Ranking the AFC East TE rooms: Where do Tyler Conklin and the NY Jets rank?

The tight end position has evolved greatly over the past couple of decades. Previously a pseudo-sixth offensive lineman who primarily executed blocking responsibilities, the modern tight end is an athletic freak who creates mismatches in the passing game while still handling run-blocking responsibilities.

Some teams, like the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, even run their passing game with the tight end as the primary target. While not everyone has a Travis Kelce to be able to do that, the league is now filled with dangerous receiving threats at the position.

Even more, some teams now employ heavy usage of 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) to create even more mismatches in the passing game while also threatening run based on the formation.

Further down the depth chart, you typically find more one-dimensional players; either blocking specialists or pure receiving threats that operate more like supersized wide receivers.

The AFC East is loaded with talent in this position, so as we've done with the quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers we're going to take a deep dive and rank the AFC East tight end rooms.

4. The New England Patriots

The depth chart: Hunter Henry leads the way with Austin Hooper as the No. 2, and Mitchell Wilcox and rookie Jaheim Bell rounding out the room.

New England has built its offense through the tight ends before, to varying degrees of success. First, there was the dynamic duo of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. That faded away with Hernandez's off-field issues and Gronk eventually moving on. Then, in 2021 they tried to recreate that magic by signing Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith (whom we'll discuss later).

At this point in his career, Hunter Henry is a capable starter. He posted 42 catches for 419 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2023. His 419 receiving yards were a career low, and his run blocking has steadily declined posting run blocking grades of 57.9, 48.3, and 55.8 since joining New England, according to Pro Football Focus.

Those run-blocking grades over the last three seasons are among the lowest of his career. With no true standout skill, Henry can only be regarded as an acceptable starter. Unfortunately, New England's dearth of wide receiver talent puts a larger burden on him than may be warranted at this point in his career.

Austin Hooper is the classic case of a tweener. Too good to be a backup but not good enough to be a starter he's bounced around the league serving in both roles throughout his career. Last year, with the Raiders he tallied 25 catches for 234 yards and zero touchdowns. Like Henry, that was the lowest yardage total of his career.

Also like Henry, his a below-average run blocker. All of this makes the fit between these two players even more awkward. Neither is dynamic enough in anything to complement the other.

The other two tight ends on the roster are total opposites. Wilcox is a classic journeyman who turns 28 in November and has just 29 career catches. Bell is a seventh-round pick that is more of a tight end/wide receiver tweener. At 241 pounds, he's small to be a tight end, but big to be a receiver. He has great speed for a tight end, but not enough to play out wide.

3. The Miami Dolphins

The depth chart: former New England Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith leads the way. Last year's starter Durham Smythe serves as the No. 2 tight end. Julian Hill and Jody Fortson round out the unit.

Jonnu Smith is coming off a career year with the Atlanta Falcons which saw him set career highs in receptions with 50 and yardage with 582. He also added three touchdowns.

A tad on the small size at six-foot-three 248 pounds, Smith has been effective as a low-volume option that can stretch the field a bit more than the average tight end. Miami signed him to a two-year deal hoping he provides a spark as a receiving tight end.

What he won't do however is strike fear in the opposition as a run blocker. As per Pro Football Focus, his 43.7 run-blocking grade in 2023 was eighth-worst among all tight ends. Still, with 4.62 speed, Smith isn't expected to block as much as he is to be a factor in the receiving game.

This issue is that his backup, Durham Smythe, is nothing to write home about as a run blocker either. Smythe's 49.9 run-blocking grade was below average as well. Smythe posted 35 catches for 366 yards and no touchdowns as the starter last season.

That's decent production given Miami's firepower at wide receiver, but still nothing to write home about. His poor blocking makes him an odd fit next to Smith.

Julian Hill is a second-year player who was a UDFA who got a little run in 2023. He snagged 6 balls for 48 yards while appearing in 15 games, and playing 35% of offensive snaps. He also struggled mightily as a blocker. That doesn't inspire much confidence, but at just 23 years old perhaps there's some untapped potential.

