The Jaguars selected tight end Josh Oliver (pictured) in the third round. Rookie tight ends don't often make an impact, but Jacksonville coach Doug Marrone is pleased by what he's seen out of the rookie so far. Small wonder, since he didn't see tight ends do much of anything for his team last season.
“The transition of what we were able to see on tape to what he’s been able to do on the field has been great,” Marrone says of Oliver. “He’s been able to do the things we ask. He can run. He has a really good catch radius.”
Last year, with Austin Seferian-Jenkins and James O'Shaughnessy the team's main tight ends, Jacksonville didn't manage much production from the position. They caught a league-low 1 TD, and averaged just 33 yards per game. That was more than just four other teams.
| TIGHT END TEAM TOTALS, 2018 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | YPG | No | Yards | TD |
| Philadelphia | 98.2 | 155 | 1571 | 12 |
| Kansas City | 93.8 | 115 | 1500 | 13 |
| San Francisco | 92.6 | 95 | 1481 | 7 |
| Indianapolis | 76.0 | 108 | 1216 | 21 |
| Pittsburgh | 69.9 | 86 | 1119 | 6 |
| Oakland | 69.4 | 91 | 1111 | 10 |
| Baltimore | 66.9 | 86 | 1071 | 5 |
| Washington | 60.4 | 84 | 966 | 5 |
| NY Giants | 58.4 | 79 | 935 | 5 |
| Green Bay | 57.6 | 81 | 922 | 4 |
| Tampa Bay | 56.9 | 73 | 911 | 11 |
| Cleveland | 53.3 | 75 | 853 | 8 |
| Tennessee | 50.1 | 67 | 802 | 7 |
| Atlanta | 49.9 | 85 | 799 | 5 |
| New England | 47.6 | 54 | 761 | 3 |
| Minnesota | 46.7 | 74 | 747 | 4 |
| Houston | 46.6 | 61 | 745 | 4 |
| New Orleans | 46.2 | 66 | 739 | 4 |
| NY Jets | 45.9 | 67 | 735 | 5 |
| Dallas | 44.4 | 68 | 710 | 4 |
| Cincinnati | 44.3 | 67 | 708 | 5 |
| Carolina | 42.3 | 65 | 676 | 7 |
| Chicago | 41.8 | 64 | 668 | 7 |
| Denver | 40.6 | 68 | 649 | 3 |
| LA Rams | 38.6 | 58 | 617 | 5 |
| Seattle | 37.5 | 51 | 600 | 8 |
| LA Chargers | 35.4 | 48 | 567 | 3 |
| Jacksonville | 33.1 | 59 | 530 | 1 |
| Buffalo | 32.8 | 56 | 525 | 1 |
| Arizona | 29.7 | 46 | 475 | 1 |
| Detroit | 28.8 | 45 | 461 | 4 |
| Miami | 24.1 | 39 | 386 | 2 |
Noteworthy, I think, that several other teams at the bottom of this list might be starting rookie tight ends. T.J. Hockenson in Detroit, certainly, and possibly third-rounder Dawson Knox in Buffalo. Will those teams now have a relevant tight end? Or will the offense around them limit their production?
Miami, at the bottom of the list, had rookie Mike Gesicki in the lineup last year. Maybe he's more comfortable in his second season, plus it's a new coaching staff.
In my TE-friendly dynasty league (tight ends get 1.5 point per reception), I drafted Oliver in the third round, and added Knox in free agency. We'll see if those guys kick-start the tight end receiving on those teams. Or are dragged down by them.
--Andy Richardson