Doug Pederson: I love Evan Engram’s athleticism…

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The Jaguars added several players at the start of free agency to help improve their team. One of the key signings was tight end Evan Engram.

With new head coach Doug Pederson in tow, quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s development is one of the club’s top priorities. To that end, Engram should be a significant factor in Jacksonville’s offense in 2022. And Pederson is familiar with Engram from their shared time in the NFC East.

“I just love his athleticism, his route running,” Pederson said at the annual league meeting this week, via John Oehser of the team’s website. “He’s a tough guy. He’s a willing participant to block.

“He really complements that tight end room. … He really makes that room better. We feel that’s one of the stronger positions on our team right now and he really adds some value there.”

Engram caught 46 passes for 408 yards with three touchdowns last year. In 65 games with 51 starts, he has 262 career receptions for 2,828 yards with 16 TDs.

Pederson is anticipating that Engram can become one of Lawrence’s most important targets.

“If you look at any successful quarterback in the league right now, tight end is probably at the top of the list for a quarterback,” Pederson said. “That one position: Everything’s kind of right over the ball, right in front of the quarterback. You also have to have a dynamic receiver as well, but that tight end position becomes the quarterback’s best friend.”