- Noah Fant's release opens the door for rookie Elijah Arroyo: He can finish as a TE1 in 2025 if he outduels AJ Barner for the Seahawks' top tight end role.
- What to make of Colston Loveland Cole Kmet: Loveland should function as a featured receiver in Chicago’s offense, though Kmet will remain involved.
- Subscribe to PFF+: Get access to player grades, PFF Premium Stats, fantasy football rankings, all of the PFF fantasy draft research tools and more!
Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes
NFL training camps are upon us, which means positional battles are officially underway. Fantasy football value is difficult to find at the tight end position. Identifying potential breakout performances is key to gaining positional leverage against one’s opponent. The article below breaks down three starting tight end battles to watch in training camp.
Seattle Seahawks: TE Elijah Arroyo and TE AJ Barner
The Seahawks released veteran No. 1 tight end Noah Fant, clearing the way for second-round rookie Elijah Arroyo and promising second-year man AJ Barner to battle for the No. 1 role. Rookie tight ends infrequently produce TE1 fantasy football seasons, but recent league-wide successes in this regard, coupled with Arroyo’s NFL-ready skill set, should be noted.
Seattle’s starting tight end will compete for a top-three pass-catching role in the offense. Among 44 NFL tight ends with at least 500 offensive snaps in 2024, Fant’s 66.0 PFF overall grade ranked 24th and Barner’s 61.7 mark ranked 28th. Among 90 Power Five tight ends with at least 370 offensive snaps in 2024, Arroyo’s 71.6 PFF overall grade placed 13th.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider told reporters post-draft that “some” of the team's coaches considered Arroyo as a potential replacement for departed X wide receiver DK Metcalf, and assessed Arroyo’s talent as being worthy of a “top-15 pick” who slipped in the draft due to two knee injuries. During the same press conference, head coach Mike Macdonald described Arroyo as capable of doing “X-receiver type of things,” noting his ability to “run an extensive route tree” lined up both in-line and on the perimeter.
ESPN’s Brady Henderson suggested in late May that “a logical plan would be for the Seahawks to revisit the situation later in the summer after gauging his trade market, the available options to bolster their other needs and Arroyo's readiness to step into a starting role.” New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak was also identified as one of the aforementioned coaches who “wondered aloud during predraft meetings whether he could essentially take over as Seattle's X receiver.” Fant’s release suggests Seahawks coaches believe Arroyo is ready to handle starting duties.
Arroyo suffered a torn left ACL in Week 4 of 2022 and returned in Week 7 of the following season, but he was inconsistently available through Miami’s remaining 2023 schedule. He then suffered an undisclosed knee injury during the 2025 Senior Bowl, preventing him from participating in pre-draft workouts, though “the Seahawks estimated that his GPS speeds would translate to a 40 time of 4.52 or 4.53.” His standout 2024 season reflects his pass-catching and blocking potential.
The table shows the following:
- Arroyo’s receiving data among 32 Power Five tight ends with at least 45 receiving snaps in 2024.
- Arroyo’s blocking data among 31 Power Five tight ends with at least 575 offensive snaps in 2024.
| PFF Receiving Grade | 73.6 (No. 9) |
| Targets | 47 (T-No. 31) |
| Target Rate | 13.4% (No. 31) |
| Deep-Target Rate | 31.9% (No. 1) |
| Yards Per Route Run | 1.69 (No. 11) |
| Yards Per Rec. | 16.9 (No. 1) |
| Missed Tackles Forced | 3 (T-No. 28) |
| Missed Tackles Forced Per Rec. | 0.09 (No. 26) |
| Yards After Catch Per Rec. | 8.9 (No. 2) |
| Explosive Pass Plays | 13 (T-No. 10) |
| Explosive Pass Play Rate | 37.1% (T-No. 6) |
| PFF Run-Blocking Grade | 61.0 (No. 10) |
| PFF Pass-Blocking Grade | 70.0 (No. 6) |
Arroyo’s 31.9% deep-target rate notably leads the sample by 11.1 percentage points and his 16.9 yards per reception figure leads by 1.5.
