Free agent Evan Engram could switch from tight end to slot receiver

INDIANAPOLIS — As the line between offensive positions in football blurs, Evan Engram’s future may become clearer.

Some teams are preparing to make free-agent pitches for the 6-foot-3, 240-pound engram, which will feature him as a big-bodied slot receiver, sources speaking about the tight- End-Market, The Post at the NFL Combine. The hybrid strategy was theorized throughout Engram’s five seasons with the Giants but never actually implemented because he’s always been the best option at the tight end and because of his determination to live up to the blocking aspects of the job.

But Engram, 27, achieves the free hand at a time when he’s one of nine tight ends in the top 100 players available, according to Pro Football Focus. It’s also considered a deep draft class, with potential rookie starters to be found in the middle rounds. Standing out from the crowd is important.

More and more attacks are moving away from positional players. If recipient Deebo Samuel can have 10 carries in a gameif tight end Travis Kelce can run or throw as a red zone quarterback, if running back Alvin Kamara can step up at receiver, and if Cordarrelle Patterson can switch positions from receiving to running back at the age of 30, why not keep experimenting?

A team signed with a Pro Bowl tight end is strongly considering pursuing Engram in a non-traditional role, a source told The Post. But the Giants are also staying in touch with their 2017 first-round pick, the source said, and haven’t entirely given up on re-signing him should his market not fully materialize and he become available at the right price.

Engram was lined up in slot or far out for 61.4 percent of his snaps last season. Dolphins tight end (in name only) Mike Gesicki has slotted or widened with 85.1 percent of his snaps and is now being forecast by PFF for a four-year, $53 million deal.

The Cowboys could get in the mix for Engram if they decide not to tag Dalton Schultz as a franchise after NFL Network reported Blake Jarwin won’t be ready for the start of the season due to an injury. Some AFC playoff teams are also expected to be on offer.

Engram is said not to have closed his mind about returning to the Giants, although the Fans turned against him after a history of too many falls in critical situations.