The San Francisco 49ers are reportedly showing interest in trading for New York Giants tight end Evan Engram.
During his rookie campaign in 2017, Evan Engram showed he can be one of the more versatile and athletic tight ends in this league. The New York Giants selected him with the No. 23 overall pick in that year’s draft. Engram ultimately caught 64 balls for 722 yards and six scores in his inaugural pro season.
But injuries have hindered his success since then, as he missed a total of 13 games over the last two seasons. As a result, the Giants could look to move on from him heading into 2020, and per a report, the San Francisco 49ers may be able to assist them in those regards.
According to Vincent Frank of Forbes, the 49ers have expressed interest in trading for the 25-year-old tight end.
Not sure about Burton for the 49ers. Will say they have sniffed around for a TE2 behind Kittle and have shown interest in Evan Engram trade. Whether draft, trade or FA, 49ers will add a TE.
— Vincent Frank (@VincentFrankNFL) April 17, 2020
It’s a weird concept, given that if Engram is healthy, he’s certainly a first-string tight end, not a No. 2. But that’s a big “if,” as he missed 14 games in his initial trio of campaigns.
San Francisco also employs one of the top tight ends in the league in George Kittle, who caught 85 balls for 1,053 yards and five touchdowns last year in what was a second consecutive Pro Bowl season.
It’s unclear exactly what the Giants would ask from the 49ers in return for Engram. But, there’s a chance they may seek multiple picks in next year’s draft. The reason I don’t say this year’s draft is due to the fact that they could want selections in both the third and fourth rounds, assets the Niners currently don’t possess this year.
If Engram was to depart from the Giants, then Big Blue would likely start Kaden Smith at the tight end spot, considering Rhett Ellison is gone as well. Ellison retired this past March after three seasons with the team.
Last year, Smith caught 31 balls for 268 yards and three touchdowns in nine games (six starts) as a rookie.
Only time will tell if a trade involving Engram will be made. At the moment, he’s entering the final season of his four-year rookie deal. The Giants could still implement Engram’s fifth-year option though.
