Top Ten Tight Ends of all Time
In week 4 of the 2008 season, Gonzalez became NFL all-time leader in receiving yards for a tight end with 10,064, surpassing Shannon Sharpe. He recorded 96 receptions for 1,058 yards and was also elected to his tenth career Pro Bowl.
Gates ahead of Winslow among Chargers’ tight ends? There’s actually a good case for it based not only on longevity, but also dominance. Gates played way longer, and was also named all-pro four times to Winslow’s three.
Without Sharpe's superiority, Gonzalez couldn't have realized greatness as a tight end. When Sharpe retired after 14 glorious seasons, he was the leader among tight ends all-time in career receptions (815), reception yards (10,060) and touchdowns (62), including 1,000-plus yards in three seasons and two years of 10-plus TDs.
With the news that Jason Witten is considering retirement, and Antonio Gates will not be returning to the Chargers (as well as Rob Gronkowski’s flirtation with the idea of retiring before saying he would return) I thought it would be a good time to re-visit ranking the best tight ends of all-time ...
Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten has never been the type of athlete that draws attention to himself. He doesn’t need to. He lets his play, and his teammates, do the talking for him.
A look at the best tight ends of all-time. Iron Mike Ditka was the first great tight end, and was the best tight end in football through 1965. After that, injuries slowed him down, and you wonder if he would have held up better in today’s game.
John Mackey (September 24, 1941 – July 6, 2011) was an American football tight end who played for the Baltimore Colts and the San Diego Chargers. He was born in Roosevelt, New York and attended Syracuse University. He was the first president of the National Football League Players Association following the AFL-NFL merger, serving from 1970 to 1973.
Ozzie Newsome Jr. (born March 16, 1956) is a former American football tight end for the Cleveland Browns, and the current general manager of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL).
Jimmy Graham (born November 24, 1986) is an American football tight end for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played only one year of college football at the University of Miami, after playing four years of basketball. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
Greg Olsen's record-setting production has him knocking on the door of the top 10 TEs of all time. ... 25 Greatest Tight Ends in NFL History ...
The greatest tight ends of all time are those dynamic National Football League players who have played the position better than anyone else. The tight end position ... The greatest tight ends of all time are those dynamic National Football League players who have played the position better than anyone else.
NFL Media senior analyst and personnel guru Gil Brandt ranks the greatest tight ends in NFL ... Gil Brandt's 14 greatest NFL tight ends of all time ... Jackie Smith ...
Vernon Leonard Davis (born January 31, 1984) is an American football tight end for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Maryland. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers sixth overall in the 2006 NFL Draft.
Mark Bavaro was one of the greatest blockers in NFL history. But he was a tight end, and, as a tight end, that’s what he was supposed to do … block.
IMO, Jason Witten is the best TE the NFL has ever seen (by a mile) and Heath Miller is about 80% of Jason Witten. Make of that what you will.
Jeremy Charles Shockey (/ˈʃɒki/; born August 18, 1980) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the New York Giants 14th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami.
Dallas 2003-17. 2-time first-team All-Pro, 11-time Pro Bowler. 239 games – 1,152 catches, 12,448 yards (10.8 ypc), 68 TDs Witten may have been the last of the old-school tight ends – a big-bodied guy who blocks as well as he runs routes and catches passes. He has been the Cowboys’ cornerstone for 15 seasons.
Keith Jackson (tight end) Keith Jackson; No. 88; Position: Tight end ... Top PARADE All-America High School Football Players of All Time (2011) NCAA Silver ...
Jay McKinley Novacek is a former American football tight end in the National Football League who played for the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals and the Dallas Cowboys. Novacek was a five-time Pro Bowler, who was selected to play each year from 1991 through 1995. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Walker had a career year in 2015, shattering all Titans records for a tight end, including 1,088 yards receiving. He had previously broken the Titans' tight end receiving yards record in the 2014 season with 890 yards.
25 Greatest Tight Ends in NFL History 25. Owen Daniels. Houston Texans 2006-13; Baltimore Ravens 2014; Denver 2015-Present. 2-time Pro Bowler. Super Bowl 50 champion. 131 games – 479 catches, 5,661 yards (11.8 ypc), 36 TDs I had to double-check the stats, and they checked out. Daniels is in the running for being the most under-appreciated tight end in history. There is nothing about him or his game that stands out, but the guy flat out produces.
Travis Kelce said he's the best tight end in the NFL, even as he also gave a shout out of respect to several of his peers on the Dan Patrick Show.
Russ Francis was once called "the world's greatest tight end'' by bombastic broadcaster Howard Cosell. Just maybe he really was. Russ Francis was once called "the world's greatest tight end'' by bombastic broadcaster Howard Cosell.
25 Greatest Tight Ends in NFL History ... Brent Jones. San Francisco 1987-97. 4-time Pro Bowler. ... Not only is Gates the all-time leader in touchdown catches ...
25 Greatest Tight Ends in NFL History ... Jerry Smith. Washington 1965-77. First-team All-Pro (1969), ... Not only is Gates the all-time leader in touchdown catches ...
