RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesTight end is a difficult NFL position to predict. Players who make the leap to the pros have to juggle blocking and receiving duties in more complex schemes, against faster defenders, than they've ever faced before. Years of wear and tear can break an All-Pro candidate into an also-ran in a single play.
Thus, it's incredibly difficult to accurately rank each team's tight end units in the preseason. In 2019, I ranked the Raiders 32nd out of 32 teams... only for Darren Waller to suddenly and explosively reach his potential, kicking off a wave of angry/satisfied emails and social media mentions from Raiders fans that continues to this day (I apologized to Waller for the disrespect on Radio Row four years later. He seemed OK with it!).
This is all to say, these rankings are not only subjective, but immensely subject to change. Young prospects will rise up and claim their potential. Veterans will see a dropoff or stage impressive revivals. But going off the data we currently have, here's how the preseason 2026 tight end unit rankings look. Stats are from NFL Pro and Sumer Sports where applicable.
32. Cincinnati Bengals: Mike Gesicki, Drew Sample, Erick All
Gesicki turns 31 this season. He hasn't had a positive yards after catch over expected (YACOE) since 2020 and saw his numbers drop off after a successful Bengals debut in 2024. Sample is an unexciting but useful piece who gets where he needs to be even if he offers modest returns as a receiver.
All could be the guy who boosts this group into the top 20, but he's also the guy who's played only nine NFL games in two seasons. Until he proves he can fulfill his potential, Cincinnati is stuck here.
31. Carolina Panthers : Tommy Tremble, Ja'Tavion Sanders, Mitchell Evans
No Carolina tight end had a target share higher than 9.19 percent, which seems about right for this crew. The average target distance for this group was fewer than five yards downfield and they combined for… ZERO deep targets in last year's NFC South-winning season. Sanders may still grow into something useful in the passing game, but this group is a relative non-factor aside from its blocking.
30. Denver Broncos: Evan Engram, Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins
Engram turns 32 this season and is coming off the lowest yards per route run (YPRR) of his career (1.25, 41st-best among TEs). He's had a negative expected points added (EPA), a negative catch rate over expected (CROE) and negative YACOE over the last two seasons.
It's hard to imagine that changing all that much. Trautman is a fine "small doses" option. Adkins will battle with rookie fifth round pick Justin Joly for snaps; Adkins has the advantage as a blocker, Joly brings more upside as a receiver, even if he lacks ideal size to be an in-line guy.
29. Miami Dolphins: Greg Dulcich, Ben Sims, Will Kacmarek
Over the last half of the season, Dulcich put up a 50-catch, 632-yard 17-game pace. Was that a sign he was finally fulfilling his potential at a position that demands patience? Or was it a small sample size bump on a roster in dire need of targets? The latter seems more likely, but it came with a 2.26 YPRR -- third best among all tight ends with at least 100 routes run.
We have to consider he's turned a corner, and may make even more progress for a Miami team with arguably a better quarterback situation but definitely worse receivers this fall. Kacmarek is a third round rookie who might get a chance to shine if Dulcich is, indeed, an outlying piece of data.
28. Tennessee Titans: Gunnar Helm, Daniel Bellinger, Kylen Granson
Helm was more efficient, albeit in fewer targets, than former teammate Chigoziem Okonkwo. Thus, it makes some sense to let the former TE1 leave in free agency and promote from within.
His 1.44 yards per route run (YPRR) were above average among all qualified tight ends (26th of 77) and roughly where Dalton Kincaid landed as a rookie. Thus, he could make this ranking look stupid in his second NFL season. Bellinger is a steady blocker who can maximize the one or two targets he earns per game. Granson blocks better than his 240 pound frame suggests and is perfectly fine as TE3.
27. Baltimore Ravens: Mark Andrews, Durham Smythe, Matt Hibner
Andrews turns 31 before the season begins. His yards per route run (YPRR) have decreased each of the last three seasons (1.2, 43rd best among TEs). 2025 saw him set career lows in receiving yards per game, yards per target and success rate and his longest reception went for only 27 yards.
He had the sixth-highest red zone target rate among tight ends last season and the fifth-lowest catch rate. This all may get much worse before it gets any better.
26. Washington Commanders: Chigoziem Okonkwo, Ben Sinnott, John Bates
Okonkwo was an occasionally devastating breath of fresh air for the Titans as a rookie, then slipped from those heights as poor blocking and quarterback play whittled down his average target distance every single season. Now he gets to play with Jayden Daniels, who can throw him more than the four (4!) deep targets he received all season in 2025.
That's asking a lot, but the depth behind him proved unable to step up last season with Zach Ertz declining, then injured. Sinnott and Bates combined for 217 receiving yards last season. Both are valued blockers and Sinnott brings H-back capabilities, but this group may need Okonkwo to thrive to be anything better than anonymous.
25. Minnesota Vikings: TJ Hockenson, Josh Oliver, Ben Yurosek
Pre-ACL tear Hockenson stood at the doorway of greatness. Post-injury, he's been a soundly disappointing player. He dropped from fifth to 53rd in YPRR ranks between 2023 and 2025. The quarterback switch to JJ McCarthy didn't help, as it nearly halved his average target distance.
It's possible he's better two full years removed from rehab, but it almost may be foolish to expect a ton from Minnesota's q...
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