Who Should I Start? Evan Engram or Irv Smith Jr.

Friday, July 5, 6:15 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram set the single-season franchise record in 2023 with 114 catches for 963 yards and four touchdowns in 17 regular-season games to earn his second trip to the Pro Bowl. After two very successful year in Jacksonville, Engram is now looking to be a bigger downfield threat than ever before, which would include more big plays and touchdowns, perhaps putting him in the elite tight end category that includes Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Sam LaPorta. Engram's 241 targets and 187 catches over the last two years are the most of any player on the roster and the most of any TE in the NFL. His 187 catches over that span are second among TEs only to Kelce's 203. Engram was the most-targeted TE last year, and only David Njoku had more yards after the catch than his 516. But his 8.4 yards per catch ranked 26th at the position. Draft Engram as a solid midrange TE1 and hope he can deliver on his goals in his third year with the Jags.

Tuesday, March 12, 1:08 PM

Cincinnati Bengals free-agent tight end Irv Smith Jr. reached an agreement on an undisclosed one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday, according to a source. Smith had a lot of potential when he entered the league as the Minnesota Vikings' second-round pick in 2019 out of Alabama, but he hasn't lived up to the hype. The 25-year-old had his best season in his second year in the NFL, catching 30 of his 43 targets for 365 yards and five touchdowns with the Vikes in 2020. In his first and only season with the Cincinnati Bengals last year, he had 18 catches on 26 targets for 115 yards and one touchdown in 12 games. In Kansas City, Smith will merely be serving as tight end insurance behind the aging Travis Kelce.