Grades for Every NFL Team's Tight End Room - All 32 Franchises

June 11, 2026

Quincy Milton III dives into NFL tight end unit grades for RotoBaller. Analysis, review, and outlooks for every NFL team's tight end room ahead of the 2026 NFL season.

NFL tight ends are increasing in value every season. NFL offensive coordinators are getting more and more creative at involving tight ends in the passing game, and blocking tight ends are extremely important in the running game. There has never been a better time to be an NFL tight end.

With NFL offenses transitioning to a lot of 13 personnel sets, teams are loading up their tight end rooms. Just look at the Los Angeles Rams, for example. They are collecting tight ends by the handful.

With whole tight end units becoming so important in NFL offenses, it is time that we graded tight end units around the league. Many of these units are anchored by elite talent, while others are well-balanced. In any case, each unit’s role in its respective offense is seemingly increasing by the season.

Arizona Cardinals

Notable TEs on Roster: Trey McBride, Tip Reiman, Elijah Higgins, Teagan Quitoriano

You can’t have the most dominant tight end in the game and have a low grade on this list. However, the rest of the Cardinals’ depth chart behind McBride leaves a lot to be desired. Higgins is a solid backup, having recorded 301 receiving yards last season, but McBride soaks up almost all of the tight end targets and is the general first read in the offense.

Grade: A-

TREY MCPLAY IS ON DISPLAY TODAY 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/bj7wTApGhg

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) January 5, 2025

Atlanta Falcons

Notable TEs on Roster: Kyle Pitts Sr., Austin Hooper, Charlie Woerner, Joshua Simon

Pitts’ career has been up and down as he has had a couple of high-end seasons sandwiched by injury-riddled years. Still, he is one of the better tight ends in the league and seemed to come into his own in Year 5 last season. Hooper has been a solid player in the league for many years. However, the rest of the depth chart is pretty bare.

Grade: B

Baltimore Ravens

Notable TEs on Roster: Mark Andrews, Durham Smythe, Matt Hibner, Josh Cuevas

The Ravens reset their tight end room this offseason. Andrews remains as the elder statesman, but Smythe joined in free agency, and the team drafted Hibner and Cuevas. This team has done well with drafting and developing tight ends in recent years. With Andrews slowing down, perhaps Hibner or Cuevas can take up the mantle in this offense.

Grade: B

Buffalo Bills

Notable TEs on Roster: Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, Jackson Hawes, Shane Zylstra

The Bills have a relatively balanced tight end room with no true star. Kincaid has never developed into the piece the Bills wanted him to be, despite taking him in the first round in 2023. Knox plays his role as the No. 2 tight end quite well, and Hawes came along nicely as a rookie in 2025.

Grade: B-

Carolina Panthers

Notable TEs on Roster: Ja'Tavion Sanders, Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans, Feleipe Franks

It is entirely possible that you have not heard of any of the Panthers tight ends. None of them is particularly prominent, and the team hardly uses the position. That is a bit of a chicken-and-egg dilemma. Perhaps if the Panthers had more talent at the position, they would use it more.

Grade: C

Chicago Bears

Notable TEs on Roster: Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet, Sam Roush, Stephen Carlson

The Bears tight end room is not elite, but it is quite good. Loveland came alive over the second half of last season and looks like a potential star in this league. Kmet was once one of the better tight ends in the league, and now serves as a great No. 2 option. That is enough for a good grade, with Roush and Carlson filling out depth and blocking roles.

Grade: A-

COLSTON LOVELAND ARE YOU KIDDING?

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/OMOzjsl6vC

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 2, 2025

Cincinnati Bengals

Notable TEs on Roster: Mike Gesicki, Drew Sample, Erick All Jr., Tanner Hudson

Cincinnati can throw to Gesicki with confidence. All has not developed into the player this team hoped he would, but the rest of the unit is solid.

Grade: C

Cleveland Browns

Notable TEs on Roster: Harold Fannin Jr., Jack Stoll, Joe Royer, Blake Whiteheart

Fannin is the top dog in Cleveland with the departure of David Njoku this offseason. Fannin looks like a star in the making, but the rest of the tight end room is lacking high-end talent. Still, this tight end room should do well to block in what figures to be a run-heavy offense.

Grade: B-

Harold Fannin: new YAC king?#CLEvsLV on CBS and NFL+ pic.twitter.com/oajK4M0ajl

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 23, 2025

Dallas Cowboys

Notable TEs on Roster: Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, Brevyn Spann-Ford, Princeton Fant

Jake Ferguson leads a relatively underutilized tight end room in Dallas. Behind him, Schoonmaker has never truly developed into the player the NFL thought he could be. The unit is rounded out by relatively unknown players.

