It turns out Evan Engram made the right choice.

The veteran tight end grinned from his Broncos locker room stall Sunday night after clinching the AFC’s top playoff seed with a 14-3 record and a home victory over the Chargers. Engram, 31, elected to sign with Denver in March in NFL free agency. He now awaits a divisional playoff opponent with a first-round bye.

“It’s a blessing,” Engram said.

When did the ninth-year pro know this Broncos team was truly special?

“You get to OTAs and you’re just lifting and running. You obviously build relationships and get to know the guys,” Engram recalled. “But when you start running around the field, start practicing, and the ball is flying around. … The pads came on, and it’s like: ‘OK, we have something here.’ When we started competing is when I knew we had the talent to do it.”

Engram entered this season with high expectations as the “joker” in coach Sean Payton’s offense. But that role eventually turned to rookie running back RJ Harvey. Harvey finished the regular season with 540 yards rushing, 356 yards receiving and 12 total touchdowns.

Engram was a key piece of the offense but with modest stats. He logged 50 catches (third-most on the team) for 461 yards and one touchdown. Engram also dealt with calf and back injuries early in the season.

“Obviously, nothing is handed to you in this league,” Engram said. “The adversity that we faced all season; the games that we’ve won (and) the close moments that we pulled out. It just kind of unfolded a lot crazier than I expected, for sure. But I definitely had belief in this team from the jump.”

Engram seemed to always show up in big moments. A few examples:

— In Week 5, he lunged at the Philadelphia goal line to score a hard-fought receiving touchdown. The Broncos took the lead with an extra point and won on the road.

— In Week 13, he led the Broncos in catches (six) and receiving yards (79) in an overtime road victory over the Commanders.

— In Week 18, his 37-yard catch in the third quarter was the longest Denver reception in a close home win.

Engram is quick to credit the development of quarterback Bo Nix.

“He’s only in year two. Very impressive. Very mature. He handles adversity well,” Engram said of Nix. “He stays humble in the high moments. He’s always searching for improvement.”

Engram has one playoff appearance on his NFL resume. The 2022 Jaguars made it to the divisional round before a loss to the Chiefs. He said: “The preparation goes up a notch. You iron out the fine details a little bit more.”

Engram examined the field of AFC playoff teams: New England, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Houston, Buffalo, Los Angeles (Chargers) and Denver. He likes where the Broncos stand.

“It’s wide open,” Engram said. “Everything has to be earned. It’s going to be a fun dance.”

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2025 BRONCOS FREE AGENCY REWIND

Examining the production for Denver’s free agent class of 2025 (not including players who re-signed with the team):

TE Evan Engram

He finished the year healthy after some injury concerns beginning the season. His numbers weren’t staggering — just one TD catch — but Engram provided mature leadership for a young team. He also made big plays in big moments.

LB Dre Greenlaw

He struggled to stay healthy, appearing in just eight games due to hamstring and quadriceps injuries. Greenlaw was effective when he played with two pass deflections, one sack and one forced fumble. Will he return for the playoffs?

P Matt Haack

The Broncos released him in May after the team used a sixth-round draft pick to select punter Jeremy Crawshaw. Haack played seven games with the Cardinals this season and attempted 25 punts (51.3-yard average) with 10 downed inside the 20.

S Talanoa Hufanga

Teammates voted him a team captain before he played a down for the Broncos. He started in every game and logged an NFL career-best 106 tackles, plus 11 pass deflections, two sacks and one forced fumble.

WR Trent Sherfield

He played 10 games with the Broncos before his release in November. Sherfield recorded three catches for 21 yards. He later signed with the Cardinals and appeared in two games for Arizona.

— Kyle Fredrickson, The Denver Gazette