Houston Texans have one of the best tight end groups in the NFL

The Houston Texans enter the 2020 season knowing that tight end is a major area of strength for the team on their roster.

Football Outsiders ranked the top-48 tight ends in the NFL last season based off a variety of statistics and factors.

Of 32 teams in the NFL, only four squads had three entrants on that final list (Titans, Ravens, Giants, Lions).

Only 12 teams had two entrants on the list (Texans, Raiders, Saints, Rams, Vikings, Cowboys, Seahawks, Eagles, Buccaneers, Colts, Bengals, Panthers).

Another 12 teams had just one entry on the list (Chargers, Chiefs, 49ers, Steelers, Dolphins, Bills, Browns, Broncos, Packers, Jets, Falcons, Washington Football Team).

And then there were four teams who had no tight ends at all on the list (Patriots, Bears, Cardinals, Jaguars).

Based off these findings, it stands to reason that Tennessee, Baltimore, New York (Giants), and Detroit might have the deepest tight end rooms entering the 2020 season then … but that’s not entirely true.

All four of those clubs bid adieu to one of their three tight ends from these 2019 rankings over the spring/summer: the Titans released Delanie Walker, the Ravens lost Hayden Hurst to the Falcons in free agency, the Giants saw Rhett Ellison retire, and the Lions lost Logan Thomas to Washington in free agency.

Considering these changes to those top-four teams (by tight end depth and production a year ago), it’s fair to wonder who the new class of the NFL might be this upcoming season in terms of tight ends.

The case for the Houston Texans as having the best tight ends in the NFL

Why not the Houston Texans?

Darren Fells ranked 12th on FO’s list and Jordan Akins ranked 27th. Teams with a higher-ranked tandem of players than Houston included:

• Raiders – Darren Waller (No. 1) and Foster Moreau (No. 14)
• Ravens – Mark Andrews (No. 7) and Nick Boyle (No. 26)
• Titans – Jonnu Smith (No. 9) and Anthony Firkser (No. 20)
• Seahawks – Will Dissly (No. 13) and Jacob Hollister (No. 23)
• Cowboys – Blake Jarwin (No. 15) and Jason Witten (No. 17)
• Eagles – Dallas Goedert (No. 21) and Zach Ertz (No. 22)

The difference between the Texans and those teams? Houston arguably has a better third option at tight end in 2020 than any of them in Jordan Thomas, who averaged nearly 11 yards per reception and hauled in four touchdowns in 2018.

Thomas played in just five games last season because of injuries, but he should be back and better than ever in 2020.

Moreover, the Texans also have third-round draft pick Kahale Warring out of San Diego State on their roster now too.

Between Fells, Akins, Thomas, and Warring, it’s easy to see why the Houston Texans can make a legitimate argument that they have one of the deepest and most impressive tight end groups in the NFL heading into the 2020 season.