A look at this weekend’s Divisional Round further highlights Washington’s need for playmaking tight end.
The Washington Commanders hold the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. It’s no secret that Washington will likely target a quarterback among the trio of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels.
That’s a smart move for multiple reasons. It’s not often you select this high, especially when you lack a true franchise quarterback. The Commanders also have the rare and unique opportunity of having a new general manager, head coach, and quarterback all come in together. That means everyone is on the same page, and unlike previous regimes, the new staff will not be forced to inherit a quarterback from the prior regime.
Washington has other significant needs, too. The Commanders need help on the offensive line, edge rusher, linebacker, and cornerback. But the sneakiest need for Washington in 2024 is tight end.
If the Commanders plan to enter 2024 with a young quarterback, they’ll need more from the tight end position. If you look at the final eight teams alive in the NFL Divisional Round, you’ll notice that most of the league’s top tight ends are playing this weekend. That’s no coincidence.
Travis Kelce of the Chiefs is arguably the greatest tight end ever, and he’s still adding to his legacy. San Francisco’s George Kittle is right behind Kelce and is the NFL’s most complete tight end. Kittle is a critical part of the 49ers’ successful running game. Then you have Mark Andrews of the Ravens and Dalton Schultz of the Texans.
The last two NFL drafts have brought in several outstanding young tight ends into the league: Isaiah Likely (Ravens), Dalton Kincaid (Bills), Tucker Kraft (Packers), Luke Musgrave (Packers) and Sam LaPorta (Lions) will join Kelce, Kittle, Andrews and Schultz in this weekend’s playoff action. LaPorta could make the case he’s already a top-five tight end.
As you can see, the 2023 tight end class was deep. However, Ron Rivera and the Commanders chose to address the secondary with their first two picks, passing on a pass-catching tight end.
Fortunately for the Commanders, they have three of the top 40 picks in the upcoming draft. While there isn’t as much depth in the 2024 class, there are multiple tight ends who could be future starters. Brock Bowers of Georgia is the headliner. He will not be around when the Commanders make their second pick at No. 36 overall. Some view Bowers as a top-10 pick.
One player to keep an eye on is Ja’Tavion Sanders of Texas. At 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, Sanders has good size and is an excellent athlete. He produced in college, too. It will be interesting to see him test at the NFL combine.
How valuable are the tight ends in the playoffs? Here’s this from Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports.
Counting the playoffs, seven of the eight remaining teams are in the top 10 of expected points added (EPA) per drop back, and all of them are in the top 13. Outside of the Packers, each offense has a tight end in the top two on their squad of either catches, receiving yards, or receiving touchdowns. How about that?
They say a good tight end is a quarterback’s best friend. It’s time for Washington to test that theory. To provide some hope, it was new GM Adam Peters who helped identify Kittle as a fifth-round pick in 2017.
