Fabulous Five: Top Tight Ends

The Fabulous Five series aims to set the record on who the best are at every position as we look ahead to the 2023 NFL season. This past season (2022) plays a big part in determining these rankings, but a player’s entire body of work is fair consideration. Consistency and availability will count as much as a high total of stats just from one season.

*Image credit to Kirby Lee / USA Today Sports*

The tight end position has enjoyed quite the renaissance in the past twenty years or so. Ask anyone who the best all-time at the position is, and chances hang around 99% they’ll say someone like Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, or Rob Gronkowski, all who enjoyed their careers post-2000 A.D. I’m not sure any other position benefitted more from the evolution of the game as we know it. Heck, they even have their own university now! With the shift to a more pass heavy offensive focus, tight ends have gone from glorified linemen to…glorified receivers. Much is asked of them, but not much respect is given beyond the elite few. So who are those elite few? This was one of the easier ranking lists to come up with this offseason, given the top heavy nature of the elite players at this position. Before we take a look at a few honorable mentions, you can get caught up on the series down below:

Coaches

Honorable Mentions

Many may argue that Darren Waller is a top-5 tight end, but I just never bought in. He was always more than a few steps behind the likes of Kelce and Kittle in my eyes. He’s missed a lot of games the past few seasons, and has disappeared in ones he was available for. That said, when Waller is on, he’s on. Hopefully a change in scenery will do him well, as he becomes Daniel Jones’ new top target on the upstart Giants. We’ll see how 2023 fares for all involved, especially Waller.

Kyle Pitts is dangerously approaching bust-pick territory. The skillset was obvious with Pitts coming out of college, but something just hasn’t clicked in his NFL tenure thus far. Is it the offensive scheme? Is it he fact Pitts has the attention of entire defenses week after week due to the lack of another weapon? Whatever it may be, Pitts needs to have a statement third season. Otherwise the questions of whether Pitts should be resigned, tagged, or traded will become the sole topic of conversation in Atlanta.

#1 - Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

“Baby Gronk” is all grown up. He has been for awhile. He’s also been the best tight end in all of football for awhile, and that likely won’t change until the wheels fall off or Travis Kelce calls it a career. Kelce is one of those few players that you truly cannot stop, only slow down. He had at least four receptions in every game this season, six games over one hundred yards receiving, and two game with at least three receiving touchdowns. Those two games couldn’t have been more different, either. Check out these stat lines: 10 targets, 6 receptions, 115 yards, and 3 touchdowns in week 11 against the Chargers. Back in week 5 against another division rival in the Raiders? How about 8 targets, 7 receptions. 25 yards, and FOUR touchdowns? The Chiefs narrowly won that game 30-29. Kelce is a big reason why Kansas City often looks so unstoppable.

#2 - George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

DO YOU SMELL WHAT STONE COLD KITTLE IS COOKING?! The most electrifying tight end in the NFL has all the traits you look for at the position. Game-breaking playmaking potential, makes the tough catches, elite after tha catch, the best run blocking tight end, and an unbelievable amount of swag and entertainment factor. The knocks on Kittle keeping him from dethroning Travis Kelce is his availability, and the fact that San Fran doesn’t always need Kittle to dominate for the team to dominate. The 49ers and Kyle Shanahan can win games offensively in so many different ways, and with so many of their different stars making plays. Kittle is sometimes relegated to more of an “assistant” role, which he does play to perfection. But due to his physical playstyle, Kittle is often banged up. But he’s tough enough to play through injuries if able, for better or worse. Kittle may be number two on this list, but he and Kelce stand together at the top. A gap in the hierarchy takes places after these two.

#3 - Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

Despite the gap in the rankings after Kelce and Kittle, Mark Andrews has come the closest to joining the top dogs. After an absolute breakout season in 2021, Andrews failed to double down and have a repeat 2022 season. Injuries played a part in the let down, an unfortunate theme in Baltimore these past few seasons. He has been the lone great weapon for Lamar Jackson all these years, and has still had great production despite being that lone threat. With Odell Beckham coming to town, I anticipate Andrews to retain that workload. If he put up all these numbers seemingly by himself, imagine what he can pull off when opposing defense need to turn their attention elsewhere as well. Andrews still has a chance to take that level up and join Kelce and Kittle in 2023, but he’s also at risk of dropping lower should another let down year occur in addition to the next two names having breakout seasons of their own.

#4 - TJ Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

Image credit to Brad Mills / USA Today Sports

TJ Hockenson was poised to breakout for Detroit, but instead found himself in rival’s purple. It’s not often you see big trades happen between division rivals, but the Lions and Vikings had two such trades in the 2022 calendar year. The first was a trade on the opening night of the 2022 NFL Draft which saw Detroit jump all the way from pick 32 to pick 12 to select wide receiver Jameson Williams, who was coming off an ACL injury. Many additional picks were involved as well, with the Vikings even trading with Green Bay as well. The Vikings and Lions continued their surprising business relationship with the TJ Hockenson trade. On the whole, Hock had a productive 2022 season with 86 receptions, 914 receiving yards, and six touchdowns between his time in both Detroit and Minnesota. What’s funny is that Hock lost to the Vikings when he was with the Detroit, then lost to his former Lions after the trade. With Adam Thielen out of the picture and Dalvin Cook likely on the backend of his productive career, Hockenson will look to help Justin Jefferson in defending the NFC North crown in 2023.

#5 - Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

*Image credit to Heather Khalifa / The Inquirer Staff*

Speaking of defending NFC crowns, what bigger crown to defend in this conference than Philly’s? They ran rampant through their opponents a year ago, losing only one regular season game with starter Jalen Hurts. Dallas Goedert has a similar situation as George Kittle, as he is surrounded by a lot of other playmakers. AJ Brown and Devonta Smith are one of the best receiver duos in the league. Jalen Hurts can hurt defense with his arm or his legs. And recent rumors have connected Philly trading for another Titans’ star offensive player in “King” Derrick Henry. As for now, that rumor is just that - a rumor. Miles Sanders is gone to Carolina, and the Eagles have been pegged to take one of the better running backs in this draft class. We’ll see what happens, but Goedert will hopefully slice out a larger share of Philly’s offense and have a 2023 season breakout like fellow 2018 draftee Mark Andrews had in 2021. Goedert has been really consistent thus far in his career, so we know what his floor looks like. But I think we’d all like to see him hit his ceiling.