Will The Jaguars Use The Franchise Tag On Evan Engram?

Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram has had a mostly disappointing NFL career. The former New York Giant was a first-round pick in 2017. Engram had 64 receptions for 722 receiving yards and six touchdowns as a rookie.

However, he struggled after his rookie season. Over the final four years with the Giants, the veteran tight end averaged 49.5 receptions on 78.5 targets for 526.5 receiving yards and 2.5 touchdowns per year. Furthermore, Engram had 10 receiving touchdowns in his last four years in New York after totaling six in 2017.

Last year the veteran tight end signed a one-year contract with the Jaguars. Engram went on to have a career year in Jacksonville.

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Will The Jaguars Use The Franchise Tag On Evan Engram?

The former Ole Miss star was a popular late-round sleeper last season. Engram didn’t let fantasy players down as he ended the year as the TE6, averaging 8.3 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. Furthermore, the veteran tight end had a career-high 73 receptions and 766 receiving yards in 2022.

Following his career year, the Jaguars want Engram back next season. Jacksonville will use the franchise tag on the veteran tight end if the two sides can’t reach a long-term contract before Tuesday’s deadline. Engram would count for $11.4 million against the salary cap next season on the franchise tag.

Should Fantasy Players Draft Evan Engram In 2023?

While the veteran tight end will return in 2023, should fantasy players draft him? Engram had a career year in 2022. He had 73 receptions, 10 more than his previous career-high. However, the veteran tight end had only 98 targets, 17 fewer than the career-high during his rookie season.

Despite ending the 2022 season as the TE6, Engram wasn’t a consistent fantasy tight end. He scored double-digit fantasy points in only 29.4% of the games. Furthermore, the veteran scored 33.7 fantasy points in Week 14 against the Tennessee Titans. That performance accounted for 24% of his fantasy points for the year. Therefore, Engram averaged only 6.7 fantasy points per game over the other 16 contests.

More importantly, the veteran finished third on the team in targets in 2022. With Calvin Ridley joining the Jaguars in 2023, Engram's target share will drop. Therefore, fantasy players should consider the veteran a low-end TE1 at best heading into the 2023 fantasy season.

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