My “Identifying potential TE1s for 2025” piece, written pre-draft, forecasted Fant’s potential departure while outlining Barner’s starter-worthy skill set. “Among six 2024 rookie NFL tight ends with at least 10 play-action targets, Barner ranks second across the board in targets (23), receptions (18), yards (157) and first downs (12), ranks first in touchdowns (three) and missed tackles forced (three) and ties for first with Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers in YPRR (3.27). Barner’s 88.4 PFF receiving grade on play-action targets likewise ranks second while Bowers’ 92.5 PFF receiving grade on play-action targets ranks first.”
Kubiak ran a play-action-centric offense as the New Orleans Saints‘ offensive coordinator last year. His hiring bodes positively for Barner, who should not be overlooked as a potential starter. He would also, however, suffice as an above-average No. 2 tight end behind Arroyo.
Schneider signed former Los Angeles Rams slot receiver Cooper Kupp to a three-year, $45 million contract despite Kupp’s play quality decreasing over the past two years. Kupp’s 2023 season yielded career lows in yards per route run (1.77), yards after the catch per reception (5.3) and PFF receiving grade (71.1). His 2024 season yielded his second-worst figures in all three categories.
Kupp is not guaranteed to hold off a talented rookie for rights to the No. 2 pass catcher role this season, and his reliance on the slot could result in Arroyo replacing him on the perimeter in typical two-wide receiver-set scenarios.
Fant’s ouster vaults Arroyo into the potential TE1 landscape. Fantasy managers should closely follow his training camp progress while monitoring Barner’s first-team involvement.
Baltimore Ravens: TE Mark Andrews and TE Isaiah Likely
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters that he said his goal for Baltimore’s 25-year-old No. 2 tight end Isaiah Likely is to see him earn All-Pro honors, saying succinctly, “He’s capable of it.” For this to occur, Likely must unseat No. 1 tight end Mark Andrews, whose play has declined in recent seasons as he nears 30 years old. Among 44 NFL tight ends with at least 500 offensive snaps in 2024, Andrews’ 83.5 PFF overall grade ranked fourth and Likely’s 75.6 mark ranked seventh.
Likely has quietly developed into one of the NFL’s most talented blocking tight ends, despite being commonly viewed as a plus-sized receiver. His 64.3 PFF run-blocking grade in 2024 ranked fourth among 32 tight ends with at least 590 offensive snaps and soundly bested Andrews’ 54.7 figure.
The table below compares Andrews and Likely’s 2024 positional run-blocking data.
| Mark Andrews (Snaps) | Isaiah Likely (Snaps) | |
| PFF Run-Blocking Grade vs. Linebackers | 59.4 (277) | 74.1 (319) |
| PFF Run-Blocking Grade vs. Safeties | 58.9 (144) | 75.7 (184) |
| PFF Run-Blocking Grade vs. EDGEs | 52.4 (292) | 57.6 (339) |
| PFF Run-Blocking Grade vs. Interior Defenders | 46.0 (293) | 67.2 (340) |
| PFF Run-Blocking Grade vs. Cornerbacks | 51.8 (146) | 82.6 (166) |
Likely is ready to be featured as Baltimore’s primary run-blocking and play-action tight end. As detailed in “Examining the framework of the 2024 TE1s,” this role is critical for TE1 success. Likely totaled 17 play-action targets and 10 first-read play-action targets while averaging 2.39 yards per route run and 3.60 yards per route run, respectively. Andrews totaled 26 play-action targets and 19 first-read play-action targets while averaging 2.33 yards per route run and 2.86 yards per route run, respectively.
