Canal Street Chronicles
Another look at rankings on the offense.
In recent years, the tight end position has become vital to many teams’ offensive success. Instead of the position being considered a luxury, teams are now drafting TEs much higher in the draft and extending the players on extensions filled with value. Looking at the NFL divisions, some are filled with TE talent, and some are completely void of the position, so let’s see how they rank.
The young generation of TE talent in the league is exciting, and one of the top players is Trey McBride. Since being drafted by the Cardinals, McBride has averaged around nine yards per reception and has become the top pass-catching option for QB Kyler Murray. Even with the addition of top pick WR Marvin Harrison Jr. to the offense, McBride still had over 1,000 receiving yards in the season.
Rams starting TE Tyler Higbee was out for most of last season with an injury, but when he is healthy, he has been a consistent option in LA’s offense. Higbee has never reached that 800 yards mark in a season, but since 2019 (besides last season because of injury), he has had around 500 yards a season.
The top TE in the league has been up for grabs in recent years, but George Kittle may have solidified that spot last season. Even when the 49ers' offense struggled last season, Kittle was a dominant presence and made his presence on the season known with 1,106 yards and 8 touchdowns. In addition to those impressive stats, he averaged 14 yards per reception!
The last TE in this division is the Seahawks’ Noah Fant. When the Denver Broncos selected Fant in the first round, the hopes were extremely high for him to become the franchise’s star TE. Although he put up decent numbers, this potential was never reached, and he was traded to Seattle in the Russel Wilson trade. Now, the veteran TE is again available in trades after the team selected former Miami TE Elijah Arroyo in the draft.
It is always tricky to compare rookies who have not played a snap in the NFL with other players who already have pro experience. This is the case with the Bears, who drafted Colestan Loveland in 2025. Loveland is set to be a massive piece in the offense of new head coach Ben Johnson, and if the former Michigan TE can continue the play he produced in college, he could have a massive rookie year.
After a great rookie season, Lions TE Sam Laporta had a bit of a down year. The touchdowns were still decent, with seven on the season, but his yards dropped from 889 in his rookie season to 726 last season. A sophomore slump is common in sports, but it is still something to monitor going...
