The Denver Broncos will forever remain one of the greatest What-Ifs from the 2025 NFL season. A dominant regular season behind a stifling defense paved the way for a run to the AFC Championship Game for them. However, an injury to Bo Nix in what was essentially the final play of the Divisional Round ended their hopes in an instant.
Denver Broncos Figure Out Their Tight End Conundrum
The organization’s hope has to be that they can replicate their success next season as well, and potentially even take a step forward. They could make progress by addressing key areas of struggle. One analyst suggests that the best approach would be to upgrade the tight end position from Evan Engram.
Last offseason, head coach Sean Payton was adamant about finding dual-threat playmakers who could be lethal in both the running and passing games. As a result, they pursued Engram in free agency and drafted RJ Harvey to that end.
While Harvey showed flashes as a rookie, the Engram choice did not work out. A two-time Pro Bowler over the course of his career, he compiled 461 receiving yards and just a single touchdown in the regular season, ranking 46th on PFSN’s TE Impact.
During the playoffs, though, he was virtually non-existent, racking in just 26 yards on three receptions. At two years and $23 million, he failed to deliver and did not justify his contract. As a result, Cameron Sheath of PFSN believes the Broncos need to go in a different direction at the tight end spot.
In his latest mock draft for 2026, he placed the Broncos as a landing spot for Eli Stowers from Vanderbilt. A lean and long-limbed pass-catcher who boasts effervescent athleticism for his size, he has elite body control and contortion ability, making him an extremely safe pair of hands on the field.
And Sheath had some extremely high praise for him. “As a receiving weapon, Eli Stowers is my favorite tight end in this class, ahead of Sadiq, but I’m one of a small few who feel that way.”
Spending two seasons with the Commodores, he upped his collegiate career totals to 1,773 receiving yards and 13 total touchdowns.
However, Vanderbilt did not utilize the natural rushing ability that had allowed him to add 125 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground on just 29 carries in his lone season at NMSU.
“Stowers’ natural feel for space against zone coverage makes me think he could run routes blindfolded, while his hands are velcro-esque. I think he’ll go higher than expected, and this spot makes a lot of sense to me.”
That kind of threat, alongside the established wide receiver corps and further improvement from Nix, could keep the Broncos in the thick of the playoff race in the AFC and allow them to potentially improve from this season.
