DENVER – In the aftermath of the Broncos' 27-7 win over the Cardinals, Head Coach Sean Payton said he planned for tight end Evan Engram to play around eight snaps on Saturday night.
During his debut at Empower Field at Mile High, Engram made those plays count.
One of the Broncos' headline free-agent signings, Engram provided the biggest spark of an opening 97-yard touchdown drive in which every yard came from some of the team's newest faces. From the first snap of the drive, Denver's offseason additions were in control — and Engram got the big-play action started with a 58-yard catch and run.
Quarterback Jarrett Stidham found Engram in stride, and the veteran tight end did the rest. Breaking a tackle on the way, he took off up the sideline for an explosive gain. According to the NFL's Next Gen Stats, Engram picked up an impressive 38.5 yards after catch over expected on the play, showing off both speed and physicality.
"It's something I work on a lot," Engram said of making plays in space. "Just trying to be as dynamic as possible. Definitely just trying to bring as much as I can to the team."
Rookie wide receiver Pat Bryant, a third-round pick out of Illinois, made his presence felt in multiple ways. He opened the drive by throwing a key downfield block to propel Engram to additional yards in his opening drive.
"That kind of fuels me," Bryant said of making the block. "It gets me going just a little bit. I know the football gods will look out for you when you make those good blocks like that. They definitely looked out for me tonight."
The receiver followed up that block with a 29-yard reception on the ensuing play. Bryant finished the day with four catches for 70 yards on five targets, including a clutch third-and-15 conversion that kept a second-quarter drive alive.
"I've always been confident," Bryant said after the game. "Just coming into the league, just getting that feel for it. I feel like I'm starting to get back in my groove. The game's starting to slow down just a little bit. It's only preseason. I've got a long, long season ahead, so I'm looking forward to it."
In the running game, RJ Harvey capped off the drive in style. The second-round draft pick powered through an arm tackle on an 8-yard touchdown run, punching in his first score of the preseason. Harvey added two more carries and finished the game with 18 rushing yards on three attempts.
"It was just good to see everybody work and doing something they love and truly have passion for," rookie cornerback Jahdae Barron said of his teammates. "I'm just excited for those guys. … It was amazing seeing those two guys just go to work and do something they love."
With the competition heating up as the preseason nears its conclusion, the newcomers and young talent are proving they belong as key pieces in the Broncos' offense.
During Saturday's win, that was clear from the start.
