Evan Engram

Only thing I would add to this is Engram has to improve in his release portion of his route, to both press and collision from 2nd tier defenders. You're right the Giants don't call it as much, but like Cosell has said if you get coaches in a room with truth serum they will often tell you why they dont run XYZ and usually the answer is a pretty good one (can be many too).

So lets envision an example: 3x1 set where Engram is the Y or 3rd WR in closest to the LOS. Lets say he is Y-Off where he is off the line in a 2 point stance, and lets say the defense is running a 2-high safety look pre-snap that will morph into some Quarters check to that side, but one where the Middle of the Field remains Open (MOFO). In that case the route we are talking about is a Divide where he will angle into the middle of MOFO, one of the soft spots in the "zone". The biggest issue on tape is 0-7 yards as Engram's get off, release technique, and ability to play through contact have lacked consistency. Yes the odds are very high its a LBer who will be "collisioning" him, and even if its just a re route Engram's speed usually does not build up to the 3rd-5th stride. This is a very important characteristic, not all speed is the same. Last year the Giants were able to create some of those free releases by using PA, so that the 2nd tier (if they have a gap assigned to them), will be delayed in their collision of the WR.

Another "reason" why this play was not seen as much was, sadly, teams playing Tampa 2 coverage particularly early in the season. This coverage puts an athletic MLB on the #3 and he carries the vertical to help defend the MOFO aspect of Cover 2. The game I am thinking of is the Saints Game, where this coverage had a very deadly effect for parts of the game. This is not a "shut down" coverage, but w/Engram's speed coming later in the down, teams have found it collision and carry from larger sized defenders as a way to nullify his ability to separate.

This is a long winded way of saying(and I went through this on a recent podcast), its not simply that EE is being used "incorrectly". I did write an article saying I think he could play more of a H-Back/Move TE where from the backfield in bizarro 2 back sets I think he could gain this separation more easily and essentially be given more space to get to that 4th and 5th stride more often. I think he could be a more effective blocker from there (always have to tie EVERYTHING to the run side of the house). But that change is not seamless and would require a buy in from many parties involved. As a TE, improvement in his fundamentals will allow coaches to expand where they can trust him to win, and where the QB can trust to find him.