Martellus Bennett played football and basketball at Alief Taylor High School in Houston, Texas. He was a three-year starter and two-time All-District and All-Greater Houston selection at tight end. As a sophomore, he averaged 12.4 yards per catch.
No. 26: Riley Odoms, tight end, 1972-1983. A simple check of the career numbers revealed a stunning comparison. While compiling interviews for this project, I didn’t have to conduct a formal survey to understand Bronco players from the 1970s and 80s believe tight end Riley Odoms is the most glaring omission from the team’s Ring of Fame.
... Tyler Eifert a considerable option at tight end. ... which will be current Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert. ... 5 pass catching tight ends of all time.
Reed scored two touchdowns in a single game for the 5th time in his career. Reed became the fastest tight end in NFL history to reach 200 career receptions. On October 13, 2016, Reed was diagnosed with a concussion and was sidelined for two games until Week 8.
Eagles release statement on Brent Celek Brown had a great spring and summer a year ago, seemingly catching every pass thrown his way. In fact, if the Eagles did not already have three quality tight ends on the roster last season, he probably would have made the team. Instead, he spent the entire year on the practice squad honing his craft and improving his game.
Viking tight end Kyle Rudolph is rarely talked about as one of the best tight ends in the NFL. His numbers are mostly modest, averaging 46 catches for 450 yards and five touchdowns per season throughout his career.
Former NFL tight end Frank Wycheck says he believes he has CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) after a career of repeated blows to the head. Wycheck says he suffered at least 25 concussions before retiring at 33 after 11 seasons in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans.
Zach Ertz is never satisfied. And it's this, above all else, that could help the Eagles tight end finish his career where he wants, as the greatest at his position to ever play the game.
Steven Russell Jordan (born January 10, 1961) is a former American football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Minnesota Vikings from 1982 to 1994. He played college football at Brown. Jordan's son Cameron is currently a defensive end for the New Orleans Saints.
Kellen Boswell Winslow II (born July 21, 1983) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at the University of Miami, where he earned unanimous All-American honors and was recognized as the top college tight end. Winslow was drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the sixth overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.
Todd Benjamin Heap is a former American football tight end who played 12 seasons in the National Football League. After playing college football for Arizona State University, he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft. Heap played ten years for the Ravens, becoming the franchise's all-time leader in touchdown catches and second all-time in receptions and yards. He was released in 2011 and played two years for the Arizona Cardinals.
Benjamin Watson (born December 18, 1980) is an American football tight end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the New England Patriots 32nd overall in the 2004 NFL Draft and later he would win Super Bowl XXXIX with the team over the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at Georgia.
Former NFL player Aaron Hernandez was considered one of the all-time best tight ends. But his career would be derailed by a timeline of legal run-ins, including being convicted of first-degree murder plus weapons charges in the death of Odin Lloyd. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
With Thomas set to sit out Miami's last two games of the season, Anthony Fasano and MarQueis Gray are in line to head the team's tight end corps. Though Thomas is under contract with the Dolphins for the 2018 season, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald believes that the tight end has played his last game with the team.
The tight end position is a unique one as it has evolved from a blocking player to one that focuses more on receptions meaning each of these best NFL tight ends dominated the role as it was played during their prime. There is a reason that the Mackey Award is given out each year to the top tight end in college football.
The tight end position is a unique one as it has evolved from a blocking player to one that focuses more on receptions meaning each of these best NFL tight ends dominated the role as it was played during their prime. There is a reason that the Mackey Award is given out each year to the top tight end in college football.
Former Carolina Panthers tight end Wesley Walls sees NFL tight ends lining up in the slot, being used and getting paid like wide receivers, and thinks he played the position two decades too soon. “I wish I was 23 again in this league,” Walls said. Walls is 48 now, 11 years removed from his last NFL season.
In 1963 the Eagles moved Retzlaff to tight end, a position that was beginning to come into its own at the time thanks to Mike Ditka and John Mackey. Retzlaff was just as good. From 1963-1965, Retzlaff was top ten in receptions and receiving yards all three years, and twice was top ten in touchdowns, he made the Pro Bowl all three years.
'He was in a great spot today,' Drew Brees says. New Orleans Saints Central; Coby Fleener's rushing touchdown sparks banner day for Saints tight ends
With Dickson and Pitta sidelined, the remaining four tight ends on the roster -- Billy Bajema, Davon Drew, Bruce Figgins and Matt Balasavage -- are all getting opportunities to secure the team’s third tight-end spot.
Cook was selected in the third round (89th overall) by the Tennessee Titans in the 2009 NFL Draft. On July 7, 2009, he signed a contract with the Titans. In his rookie season, Cook finished the season with 9 receptions for 74 yards in 14 games.
Marcedes Lewis, 34 (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) The former 2006 first-round pick can be signed at any time, as he was released from his Jacksonville contract earlier this offseason and would not qualify for the comp pick formula.