Ranking the AFC West: Tight Ends
The AFC West has always been one of the most competitive divisions on a year-to-year basis since the AFL-NFL merger, and 2020 figures to continue the tradition.
Home of the reigning Super Bowl-champion Kansas City Chiefs, a pair of teams dripping with potential in the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders, and a team with one of the most well-rounded defensive units in the Los Angeles Chargers, the AFC West might push a pair of teams into the playoffs this year.
The Chiefs are the easy front runner for the AFC West crown seeing as they've won the division for five consecutive years and are returning 19-of-22 starters from a championship roster.
But the Broncos and Raiders have tried to mimic the blueprint the Chiefs laid out in 2019, bringing in a ton of explosive play-makers to try to keep up with one of the most dynamic offenses the league has ever seen. The Chargers still have a ways to go in order to light up the scoreboard, but the upgrades they've made to an already stellar defense could keep them competitive in these heated rivalries.
Every year, we at Mile High Huddle dive deep to break down the Broncos' division rivals. This time around, we're going to rank each team by position group in order to determine who has the best roster in the division.
This year we're going to rank each team by position group in order to determine who has the best roster in the division. These rankings will include not only the projected starters for each AFC West team, but also the depth of the unit as a whole.
The tight end position is incredibly strong in the AFC West, with all four teams rostering a quality starter and quality depth pieces. Who has the best room?
4: Denver Broncos | Noah Fant, Nick Vannett, Albert Okwuegbunam
The Broncos tight end room is incredibly deep simply because they still have six players on the roster, more than any other team in the division. But quantity doesn't always mean quality.
Don't get me wrong, the explosive play-making potential of Fant is tremendous. After all, he did have a 75-yard catch and run for a touchdown against the Browns last season. Catching 40 passes for 562 yards and three touchdowns, Fant had a very inspiring rookie campaign.
However, explosive potential isn't the only aspect of playing tight end. Fant is a mediocre blocker and struggled to use his big frame to box out defenders at the catch point. He's a stallion with the ball in his hands, but needs to refine his release point in his breaks and get more physical in every nature.
Despite having three different QBs throwing the football to him, Fant was still able to break the franchise record for most receiving yards by a rookie tight end, so there's a lot to work with. I'm excited to see how he looks as a flexed-out move tight end in Pat Shurmur's offense.
After Fant, the Broncos depth is rather unproven. Outside of fifth-year pro Vannett, Denver's depth tight ends have rarely seen the field due to various injury concerns.
Vannett is also primarily going to be used as a blocker when he sees the field. His best season as a receiver came back in Seattle in 2018, where he caught 29 balls for 269 yards and three touchdowns.
The rookie Okwuegbunam may be used as a seam stretcher between the 20-yard lines and as a red-zone threat, but with Fant seeing the lion's share of the starting reps, Albert O. is probably going to have a very reduced and limited role.
One wild-card to consider is the oft-injured but highly-talented Jake Butt. Multiple ACL tears and surgeries have derailed his career to this point, and this may be his last chance at landing on the Broncos roster.
However, should Butt remain healthy, he offers a much more well rounded skill-set than Albert O and is arguably a better blocker than Nick Vannett. Keep your eyes peeled.
3: Los Angeles Chargers | Hunter Henry, Virgil Green, Stephen Anderson
When Henry is healthy he has the ability to be a top-7 player tight end in the NFL. Despite missing four games in 2019, Henry posted 55 catches for 652 yards and five touchdowns as a versatile chess piece for a struggling Chargers offense.
Able to line up in-line, in the slot or flexed out wide, Henry offers a diverse skill-set. He's a smooth route runner, understands leverage as a blocker, and has tremendously soft hands as a pass-catcher. The only 'problem' with his game is his injury history, as he missed all of 2018 with a torn ACL.
When it comes to Green, the light hasn't exactly come on as a receiver but you might not find a better blocker at tight end outside of San Francisco's phenom George Kittle. Although he's never truly been tasked as a receiver, Green does offer a nice skill-set capable of being a solid option.
Anderson is another quality depth piece for the Chargers that has seen starting action in the past. Back in 2017, Anderson started 5-of-11 games he played for the Texans and caught 25 passes for 342 yards and a touchdown. A quality blocker as well, Anderson boosts the Chargers above the Broncos because he has more experience than any other depth piece that Denver has on the roster.
2: Kansas City Chiefs | Travis Kelce, Rick Seals- Jones
While it may shock many readers, the Chiefs land here because of one major reason.
Depth.
Kelce is arguably the best tight end in the league. A smooth route runner, quality blocker, and key cog to the Chiefs success offensively, Kelce has been a terror for opposing secondaries for years.
He seemingly always posts wide receiver numbers at the tight end position, including a 90 catch season in 2019. But behind Kelce is practically nothing, hence why only Seals-Jones is listed as another option.
RSJ looked to be coming on hot back in 2018 despite being on a horrifyingly bad Cardinals offense. 34 catches for 343 yards and a touchdown isn't bad production considering the Cardinals were rotating a rookie QB in and playing with one of the worst offensive lines the league has seen this decade.
Having Kelce on the roster really helps the Chiefs, obviously, but one could easily knock these guys down a peg because they have absolutely nothing to work with outside of him.
1: Las Vegas Raiders | Darren Waller, Foster Moreau, Jason Witten
One of the best stories of the NFL last season was the breakout of Waller. A former Raven that had drug and attitude issues, Waller was well on his way out of the league. His resurgence with the Raiders last season was remarkable, and he was quickly and heavily featured in Jon Gruden's passing attack.
An explosive athlete for his size, Waller was primarily used in the slot and outside as a receiver. Oakland's leading receiver last season, his 90-catch season was on par with the rest of the league's elite tight ends. One year doesn't a career make, but Waller finally found a home and a system that fits his unique skill-set.
Moreau also had a really good year for the Raiders. A rookie in 2019, he posted 21 catches and had five touchdowns. Also a decent blocker, Moreau offers youth, versatility, and potential to be a great counter piece to Waller.
What truly lands the Raiders at the top of the division for tight ends is newly-signed Witten. A future Hall-of-Fame-level player, Witten still posted 60-plus catches in 2019 after a brief retirement.
Asking the 38-year-old Witten to be what he used to be isn't a great idea, but he still has the savvy and wherewithal to win reps as a depth piece.
Vegas has a player at the top of the chart with a very special year and potential to be a special player moving forward with key depth and support players. That's why they land at the top of this list.
Don't miss the previous installments of Mile High Huddle's AFC West positional rankings: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers
Follow Lance on Twitter @SandersonMHH and @MileHighHuddle.
