Free Agency 2020: No Sure Things at Tight End

Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper top our list of free-agent tight ends.

Depending on the ratification of a new collective bargaining agreement, NFL free agency will begin on March 18 and the so-called legal-tampering period – when teams can officially begin negotiations with free agents – is March 16. With that, here is our preview of the top 10 free-agent tight ends. (Age at the start of the new league-year is in parentheses.)

FIRST, THE PACKERS’ OUTLOOK

There’s a lot of uncertainty, with Jimmy Graham not expected back and Marcedes Lewis headed to free agency. That leaves Jace Sternberger, a third-round pick last year who barely played due to injuries in training camp and the preseason, Robert Tonyan, who is little more than potential, James Looney, a converted defensive lineman, and Evan Baylis, who had a cup of coffee on the 53.

OUR TOP 10

Hunter Henry, L.A. Chargers (25): Injuries have been an ongoing issue, which will make it buyer beware despite his excellent all-around game. He missed the end of 2017 with a lacerated kidney, all of 2018 with a torn ACL and four games in 2019 with a tibia plateau fracture to his left knee. With that, he’s played in 41 of a possible 64 regular-season games. He’s coming off the best season of his career with 55 receptions for 652 yards. He ranked 10th among all tight ends in receptions. He had three drops, with his drop rate of 5.2 percent ranking 16th among the 40 tight ends who were targeted at least 30 times, according to Pro Football Focus. While his 3.0 yards after the catch per catch tied for 36th, his four receptions on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield tied for eighth at the position and was first among the free agents. Henry has scored 17 career touchdowns with a 71.2 percent catch rate.

Austin Hooper, Atlanta (25): Hooper has 214 career receptions, including back-to-back seasons of 70-plus catches. In 2018, he caught 71 passes for 660 yards and four touchdowns. In 2019, he upped that production to 75 catches for 787 yards and six touchdowns – all career highs. He ranked fifth among all tight ends in receptions and first among the free agents. Sure-handed, his two drops gave him a drop rate of 5.6 percent that ranked fifth among tight ends. His 4.3 yards after the catch per catch tied for 27th. Hooper’s four-year catch rate is 77.3 percent. He has been linked to Green Bay in free agency. Hooper is not a game-changing talent as a receiver – he benefitted greatly from the Falcons’ perimeter talent and Matt Ryan’s accuracy – and he isn’t a dominating blocker. But he knows how to get open and is as reliable as can be.

Eric Ebron, Indianapolis (26): The 10th pick in 2014, Ebron scored 11 touchdowns in four seasons with the Lions. In 2018 with the Colts, he had career highs of 66 receptions for 750 yards and 13 touchdowns. In 2019, he caught 31 passes for 375 yards and three scores in 11 games before going on injured reserve with ankle injuries that required surgery. His six-year catch rate is 62.9 percent. According to PFF, his six drops gave him a drop rate of 13.9 percent – second-worst among the 40 tight ends targeted at least 30 times. His 5.5 YAC per catch ranked 13th but No. 1 among the free agents.

Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati (29): Henry has been a picture of health compared to Eifert. A first-round pick in 2013, Eifert has played in just 59 of a possible 112 regular-season games. Only twice has he started more than four games. After playing in a combined 14 games from 2016 through 2018, Eifert played in all 16 games in 2019 – a first in his career. He caught 43 passes for 436 yards and three touchdowns. Eifert had four drops and ranked 34th with a drop rate of 8.5 percent. His 2.6 YAC per catch was last at the position. His career catch rate is 68.3 percent. He is not a good run blocker.

Nick Vannett, Pittsburgh (27): Vannett was the third tight end drafted in 2016, going in the third round behind Henry (second round) and Hooper (third). He was traded to Pittsburgh for a fifth-round pick early last season. He was a nonfactor with 13 catches for 128 yards in 13 games. His four-year totals are 61 receptions, 591 yards, four touchdowns and a 72.6 percent catch rate. He has 46 catches and one drop the past two seasons.

Jason Witten, Dallas (37): Witten rolled out of retirement and caught 63 passes – eighth-most among all tight ends and second among the free agents – for 529 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged a miniscule 8.4 yards per catch but caught 75.9 percent of targeted passes. However, his six drops gave him a drop rate of 8.7 percent that ranked 35th at the position and his 2.8 YAC per catch tied for 38th. In NFL history, he ranks fourth overall and second among tight ends with 1,215 receptions.

Jacob Hollister, Seattle (26): Hollister, who was acquired from New England for a seventh-round pick in April, is a restricted free agent after going undrafted out of Wyoming in 2017. He had a breakout third season with 41 receptions for 349 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games. He had just one drop to finish fourth with a drop rate of 2.4 percent. His 4.3 YAC per catch tied for 27th. Hollister ran a 4.64 in his 40 at Wyoming’s pro day.

Blake Jarwin, Dallas (25): Like Hollister, Jarwin will be a restricted free agent. Even with the return of Jason Witten, Jarwin caught 31 passes for 365 yards and three touchdowns – all career highs. He finished 10th in drop rate (one drop; 3.1 percent) and 17th in YAC per catch (5.1). He walked on at Oklahoma State and went undrafted in 2017, despite his size (6-foot-5) and athleticism (4.69 in the 40).

Jordan Reed, Washington (29): Reed’s career may be over, ended prematurely due to concussions. He missed all of the 2019 season with a concussion suffered in a preseason game. It reportedly was the seventh of his career and, as of last month, he remained in the concussion protocol. He had 87 receptions for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2015 and 66 receptions for 686 yards and six touchdowns in 2017. In 2018, he caught 54 passes in 13 games before missing the end of the season with an injured toe.

Marcedes Lewis, Green Bay (35): General manager Brian Gutekunst talked Lewis into coming back for one more season to help do the dirty work in the running game that new coach Matt LaFleur wanted to feature. It was a good move, with Lewis going from 190 snaps in 2018 to 487 in 2019. He caught 15-of-19 targeted passes (78.9 percent) for 156 yards (10.4 average) and one touchdown. He had one drop. He’ll turn 36 on May 19 but is probably the best run-blocking tight end in free agency.

PREVIEWING FREE AGENCY

Star power at quarterback

King Henry and Gordon lead running backs

Buyer beware in weak group of receivers

Buyer beware at tight end, too