The 2026 NFL Draft is in the books, and the biggest wave of free agency is over. That makes it a perfect time to take stock of NFL rosters as we head toward the 2026 season. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be looking at the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends for all 32 NFL Teams. I’ll be ranking each unit 1-16 in their conference. When it comes to taking stock of the whole unit, it’s not just about star power but depth. Today, it’s the first group of NFC tight end rooms. Teams appear in ascending order.
#16 Carolina Panthers
On the Roster: Ja’Tavion Sanders, Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans, Feleipe Franks, James Mitchell, and Heinrich Haarberg
About: The Panthers have a lot of guys, but how do all the puzzle pieces fit. I liked the acquisition of Sanders in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he has just 62 receptions in two years and two touchdowns. Tremble is something of the defacto starter, but more of a blocker and role player. The Panthers have some options, and could take a step in 2026, but for now it’s hard to know what we’re getting from this group.
#15 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On the Roster: Cade Otton, Payne Durham, Ko Kieft, Bauer Sharp, Devin Culp, and Kenny Fletcher, Jr.
About: The Buccaneers have a good lead guy in the room with Otton. He finished as TE22 in 2025 and has had flashes of greater production when needed. But there isn’t a lot to get excited about behind him, which leaves this group feeling a bit thin.
#14 Washington Commanders
On the Roster: Chig Okonkwo, Ben Sinnott, John Bates, Colson Yankoff, Lawrence Cager, and Quentin Moore
About: Will we ever see anything from Sinnott? That’s a fair question heading into his third season. He was taken in the Second Round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but he has just 16 receptions in two seasons. This season it seemed like a potential chance for him to break out, then the Commanders added Okonkwo. Okonkwo made the most of his opportunities in Tennessee, finishing as TE21 in 2025. He should be the starter, but this is a room with some depth including veterans Bates and Cager. It’s a solid group.
#13 Minnesota Vikings
On the Roster: T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver, Ben Yurosek, Gavin Batholomew, and Bryson Nesbit
About: The Vikings land next on the list, led by the veteran Hockenson. He’s one of the most dangerous threats in the league when healthy and in a good offense. But injuries and the dreadful quarterback situation last season limited him to TE26. But Hockenson should be a valuable weapon for Kyler Murray this season. Behind him, Oliver has shown himself a reliable fill in, especially in the Red Zone. He has nine touchdowns over the past three seasons. It’s a nice one-two punch, which gives the Vikings’ TE room some options.
#12 New York Giants
On the Roster: Isaiah Likely, Theo Johnson, Chris Manhertz, Thomas Fidone II, and Tanner Conner
About: The Giants moved to improve the offense this off-season, finding a good addition to the room is Likely, who played the TE2 spot for the Ravens the past few years. We saw Likely dominate in flashes and produce alongside Mark Andrews. He posted 135 receptions and 15 touchdowns in four seasons. Now, he’s the main option for the Giants. But behind him is Johnson, who as an emerging target in 2025 finished as TE18. That gives the Giants a heck of a one-two punch at tight end.
#11 Dallas Cowboys
On the Roster: Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, Brevyn Spann-Ford, Princeton Fant, Michael Trigg, and D.J. Rogers
About: The Cowboys have a solid room with good top end talent. Ferguson has been one of the more reliable tight ends in the league, finishing as TE5 in 2025. He’s got good rapport with Dak Prescott, which makes him a good play for fantasy. If he misses time, the question is who fills in. Schoonmaker and Spann-Ford have spent time in the lineup before. And the Cowboys took a shot on Trigg as an undrafted free agent. None seems likely to equal Ferguson’s production, so that puts Dallas a touch lower than some other rooms.
#10 Seattle Seahawks
On the Roster: A.J. Barner, Elijah Arroyo, Eric Saubert, Harrison Bryant, Nick Kallerup, and Lance Mason
About: The Seahawks have a solid option atop the unit in Barner. In 2025, he broke out with a TE14 finish, making his presence felt in the postseason, too. Behind him, the Seahawks have a great group of support options. Saubert and Bryant are veterans who’ve flashed at times for other teams. The Seahawks also have Arroyo, a talented prospect taken in the 2025 NFL Draft who hasn’t had much time to make an impact, yet. The Seahawks don’t have the top-end talent of the Cowboys, but overall, the room has better upside in its depth.
#9 New Orleans Saints
On the Roster: Juwan Johnson, Noah Fant, Oscar Delp, Moliki Matavao, Treyton Welch, Zaire Mitchell-Paden, and Cody Hardy
About: As we reach the top of the first part of the NFC TE group, we land on the Saints. If we looked at individual pieces, no one would stand out as much as Ferguson. But the Saints have three great options. Johnson has been a reliable starter for the team for years, finishing TE8 in 2025 and signing an extension. The team also added the veteran Fant, who has good upside and experience. Then, in the draft, the Saints nabbed Delp, giving them a great prospect for the future. I like the depth, upside, and potential of the Saints’ tight end room.
Matthew Fox is a die-hard NFL fan and Broncos’ homer. He’s a member of the FSWA. You can find more from him on Twitter @knighthawk7734 or as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast, a part of the Campus2Canton Network.
