The tight end position has never been richer. What used to be a niche role for blockers who could catch has turned into one of the NFL’s most dangerous offensive weapons, and the latest wave of stars has pushed the bar higher again.
At the top of the 2026 ranking sits Trey McBride, and the numbers explain why. The Arizona Cardinals star just put together the best receiving season a tight end has ever had, hauling in 126 passes for 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns on 169 targets in 2025.
That earned him first-team All-Pro honors, and he also led all tight ends with 33 red-zone targets. Ten of those touchdowns came after Jacoby Brissett replaced an injured Kyler Murray, who is now in Minnesota.
McBride’s 347 career catches through four seasons are the most in NFL history for a tight end over that span, and he heads back into a Cardinals offense with Brissett again under center.
Right behind him is Brock Bowers, whose second season was interrupted before it ever really got going. A Week 1 knee injury limited the Las Vegas Raiders tight end to 64 catches for 680 yards and seven touchdowns on 86 targets across 12 games, but his efficiency stayed right where it had been during his record-setting rookie year.
In 2024, he set rookie marks for a tight end with 112 receptions and 1,194 yards. Now he enters 2026 healthy, working under new head coach Klint Kubiak and catching passes from either Kirk Cousins or Fernando Mendoza.
The only thing that has kept Bowers from already being the most productive tight end in football is health.
George Kittle comes in at No. 3 even after another season defined by injuries. He still earned the top overall grade among tight ends from Pro Football Focus in 2025, despite playing only 11 games because of ankle and hamstring issues, and then he tore his Achilles tendon in San Francisco’s playoff win over the Eagles.
Even so, he finished with 57 receptions for 628 yards and seven touchdowns on 69 targets. Brock Purdy called him “Energetic and explosive,” adding, “You get the ball in his hands, man, he can run past guys, break tackles.”
Kittle says he is targeting a Week 1 return in 2026, and the only thing missing from his Hall of Fame-caliber resume is durability.
Dallas Goedert lands at No. 4 after turning a contract year into the best season of his eight-year career. He posted personal bests with 60 catches and 11 touchdowns on 82 targets, finishing with 591 yards.
Those 11 scores broke a franchise record for tight ends that had belonged to Pete Retzlaff since 1965 and tied Trey McBride for the league lead at the position. Philadelphia brought him back on a one-year deal after briefly considering a move away from him following its Super Bowl LIX win.
At 31, he remains a dependable outlet in an Eagles offense that will look different with A.J. Brown gone.
Tyler Warren checks in at No. 5 after a rookie year that already put him in rare company. The Indianapolis Colts’ 14th overall pick in 2025 set a franchise record for a rookie tight end with 817 receiving yards on 76 catches, passing John Mackey’s mark from 1936.
He also played the sixth-most snaps of any tight end in the league and finished second at the position in yards after the catch. Warren said, “I think I did some good, did some bad,” and added, “And I think it’ll just be a big learning experience for me this offseason, and making sure I don’t make the same mistakes twice.”
His production dipped after Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, and a healthy year with Jones could push him even higher.
Tucker Kraft comes in at No. 6, and his 2025 season was headed toward something special before a torn ACL stopped it in Week 9. Through eight games, he led Green Bay in receptions, yards and touchdowns among pass catchers, finishing with 32 catches for 489 yards and six scores.
His 344 yards after the catch were far ahead of every other Packers receiver. Matt LaFleur said, “He’s doing as well as you could ever be doing, considering the circumstances,” and added, “Tuck’s a guy who’s not going to flinch.”
Kraft is aiming for a Week 1 return in 2026 without a pitch count, and a contract extension could be next.
Kyle Pitts lands at No. 7 after finally getting back to the kind of production that made him the fourth overall pick in 2021. He caught 88 passes for 928 yards and five touchdowns on 118 targets in 2025, with 338 of those yards coming in his final three games.
Atlanta gave him a three-year, $54 million extension after briefly using the franchise tag this offseason. In 2026, he’ll work with a new quarterback pairing of Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa, and that connection will go a long way toward deciding whether this was a breakout or just another stop on the roller coaster.
Harold Fannin Jr. rounds out the top eight after a rookie season that gave Cleveland a legitimate weapon right away. The 2025 third-round pick from Bowling Green set the Browns’ franchise rookie record for receptions with 72 and added 731 yards and six touchdowns on 107 targets, all team highs, while playing through a groin injury that kept him out of the season finale.
He also tied for the NFL lead in receptions on passes caught under quarterback pressure with 28, matching Puka Nacua and Mike Evans. With David Njoku gone to the Chargers in free agency, Fannin enters 2026 as Cleveland’s clear top tight end.
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