On Tuesday, the San Francisco 49ers made a big move when they acquired wide receiver Keenan Allen from the Indianapolis Colts at the NFL trade deadline. The move gives the 49ers some more depth at the positional group as they await the injury return of wide receiver Mike Evans.
Now, more information has come out about another target the 49ers considered before landing on the Allen trade.
“The 49ers looked around for tight end help, and the Broncos' Evan Engram was on their radar. But they landed on Keenan Allen, who's a bigger receiver and perhaps serves some of the same functions in the offense,” reported ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler on ESPN.com.
Adding Engram would have been an interesting choice, and it's unclear what the 49ers would have had to give up to make such a deal happen, especially considering that the Broncos aren't exactly sellers this year amid their hot first half of the season.
However, as Fowler noted, Allen can in some instances function as a tight end to his size and veteran savvy, and San Francisco already has one of the best tight ends in the league in George Kittle.
The 49ers have enjoyed an excellent first half of the 2026 season and would be the top seed in the NFC playoffs if the postseason ended today, which would mean a bye in the first round.
In any case, the 49ers will hit the field for the first time since trading for Evan on Sunday afternoon for a road game against the struggling Dallas Cowboys. Kickoff for that one is set for 4:25 pm ET.