why he's been with three teams the last three seasons) and a pair of rookies, Cade Otton and Isaiah Likely.

TIGHT END DROP RATES, 2022
Player	Tgt	Rec	Yds	TD	Drop	Drop%
Dallas Goedert, Phi.	69	55	702	3	1	1.4%
Robert Tonyan, G.B.	67	53	470	2	1	1.5%
Noah Fant, Sea.	63	50	486	4	1	1.6%
Logan Thomas, Was.	61	39	323	1	1	1.6%
Austin Hooper, Ten.	60	41	444	2	1	1.7%
Cole Kmet, Chi.	69	50	544	7	2	2.9%
Hayden Hurst, Cin.	68	52	414	2	2	2.9%
George Kittle, S.F.	86	60	765	11	3	3.5%
David Njoku, Cle.	80	58	628	4	3	3.8%
Pat Freiermuth, Pit.	98	63	732	2	4	4.1%
Zach Ertz, Ari.	69	47	406	4	3	4.3%
Tyler Conklin, NYJ	87	58	552	3	4	4.6%
Juwan Johnson, N.O.	65	42	508	7	3	4.6%
Evan Engram, Jac.	98	73	766	4	5	5.1%
Travis Kelce, K.C.	152	110	1338	12	8	5.3%
T.J. Hockenson, 2TM	129	86	914	6	7	5.4%
Dawson Knox, Buf.	65	48	517	6	4	6.2%
Tyler Higbee, LAR	108	72	620	3	7	6.5%
Dalton Schultz, Dal.	89	57	577	5	6	6.7%
Mark Andrews, Bal.	113	73	847	5	8	7.1%
Cade Otton, T.B.	65	42	391	2	5	7.7%
Isaiah Likely, Bal.	60	36	373	3	6	10.0%
Gerald Everett, LAC	87	58	555	4	9	10.3%

--Andy Richardson

Evan Engram

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