As we move into the top five of our Tight End Confidential series, we find “America’s Team”, the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys have a long history of success from the tight end position. Mike Ditka, Billy Joe Dupree, Doug Cosbie, and Jay Novacek, all had outstanding times with the star on their helmet. But when it’s all said and done, the greatest tight end in Cowboys history will be former University of Tennessee standout, Jason Witten. The 34-year-old Witten is entering his 14th season in Dallas and shows no signs of stopping. He has been the most durable tight end in the league as he has started all but two games in the past 12 seasons.
It’s not like Witten’s production has waned! He has obviously slowed a bit over the years, but his style of play as a physical pass receiver, who is an effective run blocker, has allowed him to stay on the field regardless of the down and formation. He is valuable inline but also a match-up problem in the slot and split out wide; and the Cowboys utilize all of his talents. Last season he started another 16 games, had over 70 receptions and 700 yards despite dealing with multiple subpar quarterbacks after losing Tony Romo to injury. He will be counted on once again this season to be that dangerous threat in the middle, and with a healthy Romo, he could see his numbers increase.
Behind Witten are two highly capable backups who are poised to take over for Witten when the time finally comes for him to call it a career. James Hanna is the first in line and established number two guy. The 26-year-old veteran from Oklahoma has been groomed under Witten for four seasons and is used in their two tight end packages. Hanna has good versatility, but obviously with Witten as the primary target, he has been relegated to a limited amount of targets. He still holds major value for the Cowboys and could see that value increase if they try to save Witten for a post-season run.
The other tight end is Gavin Escobar. He’s another Cowboys draft pick who they have high hopes for, but has been limited because of Witten’s sustained excellence. Escobar has a similar build to Witten and many believe that he may eventually be the heir to the position. For now, he helps give the Cowboys one of the most complete tight end corps in the NFL.
The last guy in the Cowboys tight end unit is Rico Gathers. He was a basketball player at Baylor this past season and the Cowboys took him with a sixth round pick. At 6’6” and 274 pounds, Gathers will immediately be the most physically imposing and gifted end on the team. Unfortunately, he will also be the most inexperienced tight end in the NFL. Gathers did not play football in high school or college so to think that he will be able to have an immediate impact, like some of the other basketball converts, might be a stretch. But if he is truly committed to being an NFL tight end, then he could not be in a better place to develop. Look for this to be a redshirt season for him with valuable experience being gained during preseason and on the practice squad. 2017 might be a time for him to step into a contributing role but he will be intriguing to watch in training camp this season.
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While Gates production was great considering his availability, the availability is still a concern for San Diego. When Ladarius Green, the original heir apparent to Gates, left for Pittsburgh in free agency, it was important for the Chargers to replace him with another quality tight end. So they used a 2nd round pick in this season’s draft to take Arkansas Razorback tight end, Hunter Henry. Henry had a great career in Arkansas and played in a Pro-style system. He is a guy who is valuable as a blocker and as a pass catcher, and will serve as an immediate impact in that #2 role. Henry will be an upgrade over gates in the run game immediately, which will also facilitate his use in the pass game, especially as a play-action weapon.
Philly has two tight ends that are perfect for any offense. Both Brent Celek and Zach Ertz are guys who can block well enough, and they are dangerous in the pass game. Most teams, including teams on this countdown, don’t have two true tight ends and that is what makes this duo special.
Ebron is essentially a wide receiver playing tight end. As a receiver, he is definitely a threat and a defensive nightmare. His speed makes him an option to take the top off a defense, and his big frame allows him to work intermediately. He’s too fast for safeties and linebackers, and far too big for corners. The crazy part is that he’s going into his third season in the NFL and he is only 23 years old. If you put that into perspective, his teammate Pettigrew was 24 when he broke into the league. Last season, Ebron was fourth on the team in receiving behind Johnson, Golden Tate, and Theo Riddick. He still managed almost 50 receptions over 500 yards and 5 touchdowns. As he continues to grow as a blocker, it will only make him more valuable and allow him to see more time on the field.
The Baltimore Ravens signed 35-year-old Benjamin Watson this offseason. The 12-year vet had a resurgent season in 2015 after spending the previous two seasons as the backup to Jimmy Graham in New Orleans. When Graham was traded to Seattle in the offseason, that opened the door for Watson to take a starting role in the Saints passing offense. He responded with his best season ever; 74 receptions, 825 yards, and six touchdowns later, Watson was sought after on the free agent market and chose to go to another team that values the tight end position in the Baltimore Ravens. He will bring his veteran leadership to a tight end group that was very young last season.
Many believe Jacksonville is a team on the rise. They have accumulated many weapons on both sides of the ball. Although it has not affected the win/loss column yet, the offense has the ability to be explosive. Much of that is thanks to the work of these mid-level guys in Marcedes Lewis, and Julius Thomas.
Bills head coach Rex Ryan’s calling card has always been defense and an effective run game. But one of the byproducts of an effective run game is equally good play-action passing. That passing game became more potent last season with the addition of former Miami Dolphins tight end Charles Clay. Clay was a weapon for the Dolphins and has brought his play-making ability to Buffalo. He is a first down machine averaging over 10 yards per reception. This is extremely valuable to a team with a conservative offense. Clay has the toughness to play between the hashes but the explosiveness to stress safeties. Those skills help a quarterback like Tyrod Taylor, who may throw the best deep ball in the NFL, stretch the field when necessary. That has resulted in nine receptions of over 20 yards.