Gus’ Tiers: 2024 NFL Tight Ends

Welcome to the latest edition of “Gus’ Tiers” at 1010XL/92.5 FM!

Each Wednesday, I’ll be using Tiermaker dot com to create a 100% correct ranking of a timely subject related to the Jacksonville Jaguars/NFL landscape.

For this week’s Tier, I ranked tight ends entering the 2024-25 NFL season.

Generational: Travis Kelce, George Kittle

These two will be wearing gold jackets one day. Kelce was selected to the 2010s All-Decade Team and has the most postseason receptions of any player in league history; Kittle is the best blocker at the position since Gronk and became the first tight end to lead the league in yards after catch in 2019.

All Pro caliber: Mark Andrews, Dallas Goedert, Trey McBride, Sam LaPorta

With Kelce entering his age-35 season, Andrews may be the only tight end capable of being a team’s clear no. 1 recieving option. Goedert is second only to Kittle as the best all-around tight end in the game. McBride is a future star, in this writer’s opinion, and LaPorta already earned a second-team All-Pro nod as a rookie last year.

Pro Bowl caliber: T.J. Hockenson, Evan Engram, David Njoku, Dalton Kincaid, Pat Freiermuth

Hockenson, Engram and Njoku have made the Pro Bowl within the past two seasons thanks to stellar receiving stats. Kincaid and Freiermuth, who are in line for a jump in targets this year, should be the next tight ends (after McBride) to be invited.

Enigmas: Kyle Pitts, Michael Mayer, Brock Bowers, Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft

Pitts has yet to live up to his pedigree as the highest drafted tight end in league history, but he’s still just 23 years old and will be more productive catching passes from Kirk Cousins. Las Vegas’ Mayer and Bowers, and to a lesser extent, Green Bay’s Musgrave and Kraft, are tough to pin down since they’re all first- or second-year pros and have competition for snaps.

On the rise: Jake Ferguson, Cade Otton, Isaiah Likely, Chigoziem Okonkwo, Jelani Woods

AKA Pro Bowl sleepers. Ferguson has the clearest path to production in Dallas, but Otton, Likely, Okonkwo and Woods are other names to remember for the future.

Above average: Cole Kmet, Dawson Knox, Dalton Schultz, Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith

These tight ends may not be as good as their numbers indicate, but they’re posting numbers nonetheless, which is a rarity at the position.