Andrews' 1.88 yards per route run was the second-lowest mark of his career, and he averaged 1.87 yards per route run via 10 targets through Baltimore’s two playoff games. Likely’s yards per route run average climbed for the second consecutive season, going from 1.35 to 1.71, and he notably averaged 2.86 yards per route run on nine playoff targets.
Should Andrews once again fend off Likely for the No. 1 role, he will remain a fantasy football TE1. Likely is an ascending player with elite potential. If he can finally unseat Andrews, he can compete for an overall TE1 finish.
Chicago Bears: TE Colston Loveland and TE Cole Kmet
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson validated this pre-draft comparison between first-round rookie tight end Colston Loveland and Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta, telling Loveland, “You remind me a lot of him.” Johnson believes Loveland and LaPorta’s shared skill sets will allow for similar deployment tactics.
LaPorta finished as the overall PPR TE1 from Weeks 1-17 as a rookie in 2023, playing under Johnson. Having successfully recovered from offseason shoulder surgery, Loveland will attempt to establish himself as a high-volume passing game weapon, playing ahead of incumbent tight end Cole Kmet.
Among 44 NFL tight ends with at least 500 offensive snaps in 2024, LaPorta’s 74.4 PFF overall grade ranked ninth and Kmet’s 60.9 mark ranked 30th. Among 90 Power Five tight ends with at least 370 offensive snaps in 2024, Loveland’s 85.9 PFF overall grade ranked third.
The table below comes from the aforementioned article and compares Loveland's and LaPorta’s prospect profiles.
| Colston Loveland | Sam LaPorta | |
| Height | 6-foot-6 | 6-foot-3 |
| Weight | 248 pounds | 245 pounds |
| Final Season Rec./Tgt. – Yds. – TD | 56/82 – 582 – 5 | 58/90 – 648 – 1 |
| Final Season PFF Receiving Grade | 90.6 | 85.3 |
| Career PFF Receiving Grade | 88.5 | 90.4 |
| Final Season Target Rate | 37.6% | 30.0% |
| Final Season YPRR | 2.67 | 2.16 |
| Career YPRR | 2.22 | 1.89 |
| Career Yards After Catch/Rec. | 5.4 | 5.6 |
| Explosive Pass Plays in Past Two Seasons | 30 | 30 |
| Final Season 3rd- & 4th-Down Target Rate | 32.4% | 29.5% |
| Final Season 1st Downs Gained | 31 | 32 |
| Final Season PFF Run-Blocking Grade | 53.3 | 53.1 |
| Career PFF Run-Blocking Grade on Inside Zone Runs | 68.2 | 68.0 |
| Career Inside Zone Run-Blocking Snaps | 216 | 344 |
Among Detroit skill position players in 2023, LaPorta ranked third in targets, first-read targets and play-action targets. When compared to the team's tight ends, he ranked first in run-blocking snaps (415) and inside zone run-blocking snaps (67) as a rookie. LaPorta notably accomplished those feats while sharing positional duties with Brock Wright, whose 698 offensive snaps ranked 31st among NFL tight ends in 2023. His 52.0 PFF overall grade placed 29th.
Marquee Sports Network’s Scott Bair encouragingly opined, “Kmet will be heavily involved in this offense, but Loveland should be the primary tight end in the passing game and a real weapon over the course of the season.” Should Loveland’s training camp play quality meet expectations, it is reasonable to project rookie-season passing-game involvement similar to LaPorta’s.
Kmet’s play improved before sharply declining after he signed a four-year, $50 million extension ahead of the 2023 season. His 77.7 PFF receiving grade and 1.69 yards per route run in 2023 were career bests. His 58.6 PFF receiving grade and 0.91 yards per route run in 2024 rank as his career’s second-worst and worst marks, respectively. Kmet’s inside-zone blocking conversely improved, evidenced by his 63.1 PFF run-blocking grade on inside zone runs rising to 67.8. The latter grade is the second-best of his career and accurately reflects his instability in a primary run-blocking role.
© 2026 PFF - all rights reserved.