Power Ranking the Tight End Rooms in the AFC South

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

• Strange had a solid season in 2025 (46 receptions, 540 yards, three TDs), but he's nowhere near the impact player Evan Engram was.
• With Chig Okonkwo now in Washington, it'll be the Gunnar Helm show in 2026.
• Stover is a solid backup, and he's usually good for around 15 catches and 120 yards.
• He's tallied 53 or more catches and 530 or more yards in every year since.
• Mallory, Alie-Cox, and Ogletree all play varying roles, and all three have proven their value as depth options.

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

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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. Next up is the AFC South. 1- Indianapolis Colts: Tyler Warren, Will Mallory, Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree.

Warren, the 14th overall pick in the 2025 draft, burst onto the scene with 76 catches, 817 yards, and four touchdowns as a rookie, firmly establishing himself as one of the top young TEs in the NFL. He could be Daniel Jones' Dallas Clark.

Mallory, Alie-Cox, and Ogletree all play varying roles, and all three have proven their value as depth options. 2- Houston Texans: Dalton Schultz, Cade Stover, Brevin Jordan.

Schultz has been a model of consistency since 2020. He's tallied 53 or more catches and 530 or more yards in every year since. He's coming off a career-high 82 catches and 777 yards last year, and he should put up similar numbers again in 2026.

Stover is a solid backup, and he's usually good for around 15 catches and 120 yards. Brevin Jordan has dealt with injuries lately, but if healthy, he could be a solid TE3. 3- Tennessee Titans: Gunnar Helm, Daniel Bellinger, Kylen Granson.

With Chig Okonkwo now in Washington, it'll be the Gunnar Helm show in 2026. Helm actually caught more passes than Okonkwo last year (44 to 41), and he put up a respectable 357 yards and two scores.

Coming over from the Giants, Bellinger was a solid add. He's totaled 88 receptions, 934 yards, and four TDs over the first four years of his career, and he should be the perfect backup to Helm. 4- Jacksonville Jaguars: Brenton Strange, Nate Boerkircher, Tanner Koziol.

Strange had a solid season in 2025 (46 receptions, 540 yards, three TDs), but he's nowhere near the impact player Evan Engram was. Still, with the caliber of wide receiver the Jags have, they don't need 80 catches and 800 yards out of their tight ends.

Jacksonville grabbed Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol in the second and fifth rounds of the 2026 NFL draft, respectively, and the team clearly intends to apply both in multiple tight end sets.

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