Giants 2022 UFA Primer: TE Evan Engram
Feature (Series) - February 16, 2022
Evan Engram was a member of the New York Giants 2017 draft class—the last group picked by former general manager Jerry Reese before being fired during that season.
A player named to multiple All-SEC teams and an All-American distinction in 2016, Engram, the No. 23 overall pick in that 2017 draft, spent four years at Ole Miss, in which he amassed 162 catches, 2,320 yards, and 15 touchdowns.
After joining the Giants, the hope was that Engram would upgrade an area of the team’s roster that was awful the previous year and had accumulated only three touchdowns. Then-head coach Ben McAdoo named Engram the starting tight end soon after camp, and he’s held the position ever since.
….
Despite his numbers, Engram has been prone to drawing the ire of Giants fans for his critical mistakes at times. In the 2020 season, in a Week 7 game against the Eagles, Engram became a poster child for criticism when he dropped a big pass from Daniel Jones on a third-down pass well into Eagles territory with just over two minutes left in regulation. The Giants had a 21-16 lead, and they proceeded to punt and eventually lose 22-21.
Earlier that year, the Giants picked up Engram’s fifth-year option, worth $6.013 million for the 2021 season. After another pedestrian season in 2021, they now face the decision of whether to re-sign the athletic tight end or let him walk away.