NFC North Round-Up: Ranking the TE Rooms for Each Team
Josh Frey
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The calendar flipped from June to July this past weekend, and with that, we officially only have a few weeks to go until training camp begins. However, while the slow period of the offseason continues, we will keep working through the position rankings across the NFC North. After already having ranked the QBs, RBs, and WRs, it’s time to dive into the TE rooms for each team across the division.
1. Minnesota Vikings
Gone are the days of 2021 and 2022 where the Vikings are unsure of what they will have at the tight end position when the season begins. At the trade deadline in 2022, Minnesota made a huge trade to acquire T.J. Hockenson from the Detroit Lions, stealing a star from their division rivals.
Adding Josh Oliver to the group this free agency only makes the room stronger. With the Baltimore Ravens, Oliver emerged as one of the better blocking tight ends in the entire league, and he will absolutely be in the mix to catch some passes in the Vikings offense as well. Unless injury strikes, Minnesota has the best tight end group in the division.
2. Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers made the interesting choice to use a pair of premium selections on tight ends in this spring’s draft, but as a result, they certainly improved the group. Considering the fact that they love to run two-TE sets on offense as well, Matt LaFleur will find plenty of chances for both Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft this season.
The duo should complement each other very well too, with Musgrave being a smooth runner and pass catcher while Kraft is a bit more burly and adept as a blocker. Regardless, good luck to any linebacker that is forced to match up on either of them this fall.
3. Chicago Bears
Chicago may begin the bottom half of these rankings, but don’t consider their tight room as one of the below-average groups in the league. Cole Kmet emerged as a red zone favorite for Justin Fields last season, catching 7 TD passes in 2022, easily a career-high for the tight end.
In addition, the Bears opted to sign Robert Tonyan in free agency. While he hasn’t quite been able to recreate the magic that was his 2020 season (586 receiving yards, 11 TDs), he was a steady producer for the Packers in 2022, catching at least three passes in 11 of 17 games last year.
4. Detroit Lions
Detroit’s production out of the tight end spot largely rests on how Sam LaPorta can translate his skillset to the NFL level. While at Iowa, the tight end put together back-to-back seasons of 50+ receptions and 600+ receiving yards in 2021 and 2022, but he was very rarely a threat down by the goal line, only recording 5 touchdowns over his four-year career for the Hawkeyes.
Detroit got some decent receiving out of Brock Wright last year, though, so he is a nice secondary option to have, and Shane Zylstra can serve as a run-blocker for newly signed David Montgomery. The Lions don’t have a true home run hitter at the position right now, but they have decent depth all the way down to TE3/4.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.