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USATSI

We're now mere weeks away from the official start of the 2024 NFL season, and in our effort to gear up for another march to the Super Bowl, the team here at CBSSports.com is once again getting into its season-preview rhythm. This week, we have been rolling out our rankings of each division at each position. 

Cody Benjamin ranked the divisions by quarterback talent. Jordan Dajani ranked them by running backs. Garrett Podell handled the wide receivers. And in the space below, we'll rank the divisions by tight ends.

Without further ado ...

8. AFC South

There's just not very much high level tight-end talent in this division. Engram is the best of the bunch, but his 114 catches in 2023 overstate his production. He averaged just 8.4 yards per reception, which ranked 18th out of the 19 tight ends with 50 receptions or more. Mallory had intriguing numbers in a small sample, but the room is quite crowded in Indy and nobody has really distinguished himself above the rest. Schultz is solid enough but not explosive, while Okonkwo has big play ability but has not been consistent through his first two seasons.

7. AFC East

There's a lot of athleticism among this group, and if Kincaid takes a step forward as Josh Allen's No. 1 target, he could buoy the division by by himself. But Smith hasn't ever been a consistent force in the passing game, Henry is on the back end of his career, and Conklin is a supplementary target in New York's offense. These guys aren't bad; they're just not big parts of their team's offense other than Kincaid.

6. NFC South

I'll never be able to quit Kyle Pitts. He's so outrageously talented, and he is still younger than many of the top picks in this past year's draft. If he can get past his health issues, stardom is still within reach. But the rest of the division is filled with low-upside players, with the possible exception of Sanders, who will need to work on his blocking to even get on the field. Hill is of course a fascinating player, but the tight end designation doesn't really fit his actual style of play.

5. NFC East

Ferguson and Goedert are the best of this division, but neither of them is necessarily a star-level contributor. They are each probably best off as the No. 3 or 4 option in a passing game, though perhaps Ferguson can step up and be more than that heading into Year 3. The Giants are counting on a pair of late-round picks after Darren Waller's retirement, while Washington will probably use Ertz ahead of Sinnott in a way that frustrates fantasy football managers, the same way Kliff Kingsbury used Ertz ahead of Trey McBride (more on him in a minute) in Arizona.

4. AFC West

Obviously, we know all about Kelce. If he's not the single-best tight end in the league, he's damn close. People around the league have those kind of hopes for Bowers, though we obviously haven't seen it from him yet. Both Dulcich and Mayer have a lot of talent, but not yet a lot of production. And Hurst is your prototypical "solid veteran who will be in the right spots but probably not be a big part of the offense."

3. AFC North

Andrews' injury absence last year made people forget how good he is, I think. He's likely to resume his role as Lamar Jackson's No. 1 option, and his propensity for big plays should remain. Njoku had a breakout season after getting a big contract, finally tapping into his outrageous athleticism. Gesicki is an incredible athlete but more of a big slot receiver and All has an intriguing profile for a late-round rookie, while Freiermuth seems like a Schultz-esque solid option in the short and intermediate areas of the field.

2. NFC North

Were it not for Hockenson's injury, we might have put this group first. LaPorta had one of the best seasons ever for a rookie tight end, while Hockenson was on his way to an absolutely monster season before tearing his ACL. Both Musgrave and Kraft had their moments for Green Bay last season, and Kmet has turned himself into a solid supplementary option. This is a good group.

1. NFC West

McBride and Kittle are two of the five or so best tight ends in the league, and Kittle is the overall best player at the position right now given his contributions as both a pass-catcher and a blocker. Fant has always been extremely talented but stuck in a rotation, but may get a chance to spread his wings this year now that he's the main tight end in Seattle. Higbee is working back from injury but the Rams apparently really like Parkinson, who came over from Seattle after being one of the guys splitting time with Fant.