Power Ranking the Tight End Rooms in the AFC North

NFL training camps are in full swing, and as teams ease back into on-field drills and practices in the dead of the summer, football fans have a reason to rejoice.

Key points

• 4- Cincinnati Bengals: Mike Gesicki, Drew Sample, Erick All Jr., Jack Endries.
• Washington had a breakout year as Pittsburgh's TE2 last year, totaling 31 catches for 364 yards and a touchdown.
• Burst onto the scene as a rookie last season, leading the Browns in receptions (72), yards (731), and touchdowns (six).
• Behind Fannin Jr., rookie fifth-round pick Joe Royer should see some decent targets and rookie seventh-rounder Carsen Ryan could surprise some individuals.
• The 27-year-old Freiermuth has been a rock for the Steelers' offense over the last five seasons.

By Michael Gallagher Sports Content Coordinator. Newsweek is a Trust Project member.

See more of our trusted coverage when you search.to see more of our trusted coverage when you search.

In practice, the preseason officially began last week, and teams are preparing for their second exhibition games this weekend.

As the start of the NFL regular season inches closer (Sept. 9), we are continuing to look at key offseason storylines for each of the league's 32 teams.

We've already looked at the top position battles to watch, rookies with the best chance of winning a starting job, and the players in the most danger of being cut, plus we've ranked the top head coaches, quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers by division.

Now, we're power ranking the tight end rooms in each division. First up is the AFC North. 1- Pittsburgh Steelers: Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, Robert Tonyan, Jaheim Bell.

Notably, the 27-year-old Freiermuth has been a rock for the Steelers' offense over the last five seasons. He's had 60 or more catches three times, and he's been over 650 yards twice with two seven-touchdown seasons.

Washington had a breakout year as Pittsburgh's TE2 last year, totaling 31 catches for 364 yards and a touchdown. As far as 1-2 TE punches go, no one in the division has a better one than the Steelers. 2- Baltimore Ravens: Mark Andrews, Durham Smythe, Josh Cuevas, Matthew Hibner.

Andrew isn't the elite player he applied to be, but at age 30, he's still pretty reliable. He's had 45 or more catches in each of the last four years with 540 or more yards in three of them. With Isaiah Probable now in New York, Andrews should see an uptick in production in 2026.

Smythe is a solid veteran backup, and Cuevas and Hibner are both hungry rookies who could see some solid playing time. 3- Cleveland Browns: Harold Fannin Jr., Joe Royer, Carsen Ryan.

Fannin Jr. Burst onto the scene as a rookie last season, leading the Browns in receptions (72), yards (731), and touchdowns (six). In fact, he was so impressive it created former Pro Bowler David Njoku expendable.

In practice, the Bengals have the best wide receiver corps in the division, but they're dead last when it comes to tight ends.

Mike Gesicki had a solid first year with the team in 2024 (65 receptions, 665 yards, two TDs), but his production dropped off dramatically last year, and I don't see any reason why one should expect it to be better in 2026.

Erick All Jr. And Drew Sample are decent backups, but rookie seventh-rounder Jack Endries has a real shot to win the starting job by the time the season ends.

In short, power Ranking the Tight End Rooms in the AFC North is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.