Ranking the AFC East Tight End Situations, Pre-Draft Edition
After the first wave of free agency, it's a good time to revisit every AFC East team's roster and see where everybody stands at each position.
At tight end, it was the New York Jets who made the most significant moves, while the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots maintained the status quo.
Let's examine each team's situation before we proceed with our AFC East ranking of the tight end position.
BUFFALO BILLS
On the roster: Dawson Knox, Tommy Sweeney, Quinton Morris, O.J. Howard
Offseason moves: Signed O.J. Howard as an unrestricted free agent from Tampa Bay.
Projected opening-day starters: Dawson Knox
2021 stats: Knox — 49 catches, 587 yards, 12.0 average, 9 TDs; Sweeney — 9 catches, 44 yards, 4.9 average, 1 TD
Outlook: The Bills are hoping that Howard can make an impact after mostly underachieving in Tampa Bay after being a first-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft, but Knox is the story here after he broke out in a big way in 2021 in his third NFL season.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
On the roster: Mike Gesicki, Durham Smythe, Adam Shaheen, Cethan Carter, Hunter Long
Offseason moves: Placed the franchise tag on Mike Gesicki, who then signed the tender ... re-signed Durham Smythe as an unrestricted free agent
Projected opening-day starter: Durham Smythe
2021 stats: Gesicki — 73 catches, 780 yards, 10.7 average, 2 TDs; Smythe — 34 catches, 357 yards, 10.5 avg., 0 TD; Shaheen — 12 catches, 110 yards, 9.8 avg., 0 TD; Carter — 2 catches, 16 yards, 8.0 avg., 0 TDs; Long — 1 catch, 8 yards, 8.0 avg., 0 TD
Outlook: The Dolphins maintained the status quo at this position, perhaps surprisingly given the high number of tight ends on the 53-man roster in 2021, when they re-upped Gesicki and Smythe in free agency. The question here is whether Long will be given a larger role in his second season after being an afterthought (only seven games played) as a rookie. And the projection of Smythe as the starter is based on precedent and the expectation the Dolphins will want to establish their running game early.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
On the roster: Jonnu Smith, Dalton Keene, Hunter Henry, Devin Asiasi
Offseason moves: None
Projected opening-day starters: Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith
2021 stats: Henry — 50 catches, 603 yards, 12.1 average, 9 TDs; Smith — 28 catches, 294 yards, 10.5 avg., 1 TD, 9 rushing attempts, 40 yards, 4.4 avg.
Outlook: As was the case throughout most of their roster, New England stood pat (get it?) at tight end, which made sense in a way considering they signed Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith as free agents last offseason and drafted both Dalton Keene and Devin Asiasi in the third round in 2020. New England, though, will be looking for more contributions from that group in 2022 because Henry was the only one who was productive last year.
NEW YORK JETS
On the roster: Kenny Yeboah, Trevon Wesco, C.J. Uzomah, Brandon Dillon, Tyler Conklin, Lawrence Cager
Offseason moves: Signed C.J. Uzomah as an unrestricted free agent from Cincinnati ... Signed Tyler Conklin as a UFA from Minnesota ... Tyler Kroft became a UFA ... released Ryan Griffin
Projected opening-day starter: C.J. Uzomah
2021 stats: Wesco — 3 catches, 35 yards, 11.7 average, 0 TD
Outlook: The Jets decided to revamp their tight end corps after getting very little impact from Ryan Griffin and Tyler Kroft, who combined for 43 catches and three touchdowns in 2021. C.J. Uzomah, who had five touchdowns for the Bengals in 2021, and Tyler Conklin, who had 61 catches for Minnesota, were signed to three-year contracts.
RANKING THE AFC EAST TE SITUATIONS
Based on credentials, New England would seem like the logical top choice here partly because Henry and Smith were the top two tight ends on the free agent market last offseason.
But Smith underperformed in his first season with the Patriots and the two 2020 third-round pick has yet to show they can make an impact in the NFL.
Knox was the most impactful tight end in the division last year with his nine touchdowns (it did help playing with Josh Allen), but the Bills' tight end group has been a one-man show.
The Jets upgraded their tight end position with the acquisitions of Uzomah and Conklin, but it remains to be seen how much of an immediate impact they can make in New York.
The bottom line here is that there isn't much separating these groups as we head into the 2022 NFL draft.
The call: 1. New England; 2. Miami; 3. Buffalo; 4. N.Y. Jets
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Alain Poupart has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989. You can follow him on Twitter at @PoupartNFL.