Grade: B-

Denver Broncos

Notable TEs on Roster: Evan Engram, Adam Trautman, Justin Joly, Nate Adkins

The Broncos tight end room features two savvy veterans in Engram and Trautman. Both are players whom head coach Sean Payton loves. However, neither is a high-end talent at this point in their careers. Joly is an interesting prospect to keep an eye on and see how he develops during his first year in the league.

Grade: C+

Detroit Lions

Notable TEs on Roster: Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, Tyler Conklin, Zach Horton

LaPorta is one of the top-10 tight ends in the league. He can succeed as both a blocker and a receiver. Wright complements LaPorta well in the red zone. The rest of the tight ends on this roster play their role well. The Lions have done well with this unit.

Grade: B+

Green Bay Packers

Notable TEs on Roster: Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave, Josh Whyle, Drake Dabney

Over the last two seasons, Kraft has been establishing himself as one of the very best tight ends in the game. We will see if he can return healthy in 2026 after an ACL injury suffered in 2025. Musgrave was once higher on the depth chart than Kraft, and plays a nice role as a No. 2 in this offense.

Grade: A-

A starfish and then a spike... must have been a Tucker Kraft TD!

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/UFxzn63IY4

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 19, 2025

Houston Texans

Notable TEs on Roster: Dalton Schultz, Foster Moreau, Marlin Klein, Cade Stover

Schultz leads a tight end room with a lot to be desired. Moreau and Schultz are both solid pass-catchers, but the rest of the room is filled primarily with no-names. Even so, Moreau and Schultz are not exactly lighting the league on fire.

Grade: C+

Indianapolis Colts

Notable TEs on Roster: Tyler Warren, Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree, Will Mallory

Warren looks like a true star in the making, and the rest of the tight end room in Indianapolis plays a great blocking role. Alie-Cox is one of the biggest tight ends in the league, and doubles as an excellent specialty red-zone threat.

Grade: B+

Jacksonville Jaguars

Notable TEs on Roster: Brenton Strange, Nate Boerkircher, Tanner Koziol, Quintin Morris

Brenton Strange is emerging as a quality pass-catching option in this offense. The rest of the unit is in a rebuilding stage, with Boerkircher and Koziol both entering their rookie seasons. The Jaguars will hope they can develop into potential starting options over the next couple of seasons.

Grade: C+

Kansas City Chiefs

Notable TEs on Roster: Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, Jared Wiley, Jake Briningstool

The Chiefs tight end room features an aging Kelce and an up-and-coming Gray. Of course, we know Kelce as the all-time great that he is, but he is no longer the same player he once was. Gray has found a nice role as a true complement to Kelce in recent years. Wiley and Briningstool are primarily afterthoughts in this offense.

Grade: B

Las Vegas Raiders

Notable TEs on Roster: Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer, Ian Thomas, Carter Runyon

Bowers cemented himself as a top-5 tight end in the league as a rookie in 2024. Injuries prevented an encore in 2025, but expect an elite player in 2026. Mayer was a second-round selection the year before Bowers and serves as a great No. 2. He could start on several other teams.

Grade: A

Los Angeles Chargers

Notable TEs on Roster: Oronde Gadsden II, David Njoku, Charlie Kolar, Jerand Bradley

The Chargers tight end unit underwent a facelift this offseason. Gadsden should be taking a step forward in Year 2, and Njoku and Kolar were fantastic additions. This is looking like quite a well-balanced unit for both blocking and pass-catching.

Grade: B+

oronde gadsden.

📺 | @nfloncbs pic.twitter.com/zRyZnhEqsv

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) October 19, 2025

Los Angeles Rams

Notable TEs on Roster: Colby Parkinson, Tyler Higbee, Terrance Ferguson, Max Klare, Davis Allen

It’s a wonder anyone else in the league has any tight ends, considering that it seems like the Rams employ them all. All five of their notable tight ends stand a chance to make the roster and see playing time in 2026. This team has leaned heavily into 13 personnel, and continues to stack tight ends to make sure it is covered year-to-year. Each one has a specialty role and fits into this offense well.

Grade: B

Miami Dolphins

Notable TEs on Roster: Greg Dulcich, Will Kacmarek, Seydou Traore, Ben Sims

No disrespect to Dulcich, but he is not necessarily a tight end room leader. The rest of the room is filled with complete unknowns. The Dolphins tore their roster down to the nubs this offseason, and it shows in just about every positional group.

Grade: D+

Minnesota Vikings

Notable TEs on Roster: T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver, Ben Yurosek, Gavin Bartholomew

There were a couple of seasons where Hockenson was one of the top tight ends in the league. However, he has never been the same since he tore his ACL. The rest of this room is relatively unknown. The Vikings shuttle a lot of their offense through their talented wide receivers anyway.

