AFC North Baltimore Ravens - 2022 Prediction 10-7 - Wins AFC North The fearless leader of the Ravens (Lamar Jackson) got injured toward the end of last season and as a result the Ravens finished 8-9. 31) Harrison Bryant, Cleveland Browns Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff fires a tight-window throw to former teammate and Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson at the Pro Bowl Games. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley lofts corner-pocket TD toss to wide-open Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase for AFC. He may never develop into a downfield threat in the mold of Andrews. You won't want to miss a moment of the 2022 season! Additionally, if you'd like to donate above and beyond the ad-free option, you can donate via PayPal as well. His career production is up there with Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Jason Witten, and other legends at the position. It could be a breakout campaign for the playmaker that inked a four-year $54.75 million ($17 million fully-guaranteed) contract this offseason. Cleveland did quite the number with their quarterback position this off-season, selling the farm to land Deshaun Watson and his baggage from Houston. They continued to suppress opponent scoring relative to the field, allowing 23.1 points per game after leading the league in that metric in 2020 (18.5). You'll now receive the top Packers Wire stories each day directly in your inbox. After the Eagles traded Zach Ertz to the Cardinals in mid-October, Dallas Goedert became Philadelphias primary tight end for the first time in his career. Freiermuth was targeted at the highest clip (61.0 percent) and accumulated his most yardage (345) on throws from 0-9 yards downfield. Hurst is a good enough pass-catcher and blocker to be an adequate replacement for Uzomah in the Bengals offense. 1-20, 2-52, 3-84, 4-138, 7-225, 7-241. Check out the AFC South. At tight end, only Josiah Deguara is under contract from last years 53-man roster. First-year Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has suggested Gesicki will be used more as a blocker in 2022. The tight end position has five superstars hovering above the crowded field in the NFL. Well, for one, the Ravens attempted 35.9 passes per game in 2021 after averaging just 25.9 in 2020. Lets break down where each position group stacks up within the division, continuing with the tight end rooms. Here is how we rank the AFC North's tight ends: Stats: 42 receptions, 512 yards, two touchdowns. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Hurst was in a route on only 54% of his offensive snaps a year ago, while Drew Sample was in a route on only 22% of his offensive snaps. And if the Eagles continue to run the ball at the highest rate in the NFL, Goedert could be relegated to a blocking role. follow. Rader is a solid special teams player and overall blocker, while Sternberger has 12 career catches and one score in his three-year career. The 6-foot-8 Zach Gentry is now the primary backup, and the Steelers also drafted Connor Heyward, younger brother of defensive tackle Cam Heyward. Uzomah . However, six of those. Other than those two massive splashes, the Browns had a relatively quiet free agency window, with the biggest real-life football signing being return ace Jakeem Grant to help on special teams. Time is ticking on contract talks between the Ravens and Lamar Jackson. The list of the top tight ends in the NFL in 2022 contains a few future Hall of Famers and many TEs on the ascent. Ravens rookie class gets Top 5 grade after Year 1, Situation Normal: Eric DeCosta provides no new information regarding contract negotiations with Lamar Jackson, Its ongoing and optimism for Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta, Ravens News 3/1: Combine Preview and more. Cincinnati hopes that free agent signee Hayden Hurst back be that guy in the Bengals offense. 2 tight end that was brought into the fold in free agency from the Kansas City Chiefs, but he has just 57 career catches in five seasons. Revealing AFC, NFC rosters for Epic Dodgeball event at Pro Bowl Games in 2023. *Note that all statistics were sourced from Sports Info Solutions, rbsdm.com, and Pro Football Focus (PFF), unless otherwise noted. He should see a lot of single coverage from safeties and linebackers in Cincinnati, which should help him find his 2020 level once again. 32) Jonnu Smith, New England Patriots, Jalen Carters Arrest Dominated the Discussion at the NFL Combine, for Better or Worse, Biggest Takeaways From The NFLPA Report Card: Vikings, Dolphins, and Raiders Shine, NFL Scouting Combine News and Rumors: The Unspoken Truth About the Ravens and Lamar Jackson, NFL Post-June 1 Designation: What, Why, and How, Best Head Coaches in the NFL 2023: Andy Reid, Bill Belichick, and John Harbaugh Battle Atop Rankings. 2 tight end last season, developing well as an in-line blocker while hauling in a career-high 19 catches for 197 yards. Skinny: Watson was Cleveland's best receiving threat last year, as the team's receivers continue to struggle. All contract information, as applicable, was sourced from Over the Cap.. 2 TE role well. Most notably, that rush rate jumped to a robust 56% when playing with a lead and only fell to 39% when trailing. That increased pass volume, paired with a young wide receiver group, led to tight end Mark Andrews finishing as the fantasy TE1 on an absurd for the Ravens 154 targets. He was a tough, durable leader on the Bengals young offense, one that consistently made plays for the Bengals under quarterback Joe Burrow. All four teams will continue to compete for the AFC North title, and their rosters have only gotten better from the draft. One of the most difficult decisions the Raiders will need to make this offseason is what to do with tight end Foster Moreau. Expect Amari Cooper to act as the lone near every-down wide receiver, with Donovan Peoples-Jones and Anthony Schwartz likely rotating through the opposite perimeter spot and rookie David Bell likely left to handle slot duties. All four teams (the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers) have general managers, front offices, and personnel departments that have proven more than capable of evaluating, acquiring, and retaining talent in recent years. Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald is the lone change amongst the big three but has experience coaching a 3-4 base defense from the seven years he spent with the organization prior to a short stint at Michigan. Chalk it down as a head-scratcher, and I have been hesitant to project Njoku for any meaningful increase to his modest 45% route participation rate from a year ago. Behind Andrews, the Ravens have assembled maybe the deepest tight end room in the league. Tight End: Mark Andrews, Ravens. Consider him a weekly upside receiver at cost. We are about two weeks from the NFL's new league year. Even after the Cowboys drafted Dalton Schultz in the fourth round of the 2018 draft, it didnt look like he was set up to be Dallas tight end of the future. Thats likely because the Bucs were trying to reduce his wear and tear. https://packerswire.usatoday.com/2023/03/01/packers-gm-brian-gutekunst-points-to-tight-end-and-safety-as-obvious-roster-needs/, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst expects Mason Crosby back in 2023, Packers optimistic about Rashan Garys recovery from ACL injury. The youth at wide receiver persists heading into 2021, with Marquise Hollywood Brown off to Arizona, leaving second-year wide receiver Rashod Bateman as the de facto lead wideout, and a smattering of youth in Devin Duvernay, James Proche II, and Tylan Wallace left to fight over the WR2 and slot snaps. David Bell also has an outside chance of cracking the starting lineup to start the year as the slot wide receiver, but well need to wait and see how he performs in camp and preseason. Hes probably the most complete tight end in the NFL, and his highs are extremely high, as evidenced by his 88-1,377-5 effort in 2018. 2022 NFL Draft Picks. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. AFC North Bengals Browns Ravens Steelers AFC South Colts Jaguars Texans Titans AFC West Broncos Chargers Chiefs NFC East Commanders Cowboys Eagles Giants NFC North Bears Lions Packers. Copyright 2019-2023. The majority of the six picks made by the Bengals in this years NFL draft were made on the defensive side of the ball, as the team selected safety Daxton Hill with the 31st pick in the first round, cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt in the second (60th overall), defensive tackle Zachary Carter in the third (95th overall), offensive tackle Cordell Volson in the fourth (136th overall), safety Tycen Anderson in the fifth (166th overall), and defensive edge Jeffrey Gunter in the seventh (252nd overall). On Monday, five Pro Bowl players were revealed, including Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, who set an NFL record with his 15th Pro Bowl selection. From a season-long perspective, I am treating the situation as if Hunt stays until we know more, but there is a case to be made for late shots on Johnson where it makes sense. Second-round rookie TE Trey McBride could see time in 12 personnel, but hell have to get past Maxx Williams just to become Arizonas No. Denver Broncos defensive back Patrick Surtain II flashes his speed on an interception in coverage against Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Across the league, youd be hard-pressed to find a deeper, more talented tight end room than the Ravens. Aaron Rodgers emerges from 'Darkness retreat' to Raiders reportedly not interested in acquiring him. Tight end Charlie Kolar (fourth round) is a reliable pass-catcher with minimal YAC ability. Last season, the Baltimore Ravens ascended to the top spot in my Ranking The Rooms: AFC North TEs piece, in large part due to the star power of Andrews, and the impressive depth featuring names like Nick Boyle and Tony Poljan. He had 571 receiving yards with six scores in 2020 but his production was slashed in half last season after the Atlanta Falcons drafted Kyle Pitts. You know, the one in which he has the Packers and every other team in the NFL that has a need at QB wondering whether he will retire or force a trade? Zach Ertz, Maxx Williams, Darrell Daniels and Demetrius Harris all are free agents . Reading Time: 6 mins read. In the fourth installment, we are going to rank the starting tight ends in the division. "To move up," Ballard said, "there's got to be a guy worthy of it.". The parity should continue into the 2022-23 campaign. Kansas City brought in receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Skyy Moore, but Kelce should comfortably lead the team in targets next year. I would like to see more opportunities down the field for Gresham. New Raiders head coach and offensive play-caller Josh McDaniels certainly knows how to get the tight end involved after spending years with Rob Gronkowski in New England. Reader is graded by PFF as the third-best defensive tackle against the run and the top overall nose tackle in the NFL. Goedert has never received more than 87 targets in a single season. Ricard is one of the few top-tier fullbacks in the NFL but is also an underrated pass-catching option. Stats: 68 receptions, 763 yards, three touchdowns. We spoke to the improved offensive line above, leaving the only other major change to this offense the addition of tight end Hayden Hurst. CLEVELAND, Ohio The AFC North is a perpetual battleground with four rosters that have talent abound, the strengths of which can (and do) vary from position to position. In terms of both sheer roster numbers and quality of player performance in 2022, tight end and safety stand above all other positions in terms of immediate need for the Packers. Its difficult to get overly excited about the remaining skill position players with either Trubisky or a rookie (and debatably over-drafted) quarterback responsible for running this offense. Really, the only other major addition through free agency came with the signing of tight end Hayden Hurst, who should split duties with 2019 second-round pick Drew Sample. A lot of the trajectory of this team comes down to how successful they are able to be on the ground behind an improving offensive line, which should trickle down to the other areas of the field for them. It appears likely Emerson will find his way into the starting lineup this season after the team traded slot corner Troy Hill. Cleveland underwent some significant change at the tight end position this offseason, cutting former starting tight end Austin Hooper in a cap casualty move, before then turning around and handing a massive extension to Njoku, whom the Browns placed the franchise tag on after the 2021 season. Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb puts the NFC ahead 33-27 in the Pro Bowl Games with a 32-yard touchdown reception against the AFC from Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. They finished the season ranked 17th in yards allowed per pass attempt and 20th in completion rate allowed but faced the third-most pass attempts per game against at 37.3, a clear indicator of how teams chose to attack the heavy zone concepts. He brings some wiggle after the catch as well. But as long he can keep finding holes in opposing defenses, hell be effective. The final metric that caught my eye from this offense from 2021 was the relatively low delta in run-pass rates when trailing versus when playing with a lead. 2022 AFC Pro Bowl roster by position Offense *Denotes starter Quarterback (3) Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers* Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens Running. By - Leo Sells. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). Cincinnatis offense landed between eighth and 10th in most efficiency metrics a year ago and they were right in the middle of the pack in run-pass rates, with the score within seven points. 2 tight end on the depth chart, so he too could see an uptick in statistics. Injury concerns are Kittles main issue, and hes missed 13 games over the past three seasons. At 6-foot-7, he could be valuable as a possession receiver, but likely lacks the athleticism to be the . Ravens were one of only four teams to receive less than A- for their strength staff. Patrick Ricard is included as well as a fullback/tight end hybrid. Pittsburgh has long taken care of its own under Tomlin and this year is no different with the in-house promotion at defensive coordinator. With Tyreek Hill gone, Kelce will become an even more critical asset for the Chiefs. The real question is how long Kelce can keep this up. His usage figures to increase now as the No. Will they re-sign Moreau, making him one of the highest-paid tight ends in the league despite being a backup? It seems crazy to think he could surpass his 2021 stats, but given the state of Baltimores WR depth chart, Andrews could receive even more targets next season. Mark Andrews is the prototypical tight end in every sense. Cincinnati aims to rebuild at the position after losing CJ Uzomah to the New York Jets in free agency. The Seahawks took second place, led by veteran Geno Smith, who many wrote off as a career backup or bridge QB after the . After earning a first-team All-Pro selection in 2021, Mark Andrews has a strong case as the NFLs best tight end. But after posting a career-high 73 catches and 780 yards in 2021, there doesnt seem to be much reason to change his role. While there are some potential acquisitions that could still take place, most major moves have already transpired in free agency and the draft. Their first pick didnt come until the third round when they selected cornerback Martin Emerson with the 68th overall pick. Thats why it wouldnt be a surprise if Moreau was significantly better on his second contract as he continues to get more reps. Moreau is scheduled to hit free agency later this month and that is an issue for the Raiders as Darren Waller has missed a ton of time over the last few seasons. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith and Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson connect to go the length of the field for a big-time NFC Pro Bowl Team touchdown. Woods is a 6-7 253-pound tight end who projects as a red zone threat in the NFL. All other teams had at most two wide receivers finish in the top 36. Without further ado, lets dive into the AFC North TEs rankings. Behind Njoku, third-year pro Harrison Bryant returns in an increased role with Hooper off the team. Tom Brady could certainly use him. Thats almost half of the average delta from the other 31 teams in the same splits from a season ago. Mike Tomlin returns for his 16th season as the head coach of the Steelers, joined by offensive coordinator Matt Canada in his second season and recently promoted Teryl Austin in the defensive coordinator position, who gets the bump from the defensive backs coach. While the stars of the position are typically elite . Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley rips a tight-window TD pass to tight end Mark Andrews for first score of flag football game. All six picks should start the season as depth pieces, with first-rounder Hill the likeliest to make the most immediate impact in certain light packages on the back end. DeAndre Hopkins is suspended for the first six games of the season, Christian Kirk departed in free agency, and its unclear if the Cardinals have figured out how to use Rondale Moore. The Steelers had somewhat of a down year defensively last season, allowing the 22nd most points per game at 24.4. The majority of the snaps in his scheme come from nickel or light, which primarily translates to Cover-1 and Cover-3 zone coverage principles. Visit NFL.com's transaction hub for a daily breakdown. Jarwin sadly suffered a potentially career-ending hip injury in 2021 and is no longer with the Cowboys, so Schultz wont have any competition for targets next season. 42 receptions, 763 yards, three touchdowns already transpired in free agency overall pick a guy worthy of.... 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