Lastly, Fortson is a typical journeyman camp body. The 28-year-old played two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs last suiting up in 2022. He has 14 career catches, 155 receiving yards, and four touchdowns to his name.

2. The New York Jets

The depth chart: veteran Tyler Conklin leads the way while Jeremy Ruckert finally earns the promotion to tight end No. 2 fans have been waiting for while entering his third season. Former UDFA Kenny Yeboah and 2023 seventh-round pick Zack Kuntz round things out.

Conklin was brought in during the 2022 offseason as part of the Jets tight end room overhaul. The more successful of the two signings (veteran C.J. Uzomah was released earlier this offseason), Conklin still gets slept on by some fans.

In back-to-back seasons he's caught at least 58 passes for at least 552 yards, including a career-high 621 yards last season. All of that is with league-worst QB play and a complete deterioration of weapons at the wide receiver position except for Garrett Wilson.

Conklin is not a strong run blocker, settling in around average with Pro Football Focus run block grades ranging between 51.0 and 56.0 in his career. Still, look for Conklin to unlock a new level of production with Aaron Rodgers under center.

Jeremy Ruckert's selection in 2022 earned high praise from some at the time, even if there wasn't an immediate pathway to playing time with Conklin and Uzomah ahead of him on the depth chart. The Long Island native turns just 24 this season proving there's still a lot of untapped potential.

To date, Ruckert has only tallied 17 catches for 159 yards in his limited opportunities. He's mostly popped as a blocker, making some highlight reel pancakes while also having his share of whiffs. The 2024 season will be crucial in determining if he can realize the potential to be the TE1 of the future.

Kenny Yeboah has mostly carved out a role on special teams so far in his young career. A UDFA in 2021, Yeboah profiled as an athletic receiving threat at tight end who left a lot to be desired as a blocker. Now turning 26 years old in October, he's probably not got much room left to grow.

Lastly, Zack Kuntz, a seventh-round pick in 2022, rounds out the room. Kuntz posted a perfect 10 RAS at the NFL Combine, but despite that exceptional athleticism, has a lot of work to do actually playing the game of football well.

The Jets rank this high largely on the strength of Tyler Conklin who's been the best individual tight end we've discussed so far. The true ceiling of this unit, however, depends on how well Ruckert performs in a larger role.

1. The Buffalo Bills

The depth chart: Led by second-year man Dalton Kincaid and followed up by veteran Dalton Knox, the Bills also have Quintin Morris and Tre' McKitty rounding out the group.

As discussed earlier, some teams now run their passing attack through their tight ends, which certainly appears to be their plan in 2024. Last year, Dalton Kincaid burst onto the scene in a big way. Part of an incredible tight end draft class, Kincaid was one of the most impactful rookies at the position.

He finished 2023 with 73 catches for 673 yards and two touchdowns while displaying the versatility to line up all over the field. Despite being billed as primarily a receiving threat coming out of college, Kincaid showed acceptable, though not spectacular, run-blocking skills tallying a 57.0 grade

With the departure of Stefon Diggs, Kincaid is expected to become the primary option in the receiving game and should see an increase in targets up from last year's 91. Ranking 11th overall in yards per route run, increased volume would only make this emerging star more dangerous.

Backing up Kincaid is 2022 Pro Bowler Dawson Knox who is the most overqualified TE2 in the division and perhaps the league. Knox only tallied 22 catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns, though he only played in 12 games due to a fractured wrist and took a backseat to Kincaid.

Knox probably won't get a starter's workload again in his Bills tenure, but expect an uptick in targets with the losses the Bills have suffered in their wide receiver corps. Combine that with some average-to-above-average run blocking and Knox is certainly an asset.

Third-year man Quintin Morris is still just 25, but 10 catches in 29 career games is nothing to write home about. Tre' McKitty is another 25-year-old with three years of experience and 16 career catches, though none last season. Both guys are young enough to have some potential but are mostly bottom-of-the-roster fodder.

Overall, the gaps between the fourth and third rank teams are small, as are the gaps between the second and third-ranked teams. If Jeremy Ruckert can continue his development the Jets might threaten the Bills for the top spot.

The Bills though have the most accomplished tight end room in the division and until proven otherwise the crown must rest with them.