Grade: C+

New England Patriots

Notable TEs on Roster: Hunter Henry, Eli Raridon, CJ Dippre, Tanner Arkin

Henry continues to be a quality red-zone target for the Patriots. He is a touchdown machine, making life easy on quarterback Drake Maye. Raridon is a newcomer as a third-round draft pick in 2026. His development will be intriguing to watch.

Grade: B-

New Orleans Saints

Notable TEs on Roster: Juwan Johnson, Noah Fant, Oscar Delp, Moliki Matavao

The Saints suddenly have quite a deep tight end unit. Johnson is a quality player, as evidenced by his 889 receiving yards in 2025. Fant is a veteran who will certainly help this team in tough moments. Delp is an intriguing rookie prospect. The Saints have not had a tight end room this deep in a long time. This should be fun to watch in Kellen Moore’s system.

Grade: B

JUWAN TO THE HOUSE! 🏠

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/0KUM7Pjfxl

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 9, 2025

New York Giants

Notable TEs on Roster: Isaiah Likely, Theo Johnson, Chris Manhertz, Thomas Fidone II

The Giants greatly upgraded their tight end room this offseason with the addition of Likely. Johnson was already emerging as a quality option. Pairing him with Likely only gives more legs to this unit.

Grade: B

New York Jets

Notable TEs on Roster: Kenyon Sadiq, Mason Taylor, Jeremy Ruckert, Jelani Woods

Taylor had a solid rookie season in 2025, but the Jets could not pass up the chance to draft Sadiq in the first round in 2026. Sadiq is an athletic freak, but his college production profile does not back up his athleticism. At the end of the depth chart, Woods was once thought to be a potential star in the making, but has settled into a minuscule role in the NFL.

Grade: B-

Philadelphia Eagles

Notable TEs on Roster: Dallas Goedert, Eli Stowers, Grant Calcaterra, Johnny Mundt

The Eagles have built quite the tight end unit over the last couple of seasons. Goedert is still getting it done as the starter, while Stowers looks like the perfect heir apparent. Calcaterra and Mundt will also both factor heavily in the running game. Watch out for this crew in 2026.

Grade: A-

Pittsburgh Steelers

Notable TEs on Roster: Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, Jaheim Bell, J.J. Galbreath

The Steelers tend to have a solid tight end room. Freiermuth finally has the pass-catching role all to himself again. He has thrived in that role in the past. Washington and his new $42 million deal just might be the best blocker at his position in the NFL. He also came alive as a receiver in 2025. Bell and Galbreath round out the unit as developmental prospects.

Grade: B-

San Francisco 49ers

Notable TEs on Roster: George Kittle, Jake Tonges, Luke Farrell, Brayden Willis

With a healthy Kittle, this may be the best unit in the league. Unfortunately, Kittle is coming off a torn Achilles, and there is no telling how he will fare in 2026. Still, the 49ers tight end room features the best all-around tight end in the league in Kittle and Tonges, who proved himself worthy of a starting role in 2025. Farrell and Willis round out the unit as solid blocking options.

Grade: A-

Seattle Seahawks

Notable TEs on Roster: AJ Barner, Elijah Arroyo, Eric Saubert, Harrison Bryant

The Seahawks never have an elite tight end, but they always seem to have a stable of very solid players. However, Barner is ascending into a big-time role in this offense. He is a mountain of a man, providing versatility in the running and receiving games. Arroyo is entering Year 2 as a well-regarded prospect. Saubert and Bryant will help round out the unit.

Grade: B

Darnold to Barner. pic.twitter.com/e75EgMzbW4

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) May 30, 2025

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Notable TEs on Roster: Cade Otton, Payne Durham, Ko Kieft, Bauer Sharp

The Buccaneers hardly use their tight ends. Otton is a quality pass-catcher, but his role in the offense is very situational. Behind Otton, the rest of the stable is relatively unknown. The Buccaneers tend to run a lot of three-wide receiver sets, limiting tight end opportunities.

Grade: C+

Tennessee Titans

Notable TEs on Roster: Gunnar Helm, Daniel Bellinger, Kylen Granson, Jaren Kanak

The Titans tight end room is unproven, but not devoid of talent. Helm looks like he could become a true starting option, while Bellinger had his moments in New York. Granson and Kanak provide solid depth.

Grade: C

Washington Commanders

Notable TEs on Roster: Chig Okonkwo, John Bates, Ben Sinnott, Colson Yankoff

The Commanders added an explosive element to their tight end unit when they signed Okonkwo this offseason. This is Okonkwo’s chance to truly make his mark on the league. It will also be interesting to see what Sinnott is able to do in this offense. He sat behind Zach Ertz for a couple of years and may be able to crack into the lineup a bit more now.

Grade: C+

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