7 Best Tight Ends Hitting the Market this Offseason Part 3

By BetOnline February 7, 2020

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BY ADAM GREENE

Our first, and only, sure-fire Hall of Famer shows up on the final section of the list. I’ll toss in a few honorable mentions before I wrap it up.

6. JASON WITTEN, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT

2019: 63 catches, 529 yards, four touchdowns

Witten came back to the Dallas Cowboys in 2019 after wasting a year of his life and ours in the Monday Night Football broadcast booth. Not that moving Booger McFarlane from his Matster Blaster roving toilet was an improvement, but no one complained that Witten wanted to play football again. Especially the Dallas Cowboys.

Witten is going to the Hall of Fame and the only question surrounding it is if his bust will be wearing his MNF toupee.

Where he should end up: Dallas Cowboys

I can’t imagine Witten suiting up for any other team and even though there’s rumblings he might be willing to shop himself around, I don’t buy it. One problem Dallas didn’t have last season was offensive skill players and while they really need to look in the draft for a long-term replacement, there’s no reason to let Witten walk away if he still wants to work on Sundays.

Mike McCarthy didn’t deserve this head coaching job and the Cowboys made a huge mistake in hiring him. That being said, he’s hopefully smart enough (and he might not be) to want to keep what’s good about the team he’s been unjustly handed in place. Witten has already proven to himself he shouldn’t be in the broadcast booth. Dallas needs to keep him on the field as long as they can, then move him to the sideline as a coach when he’s finally ready to hang up his spurs.

7. DARREN FELLS, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT

2019: 34 catches, 341 yards, seven touchdowns

Fells had the best season of his life in 2019 after spending most of his career as a journeyman second option at the position. It still probably wasn’t enough to land him a long-term job with the Houston Texans, though they could look to bring him back as their No. 2.

In reality, Fells will likely suit up for his fifth NFL team in 2020 and earn his fourth consecutive one-year deal. Fells is 33, which seems old for a guy that just entered the league in 2014, but in spite of getting passed around the NFL like a joint in Josh Gordon’s man cave, he’s taken a starting job at every stop.

Where he should end up: Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals are losing Tyler Eifert and don’t really have anyone on the roster that can replace him. Fells would be a transitional player for them, offering a reliable third down and red zone target for guaranteed No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow.

The perception, at least, is that this is a weak TE draft class coming up in April. I’m not sure about that, but Cincinnati can’t take any chances at a position a young QB needs as a security blanket.

There’s a solid drop in production after the Top 7 I’ve listed here, but there’s still some quality players available. Charles Clay, Lance Kendricks, Luke Willson and Nick Vannett have all been solid performers at the NFL level and should continue to be.