Broncos' Tight End Void Looms Large as Week 1 Trip to Kansas City Approaches

The Denver Broncos wrapped up their 53-man roster cut-down with some surprising decisions, but none carry more weight heading into the regular season than the team's current situation at tight end.

With the Broncos set to open the 2026 campaign Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs, a position group that was already a concern now looks outright unsettled.

Evan Engram's name has appeared on the Broncos' injury report repeatedly throughout camp, with listings ranging from calf to hamstring to foot issues—including multiple "Out" designations. FanSided's Broncos coverage recently went so far as to call Denver's handling of the position "indefensible" and a potential derailment for the offense in 2026.

That skepticism gained traction during roster cuts. The team parted ways with tight end Justin Joly, a move ProFootballTalk confirmed among the Broncos' final cuts on August 30. Meanwhile, the initial 53-man roster features a notable rookie inclusion at tight end—one that generated discussion about whether the Broncos are truly settled at the position or simply hoping someone emerges.

As it stands, the depth chart lists Lucas Krull and Adam Trautman as the top tight ends, with Engram also listed.

There's also the murky situation surrounding cornerback Jahdae Barron, whose standing with the team remains unclear following the preseason finale. Barron is currently listed as a backup cornerback on the depth chart despite being a notable addition this offseason.

The bigger-picture concern: Denver's offense thrived in 2025 behind Bo Nix's breakout campaign. Nix delivered a 62.9% completion rate with 28 touchdowns and 4,210 passing yards across 19 games, leading the Broncos to a 14-3 record. But the tight end position was central to what the Broncos wanted to do in 2026 after adding Engram.

With limited practice time and a questionable status for Week 1, Engram's availability is very much in doubt. NFL rankings lists have shown disrespect toward this roster all offseason—FanSided has published multiple pieces about the Broncos being undervalued—but the tight end concerns are based on substance rather than perception.

Kansas City is expected to take the field as a home favorite, with the Chiefs sitting around -144 on the moneyline and a 2.5-point spread at most books. That leaves Denver as roughly a 45% implied probability to win the opener. The Broncos did split last season's two meetings with the Chiefs and performed well at Arrowhead in that December matchup, but they'll need more than one dimension to their passing attack to pull off the road win this time.

If Engram can't go, Bo Nix will lean even heavier on Courtland Sutton—himself dealing with a variety of injury listings that have trended toward full participation—and the rest of a receiving corps that will be tested.

The Broncos' roster is talented enough to win the AFC West and make noise in the playoffs. But solving the tight end riddle in the first week of September was supposed to be the easy part. Instead, Denver enters Week 1 with more questions at that position than answers.