Fantasy Index

Factoid

60-catch tight ends

TEs bigger part of passing game than in the past

It's likely that multiple tight ends will be selected in the first round of the NFL draft, and that's rare; it's happened only once since 2004 (Vernon Davis and Marcedes Lewis in 2006). But the tight end has emerged as a bigger part of the passing game than ever before, as their production in recent years indicates.

I took a look at tight end receptions over the last 20 years, setting 60 catches as my threshold for tight end involvement in the passing game. That works out to roughly 4 receptions per game. The numbers indicate there are more of those types of tight ends in each and every year.

Over the past 10 years, 84 tight ends have caught at least 60 passes, so an average of more than 8 per season. Compare that to the previous 10 years, when only 35 tight ends caught at least 60 passes in a season; so, 3.5 per season.

There have also been 26 80-catch seasons by tight ends in the last 10 years. In the previous 10 years, there were a total of 5. Big difference.

Tight ends with 60-plus receptions in the last 10 seasons are presented in the table at the bottom of this article. The year-by-year numbers of 60-catch tight ends are presented below. It's presented in a graphically more pleasing form on our Facebook page.

60 catch tight ends, 2004-2013
2013: 9
2012: 10
2011: 11
2010: 8
2009: 10
2008: 6
2007: 6
2006: 7
2005: 10
2004: 7
Total: 84

60 catch tight ends, 1994-2003
2003: 2
2002: 4
2001: 3
2000: 6
1999: 3
1998: 3
1997: 4
1996: 3
1995: 5
1994: 2
Total: 35

60-CATCH TEs, LAST 10 YEARS
YearPlayerNoYardsTD
2012Jason Witten 1101,0393
2004Tony Gonzalez 1021,2587
2009Dallas Clark 1001,10610
2011Jimmy Graham 991,31011
2007Tony Gonzalez 991,1725
2008Tony Gonzalez 961,05810
2007Jason Witten 961,1457
2010Jason Witten 941,0029
2009Jason Witten 941,0302
2012Tony Gonzalez 939308
2011Rob Gronkowski 901,32717
2005Antonio Gates 891,10110
2006Kellen Winslow 898753
2004Jason Witten 879806
2013Jimmy Graham 861,21516
2012Jimmy Graham 859829
2013Tony Gonzalez 838598
2011Brandon Pettigrew 837775
2009Tony Gonzalez 838676
2008Chris Cooley 838491
2004Eric Johnson 828252
2007Kellen Winslow 821,1065
2004Antonio Gates 8196413
2008Jason Witten 819524
2013Jordan Cameron 809177
2011Tony Gonzalez 808757
2012Brandon Myers 798064
2011Aaron Hernandez 799107
2011Jason Witten 799425
2009Antonio Gates 791,1578
2009Vernon Davis 7896513
2005Tony Gonzalez 789052
2013Antonio Gates 778724
2010Chris Cooley 778493
2009Kellen Winslow 778845
2008Dallas Clark 778486
2009Brent Celek 769718
2009Heath Miller 767896
2011Kellen Winslow 757632
2007Antonio Gates 759849
2005Todd Heap 758557
2013Greg Olsen 738166
2013Jason Witten 738518
2004Randy McMichael 737914
2006Todd Heap 737656
2006Tony Gonzalez 739005
2012Heath Miller 718168
2010Brandon Pettigrew 717224
2006Antonio Gates 719249
2005Chris Cooley 717747
2004Jermaine Wiggins 717054
2010Tony Gonzalez 706566
2008Owen Daniels 708622
2013Charles Clay 697596
2012Greg Olsen 698435
2005Jermaine Wiggins 695681
2010Benjamin Watson 687633
2011Vernon Davis 677926
2010Jacob Tamme 676314
2010Kellen Winslow 667305
2009Zach Miller 668053
2007Chris Cooley 667868
2005Jason Witten 667576
2006Jeremy Shockey 666237
2013Martellus Bennett 657595
2013Julius Thomas 6578812
2011Dustin Keller 658155
2005Alge Crumpler 658775
2005Jeremy Shockey 658917
2012Jermaine Gresham 647375
2011Antonio Gates 647787
2006Jason Witten 647541
2007Owen Daniels 637683
2012Owen Daniels 627166
2011Brent Celek 628115
2006Randy McMichael 626403
2012Jermichael Finley 616672
2012Dennis Pitta 616697
2004Jeremy Shockey 616666
2005L.J. Smith 616823
2010Zach Miller 606855
2009Greg Olsen 606128
2008Antonio Gates 607048
2005Randy McMichael 605825

--Andy Richardson

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