Ranking the top tight ends in the division
Seeing as ‘TEU’ has been in the news recently, it’s a fitting time to dive into Silver and Black Pride’s AFC West tight end rankings.
Unfortunately for some, there is no surprise Taylor Swift concert included here, but we do have an interesting debate between Taylor’s boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Tavis Kelce, and the Las Vegas Raiders’ All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers.
Bowers had a historic rookie season, but is that small body of work enough to surpass a future Hall of Famer in Kelce?
1. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
2024 Stats: 112 catches, 1,194 yards, 5 TDs
To answer the question above, yes. Bowers rewrote the NFL history books last season and has already entered into the conversation as the best player at the position across the league. He led all tight ends in receptions and yards, and the latter came primarily after the catch as he topped the charts with 592 YAC, per Pro Football Focus. That, plus Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro bids, are enough for the second-year pro to earn the top spot among AFC West tight ends heading into the 2025 season.
2. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
2024 Stats: 97 catches, 823 yards, 3 TDs
The 35-year-old who turns 36 in October doesn’t have the movement skills he used to have to beat man coverage consistently. However, Kelce is a savvy route runner who is very good at attacking the soft spots in zone coverage to finish the 2024 regular season third and fifth among tight ends in receptions and yards, respectively. So, while he may have lost a step heading into what will likely be his final NFL campaign, the 10-time Pro Bowler is still undoubtedly a top-two tight end in the division.
3. Evan Engram, Denver Broncos
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
2024 Stats: 47 catches, 365 yards, 1 TD
Engram is new to the AFC West, having spent the last three years with the Jacksonville Jaguars. While the former Jaguar’s numbers above aren’t impressive, that’s primarily due to him battling injuries and only playing in nine games last season. He’s just a year removed from recording career highs in receptions (114) and yards (963) to earn the second Pro Bowl nomination of his career. Granted, Engram’s blocking has always been a big question mark, but head coach Sean Payton is expected to use him similarly to how Payton deployed Jimmy Graham with the New Orleans Saints, as a bigger wide receiver essentially. That should mitigate Engram’s blocking concerns and allow him to have a big year in Denver.
4. Will Dissly, Los Angeles Chargers
2024 Stats: 50 catches, 481 yards, 2 TDs
While Dissly has never been much of a receiver, he managed to set career highs in receptions and yards during his first season with the Jim Harbaugh-led Chargers last year. Combine that with being one of the best gap-run blockers at the position in 2024, per PFF, and the eight-year pro is deserving of a spot in the top five here. Granted, Dissly’s production will likely drop this fall after Los Angeles brought Tyler Conklin in this offseason.
5. Noah Gray, Chiefs
2024 Stats: 40 catches, 437 yards, 5 TDs
What’s important to keep in mind with the stats above is that Gray serves as the No. 2 tight end behind Kelce in Kansas City and had the fewest targets of the players included on this list. Still, he tied with Bowers for the most touchdowns among AFC West tight ends and finished in the top 30 league-wide for yards. Not bad for having to compete for snaps and targets with a future Hall of Famer.
Honorable Mentions: Tyler Conklin (LAC), Michael Mayer (LV), Adam Trautman (DEN)