Fourth in a series previewing the Broncos’ 2025 roster in the weeks leading up to the start of training camp in late July. Previous: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receivers.
On the roster (six): Nate Adkins, Evan Engram, Lucas Krull, Caleb Lohner, Caden Prieskorn, Adam Trautman
How many on the 53? Four.
The Broncos have kept four TEs on the initial 53-man for two straight years under Sean Payton, and that seems unlikely to change in 2025. Engram is of course a lock, and steady veteran Trautman has played over 50% of Denver’s offensive snaps the last couple years. This could shape up as a battle between the younger Adkins, Lohner and Krull for a final couple spots.
Most impactful offseason move: Signing their Joker.
Maybe their most impactful offseason move, period. It was clear, despite a solid group of receivers in 2024, that Denver needed to surround their ascending second-year quarterback with more skill talent. Enter the 30-year-old Engram, who brings both veteran savvy and explosive athleticism as Payton’s long-awaited matchup threat over the middle.
Really, the 6-foot-3 Engram exists in his own space here, a sort of jumbo receiver who could be used more like a traditional slot wideout in Payton’s offense. But the Broncos’ tight-end group as a collective caught 51 passes in 2024; Engram caught 47 himself in just nine games. Bo Nix, meet your new best friend.
Biggest question to answer in camp: Can Lohner contribute at all as a rookie?
Well, probably not. Lohner, the Broncos’ hooper-turned-rookie-TE, caught four passes last year at Utah in his first year of organized football since the eighth grade. But Payton doesn’t tell players they’ll be the next Jimmy Graham willy-nilly. As a rookie with New Orleans in 2010, Graham finished with 356 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games, and that was all of one year after he switched to football for his senior season at Miami.
The 6-foot-7 Lohner looked comfortable enough in minicamp in route-running and pass-catching, and there’s a scenario where he boxes his way out to a couple red-zone touchdowns as a rookie. If he makes the initial 53, it’s a likely sign Denver sees enough short-term potential in the Utah product to warrant stashing him as a long-term project.
Battle to watch: Who trots out next to Engram in two-TE sets?
Also known as: Who blocks? Trautman is basically Payton’s right-hand man at this point, after starting his career with the New Orleans Saints, and spent 66% of his snaps last year as a blocker. Adkins, a TE-fullback dirty-work expert, spent 67% of his reps blocking in 2024, too.
Adkins is likely to crack the Broncos’ roster again as a critical special-teamer, and showed enough in 2024 that he could push Trautman for snaps in run-blocking situations where Engram’s already on the field. Krull’s role is one to monitor, as he led Denver’s tight end room in catches last year (19) but spent less than a quarter of his snaps blocking. It’s quite possible the guys who check the most boxes behind Engram crack the initial 53.
Under the radar player: Prieskorn.
You might not even have heard this happened; the Broncos swapped out a variety of tight ends from their offseason roster through OTAs and minicamp, first waiving Thomas Yassmin for vet Cole Fotheringham and then waving Fotheringham for undrafted rookie Prieskorn.
Perhaps he’ll be just another camp body, but Payton doesn’t sign 6-foot-6 tight ends for no reason. The 25-year-old Prieskorn has legit pedigree, playing two years of SEC ball at Ole Miss after three years at Memphis, and caught 105 passes across his last three seasons of college ball.
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