Bob DeChiara-USA Today Sports
Ranking the AFC East: Tight Ends
With the major phase of free agency and the 2020 draft behind us, it's a good time to revisit every team's roster and see where everybody stands.
Even though they made changes throughout their roster, the Miami Dolphins pretty much stayed pat at the tight end position with the thought that 2018 draft picks Mike Gesicki and Durham Smythe will continue to improve.
The New England Patriots had the most eventful offseason at the position as they drafted two players at the position in the third round and later traded Rob Gronwkowski to Tampa Bay so he could rejoin Tom Brady.
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: Tommy Sweeney, Lee Smith, Tyler Kroft, Dawson Knox, Jason Croom, Nate Becker
Offseason moves: Re-signed Nate Becker to a futures contract ... re-signed Jason Croom
Projected opening-day starter: Dawson Knox
2019 stats: Knox — 11 starts, 28 catches, 388 yards, 13.9 average, 2 touchdowns; Kroft — 3 starts, 6 catches, 71 yards, 11.8 average, 1 touchdown; Smith — 5 starts, 4 catches, 31 yards, 7.8 average, 1 touchdown; Sweeney — 1 start, 8 catches, 114 yards, 14.3 average; Croom — DNP; Becker — DNP
Outlook: Knox showed flashes of becoming a playmaker in the passing game after arriving as a 2019 third-round pick out of Ole Miss. Smith never will put up significant numbers in the passing game, but he'll be going into his 10th season in the NFL because of his blocking ability. Kroft is a solid veteran backup.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
On the roster: Mike Gesicki, Durham Smythe, Chris Myarick, Michael Roberts, Bryce Sterk
Offseason moves: Re-signed Myarick to a futures contract ... signed Michael Roberts as a free agent ... signed Sterk as an undrafted rookie free agent
Projected opening-day starter: Mike Gesicki
2019 stats: Gesicki — 5 starts, 51 catches, 570 yards, 11.2 average, 5 touchdowns; Smythe — 14 starts, 7 catches, 65 yards, 9.3 average; Roberts — DNP; Myarick — DNP; Roberts — DNP
Outlook: Gesicki was among the most productive tight ends down the stretch last season as he broke through with his first NFL touchdown and ended up with five TDs in the final six games. Of course, who can forget his game-winning score in the final minute in the season finale at New England. Smythe actually started more games than Gesicki in 2019, and that's a testament to his better blocking ability. The wild card here could be Roberts, who had three touchdown catches in eight games for Detroit in 2018 before sitting out all of last season because of a shoulder injury.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
On the roster: Matt LaCosse, Dalton Keene, Ryan Izzo, Jake Burt, Rashod Berry, Devin Asiasi
Offseason moves: Lost Ben Watson to retirement ... activated Rob Gronkowski from the reserve/retired list and traded him to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ... selected Dalton Keene in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft ... selected Devin Asiasi in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft ... signed Rashod Berry as an undrafted rookie free agent
Projected opening-day starters: Ryan Izzo
2019 stats: LaCosse — 8 starts, 13 catches, 131 yards, 10.1 average, 1 touchdown; Izzo — 4 starts, 6 catches, 114 yards, 19.0 average, 1 touchdown; Keene — (at Virginia Tech) 21 catches, 240 yards, 11.4 average, 5 touchdowns; Asiasi — (at UCLA) 44 catches, 641 yards, 14.6 average, 4 touchdowns; Berry — (at Ohio State) 2 catches, 20 yards, 10.0 average
Outlook: The Patriots obviously missed Gronkowski last season during his one-year retirement, but his production truthfully always was going to impossible to replace because of his unique ability. That said, the Patriots told you all you needed to know about how they felt about their tight ends when they used not one but two picks in the third round to address the position. Dalton Keene is seen as the more versatile of the two third-round picks, though some draft analysts think Asiasi could have a bright future as a pass catcher.
NEW YORK JETS
On the roster: Trevon Wesco, Ross Travis, Chris Herndon, Ryan Griffin, Daniel Brown
Offseason moves: Signed Daniel Brown to a contract extension
Projected opening-day starter: Ryan Griffin
2019 stats: Griffin — 13 starts, 34 catches, 320 yards, 9.4 average, 5 touchdowns; Herndon — 0 starts, 1 catches, 7 yards, 7.0 average; Wesco — 1 start, 2 catches, 47 yards, 23.5 average; Travis — (with Colts) 1 start, 4 catches, 51 yards, 12.8 average; Brown — 5 starts, 7 catches, 72 yards, 10.3 average, 1 touchdown
Outlook: Griffin is a dependable pass catcher, and he had a career-high five touchdown receptions in his first season with the Jets after playing the previous six years with the Houston Texans. The real key here for the Jets is getting production from Herndon. The Jets drafted the former University of Miami standout in the fourth round in 2018 based on his potential, but he has yet to deliver. An NFL suspension and an injury limited him to two games last year.
THE RANKING
With Gronkowski out of the division, there really wasn't a dominant tight end in the AFC East last year, although Gesicki did close with a strong finish.
The Patriots have intriguing potential with their two third-round picks, and Knox has the makings of an impact player for Buffalo.
This might be as difficult a position to rank in this division as there is because there's nobody who clearly stands out ... unless Gesicki can produce the whole season the way he did last December.
The call: 1. Buffalo; 2. Miami; 3. New England; 4. N.Y. Jets
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Don't agree with the ranking? Feel free to post a comment.
Alain Poupart has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989. You can follow him on Twitter at @apoupartFins.
