The Indianapolis Colts are facing a good number of talented tight ends this season plus proven veterans and younger players at the position that will be looking to take the next step in their careers.
For this list, it only includes the starting tight ends from each team outside of the New England Patriots who are expected to continue to run their 12 personnel with the addition of Mike Gesicki.
Let’s take a look at how the tight ends rank out:
15
Irv Smith Jr., Cincinnati Bengals
Irv Smith Jr. has all the talent for the position but his problem has been staying healthy since he entered the league. He’s missed 13 games in his first three seasons. Smith Jr. has an opportunity to get his career on track by joining the Cincinnati Bengals and having Joe Burrow as his quarterback.
14
Austin Hooper, Las Vegas Raiders
Austin Hooper has joined the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason to take Darren Waller’s place in their offense. After showing some promising seasons in 2018 and 2019 with the Atlanta Falcons the veteran tight end hasn’t gone over 500 receiving yards since leaving their organization.
13
Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Cade Otton started in 11 of his 16 rookie games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year. He finished with 42 receptions for 391 yards and two touchdowns.
12
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
Juwan Johnson entered the NFL as a receiver but transitioned to tight end which led to the best season of his young career in 2022. Last year he started in 12 of 16 games while finishing with 42 receptions for 508 yards and seven touchdowns.
11
Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
Chigoziem Okonkwo started in eight of his 17 games in his rookie season. He finished with 32 receptions for 450 yards and three touchdowns.
10
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams
Tyler Higbee is coming off a career-high in receptions (72) that turned into 620 yards and three touchdowns. Since 2020 he has the ninth-most receptions (177) and is tied for the eighth-most receiving first downs (92) among tight ends.
9
Hayden Hurst, Carolina Panthers
Hayden Hurst has bounced around the league after being a former first-round pick for the Baltimore Ravens in 2018. In his five seasons, he has 177 receptions for 1,718 yards and 14 touchdowns. Hurst will be looking to establish chemistry with the 2023 No. 1 pick, Bryce Young, in his first season with the Carolina Panthers.
8
Mike Gesicki, New England Patriots
Mike Gesicki has the seventh-most receiving first downs (94) and the eighth-highest yards per reception (11.7/min. 80 receptions) among tight ends since 2020. After not being a fit in Mike McDaniel’s offense, Gesicki is looking to form a top tight-end tandem with Hunter Henry and the New England Patriots.
7
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
Since 2020 Hunter Henry is tied for the seventh-most receiving touchdowns (15) and tied for the eighth-most receiving first downs (92) among tight ends. He’s yet to finish over 700 receiving yards in his seven seasons in the NFL.
6
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
In his first two seasons in the league, Pat Freiermuth has collected 123 receptions for 1,229 yards and nine touchdowns. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ tight end will be looking to establish himself as one of the better tight ends in the NFL in Year 3.
5
Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
Dalton Schultz has been one of the more productive tight ends over the last few years but took a step back in production in 2022. In his final season with the Dallas Cowboys, he finished with 57 receptions for 577 yards and five touchdowns.
4
David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
David Njoku is coming off one of his best seasons in the NFL with a career-high in receptions (58) that turned into 628 yards and four touchdowns. He has the talent for the position and could be primed for a career year if Deshaun Watson returns to his old form.
3
Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
Evan Engram revived his career in his first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season. Since 2020 he has the sixth-most receptions (182) and the 10th-most receiving yards (1,828) among all tight ends.
2
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
Kyle Pitts is a much-debated tight end because of where he was selected in the NFL draft. Since 2020 he has the highest yards per reception (14.1) among all tight ends with a minimum of 80 receptions and has the sixth-highest receiving YPG (51.2) in that time frame despite only playing two NFL seasons.
1
Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
Since 2020 Mark Andrews has been one of two tight ends (Travis Kecle) with 230+ receptions, 2,900+ receiving yards, 20+ touchdowns, and two-plus two-point conversions.
