After lots of speculation, the Wisconsin Badgers have hired Bobby Engram to be their new offensive coordinator. Engram has been with the Baltimore Ravens for the past eight seasons coaching tight ends and wide receivers. He also worked with Paul Chryst at the University of Pittsburgh from 2012-2013 as a wide receivers coach. His son, Dean is now a wide receiver on the Badgers. This could mean Chryst will no longer call plays and he’ll just be the head coach; he could also continue to coach the quarterbacks. The Badgers offense needs new ideas and Engram comes from the most creative offense in the NFL. Fans are clamoring to know how Engram can change the Badgers stale offense.
Last season the Badgers offense was so predictable. Whenever Graham Mertz was under center; the ball would be handed off to Braelon Allen or someone else. If the Badgers lined up in the shotgun formation, they would throw a pass. For some reason, Wisconsin rarely handed the ball off in the shotgun. Even though Wisconsin went on a seven-game winning streak; this eventually caught up to them against Minnesota where the Gophers didn’t allow them to score an offensive touchdown. Minnesota would defeat the Badgers 23-13 costing Wisconsin a chance to go to the Big Ten Championship.
With the arrival of Engram, the Badgers will be able to open up their offense without abandoning their identity. Instead of just running simple plays out of basic formations; the Badgers have an opportunity to make their looks more unpredictable. The Ravens are one of the best teams in the NFL at offensive unpredictability.
The Badgers will continue to be a gap running team. The Badgers have big offensive linemen upfront; I doubt Engram will want to change that. Every running back that has come through the program has been successful in the gap scheme. Engram inherits a Heisman Trophy candidate running back in Braelon Allen to continue its success. He’ll also have Chez Mellusi who is very good at running through gaps as well.
Engram has spent the past couple of seasons with Greg Roman in Baltimore. Roman’s offenses often employed the use of multiple running backs in the backfield. The Ravens offense has been known for taking advantage of different running back skillsets. We could see Engram try and maximize the skillset of multiple Badger running backs. The diamond formation would be perfect for this team. While Wisconsin ran some diamond plays last season, they only used it occasionally in 2021. I believe Engram can use more of it with the personnel he is inheriting.
A new formation that I think Engram can bring to the Badgers offense is the pistol. Wisconsin has never used the pistol formation despite having the personnel. This formation would help an already lethal rushing attack be even more dangerous. The formation is a little different than the shotgun. Instead of having a running back next to the quarterback; the back lines further from center behind the quarterback. Instead of just handing the ball off and taking a couple of seconds to get going; the Badger backs would instead be able to accelerate earlier. Imagine what Braelon Allen could do in the pistol.
If Engram can bring Caleb Williams to Madison, expect some designed quarterback runs to be implemented. The Ravens have had a ton of success doing that with Lamar Jackson and Caleb Williams has the speed to do it. This would add a new angle to the Badgers offense has not had since the days of Russell Wilson. This will only be a possibility if they can get Williams; I don’t see Mertz doing designed runs if he’s under center this season.
Bobby Engram’s biggest challenge will be jump-starting the Badgers dormant pass offense. Last season with Chryst at the controls; the Badgers ranked 120th in all of college football in passing offense. Only seven teams ranked behind the Badgers in that category excluding the service academies who just run. This is an area that will require most of Engram’s attention.
One thing that won’t go away is the use of the tight end. Mark Andrews was arguably the best tight end in the NFL this season. The Ravens were constantly utilizing Andrews as he has become the focal point of the Ravens pass attack. With whatever Engram brings to the table, count on the tight end being a huge part of the Badgers offense again. Wisconsin only used one tight end mostly last season. Jake Ferguson caught most of the passes while the other tight ends were mostly used as blockers. This could change under Engram as he could employ the use of multiple tight ends both in the backfield and upfront. Don’t be surprised if we see more than one tight end running a route or blocking.
Engram will probably want to get the receivers involved more in the offense. While they did flash at times last season; Danny Davis, Kendric Pryor, and Chimere Dike weren’t used nearly enough. This season Dike takes over as the presumed number one receiver and should have a huge role in the offense. Engram’s son, Dean just decided to switch from cornerback to wide receiver and I expect Bobby to play to his strengths as well. The Badgers also have a promising young wide receiver in Markus Allen whom I think can make some plays. In the transfer portal, the Badgers added former UCLA wide receiver, Keontez Lewis. There are plenty of playmakers to work with.
With all that speed on the field, I think Engram can throw some screen plays into the Badgers playbook. The Badgers used to run some jet sweeps with their receivers, but they seemed to have gone away from it. I think Engram can replace the lack of jet sweeps with the screen game to use the Badgers speed more. Last year the Badgers pass attack consisted of dumping the ball short, the medium passes over the middle, and rarely throwing long. Instead of just throwing passes out of the shotgun, the Badgers could run plays through the air in the pistol and other formations.
Most of the Badgers offense will look familiar in 2022. However, the Badgers have the players to be even more creative on offense. The Badgers can still keep what works but add on new things that will catch the entire Big Ten off guard. Bobby Engram comes from one of the most creative offenses in the NFL and Wisconsin is lucky to have him.
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