It hasn't taken long for Evan Engram to become enamored with Broncos culture.
Only a few days into training camp, the tight end signee has found one particular element more difficult in Denver than it was in places past: standing out as the guy who's first one in, last one out.
"That's probably my favorite thing about being a Bronco right now," Engram said Friday. "Just the way that this team connects, the way they push each other, the way they challenge each other, the way that we've bonded, the standard that we have for ourselves, just the camaraderie we have, the laughs that we have. It's an incredible locker room, a lot of great leaders.
"I tell people, all my family, it's hard to be the first one in the building. I'm used to being the first one in Jacksonville. I was always the first one, it was really easy, and here it's kind of tough. A lot of guys doing it at the highest level. It's just a contagious environment. We all want to get better and we all have high standards that we all want to achieve together."
Engram meant his statement primarily as a compliment to his new squad, a hungry Denver team looking to build on its first double-digit win season and playoff berth since the 2015 campaign.
In order to highlight the team's culture, however, it took pointing out his early arrivals to the facility weren't exactly matched by his fellow teammates on the Jaguars, for whom he had 2,094 yards and nine touchdowns on 234 receptions the past three seasons.
During that period, Jacksonville went from a surprise participant in the AFC Divisional Round in Engram's first year there to a late-season collapse in 2023 and a four-win season in 2024 that cost Doug Pederson his job. The Jags will be looking to create a more successful culture under new head coach Liam Coen without Engram after releasing him in March.
Denver, which went 5-12 the same season Jacksonville and Engram reached the playoffs, has been traveling the opposite direction to the Jags the past two seasons under head coach Sean Payton, winning eight games in 2023 and then 10 last season.
Payton, himself, commented Saturday during Back Together Weekend about a better culture taking hold in Denver last year.
"Sometimes it takes a year, but it's gonna happen," Payton said. "That's finding players that love playing, finding smart players and then putting them in those positions to have success. And I think it flipped last year. I can't tell you what part of the season, but credit to last year's team. It changed and it wasn't just the postseason. I think that stretch out east after we started the season 0-2 was real important. We had a Tampa Bay win on the road, a Jet win on the road. I think that stretch, bouncing back, led to where we're at right now. Once you taste that, you like and want more of it. And you don't want the other stuff, and then you add a few key pieces that have been in those positions. I like it."
The focus now is buckling down and continuing to improve. Denver already boasted a young leader in quarterback Bo Nix and a savvy veteran wideout in Courtland Sutton. Nik Bonitto emerged in 2024 as a game-wrecking pass rusher, and cornerback Patrick Surtain II is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Engram was part of an infusion of free-agent talent that included Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga, both established winners with the 49ers, meant to build on the foundation Denver laid last year.
Having come from a team that dropped too many games last season to one seemingly on the rise, Engram has noticed the collective effort to keep the good times going.
It's slightly early for bulletin board material, but the Broncos and Jaguars notably clash during the season ahead -- Week 16 in Jacksonville.
