ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- From the first time Sean Payton said the term "joker" as the head coach of the Denver Broncos, he has often been asked if the Broncos actually have one in their offense, who it might be and what it takes to be one.
After the recent joint practice with the Cardinals, Payton pointed at a player who he believes clearly fits the job description -- Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride, who has had 81 and 111 receptions, respectively, the past two seasons.
"Look, that's a joker," Payton said. "Those players become more difficult [to defend] than the blue-chip receiver. ... They're so quarterback-friendly because they're just closer to the [quarterback in the formation]. The halfback that's an elite receiver, the tight end, those guys are really a quarterback's friend."
And as the Broncos prepare to play their final preseason game Saturday in New Orleans and as the season opener approaches, the team's search for the joker might not be officially completed. The Broncos have candidates, led by tight end Evan Engram, but Payton has cracked that none of the players have earned their "joker wings" just yet.
At the root of the joker phenomenon are Payton's high-output offenses from his long tenure with the Saints, which saw quarterback Drew Brees put up a dozen 4,000-yard passing seasons and four 5,000-yard campaigns. In those offenses, the joker was often the playmaker. Usually, a joker is a tight end or a running back who stresses the interior of the defense in the passing game and works from the inside out against a defense, making it more difficult for a defensive playcaller to double-team or find the right size-speed matchup.
Running backs Darren Sproles, Reggie Bush, Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara, along with tight end Jimmy Graham, filled the joker role on the Saints. It's part of the reason New Orleans had 11 combined Pro Bowl selections for running backs and tight ends during Payton's tenure (led by Kamara's five). Only one of its wide receivers, Michael Thomas, earned a Pro Bowl selection on offense.
"It's just something when we were trying to identify the tight ends or running backs that are rare pass receivers," Payton said. "That'd be the definition [on] AI, Wikipedia -- tight ends and running backs that are rare receivers."
What is clear is that the Broncos need that type of player. For all the good the team did in its 2024 playoff return, the offense had the third-highest rate of three-and-out possessions last season (26.3%). Only the Giants and Panthers did it more. The Broncos were 13th in third-down conversions, which dropped to 17th in third-and-medium conversion percentage (third down and between 4-6 yards to go).
Against eventual AFC playoff teams, the Broncos didn't find the end zone enough. They scored six points against the Steelers, 10 against the Ravens, 16 against the Chargers, 14 against the Chiefs and seven in the playoffs against the Bills. Denver lost every one of those games.
While running backs Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin were involved in the passing game last season -- contributing 51 and 24 receptions, respectively -- they combined for only two receiving touchdowns, and neither averaged more than 7 yards per reception (Williams 6.7, McLaughlin 3.2). And for the second consecutive season, Denver's tight ends also had limited impact. None had more than 19 catches, and the group had seven games last season without a reception of at least 10 yards.
"That's why when you find one, they're so valuable," Payton said. "But they are hard to find."
Engram, who signed a two-year deal in free agency in March and had a 114-catch season just two years ago, had one reception in the Broncos' first two preseason games. But the one play -- a 58-yard catch-and-run against the Cardinals -- showed all the joker traits.
Payton has said tight ends can be particularly difficult to defend in the joker role because they're bigger players with a bigger catch radius in the middle of the field. Engram said fans have enthusiastically added "joker" to his vocabulary since his arrival, whether on social media or in person.
"People do seem to love the joker thing, for sure," the 31-year-old Engram said. "But I've said, I do feel at home in this offense."
He has had four seasons with at least 60 catches. The Broncos haven't had a tight end with at least 60 catches since Noah Fant in 2021, and they haven't had a tight end with more than four touchdown receptions since Julius Thomas had 12 in 2014.
McLaughlin, rookie RJ Harvey and free-agent signee J.K. Dobbins are the running backs who could find some work in the passing game. Harvey had a heavy workload as a runner in college (back-to-back years of at least 226 carries at UCF, and 579 carries over his past three seasons) but is still a work in progress as a receiver. Dobbins had a career-best 32 receptions last season with the Chargers.
"And I think we have guys in our room who can fit that role," Dobbins said. "I know I believe I can."
Payton thinks he now has the players on the depth chart to find his joker, but the season will determine who lands the role.
"Harvey's a candidate, Jaleel McLaughlin, he's been to Joker school now for two years, [but] he's not gotten his wings," Payton said. "But do you understand? In one draft, Detroit landed a tight end [Sam LaPorta] and [running back Jahmyr] Gibbs, we would defend them as both joker threats."
"It's easy in our league to take a receiver away ... but when you have the interior tight end and halfback as threats like that, then it gives you a lot more options."