A good NFL tight end is caught between worlds. He’s a cog in the ground game machine, sealing off edges and getting upfield to erase linebackers from running lanes. He’s also a vital piece of the passing offense, stretching defenders to the sideline or pushing those linebackers upfield with routes up the seam.
Finding a player capable of doing both at a high level is a big ask. There are only a handful of impactful two-way tight ends playing every Sunday. Otherwise, teams fall back on platoon work that combine efficient blocking and dynamic receiving by deploying multiple tight ends.
That makes depth important, even if some teams rarely bookend their offensive lines with potential targets. A league that’s increasingly turned to the air to move the chains has rewarded teams that line the field with capable receivers. That makes a great tight end as valuable as a top tier wideout, even if the latter gets paid nearly double the annual salary of the former.
With that in mind, let’s rank 2022’s 32 tight end platoons. We’ll include a rough three-deep at the position for each team and while depth isn’t as important here as it is at running back or receiver, it still plays a role in parsing out each team’s overall strength.