As Patriots coach Bill Belichick said of Gronk in a team statement, "His elite combination of size, skill, intelligence, toughness and ability to perform in pressure situations set him apart."
With top decision-makers gathering for the recent league meetings in Arizona, I asked four head coaches and four personnel evaluators to name the NFL's best tight end now that Gronk is vacating his throne. They were unanimous in their answer -- and in their belief that no current tight end approaches Gronkowski for all-around excellence.
Before Gronkowski was making key plays in crunch time during the Patriots' Super Bowl run, other tight ends were setting records during the regular season. The three players who stood out in the minds of coaches and evaluators were Kelce, Ertz and Kittle, with some support for the Minnesota Vikings' Kyle Rudolph.
Kittle, 25, set an NFL single-season record for tight ends with 1,377 receiving yards in 2018. That included 855 yards after the catch, nearly 300 yards more than Kelce, who was second at the position with 566. No other tight end had more than 391.
Ertz, 28, set a single-season record for tight ends with 116 receptions. He reached 1,000 yards for the first time in his six seasons.
Kelce, who at 29 is five months younger than Gronkowski, has produced at a high level longer. He leads NFL tight ends in receiving yards (3,499) and receiving touchdowns (22) over the past three seasons. In 2018, he became the first tight end in league history with at least 100 receptions, 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns in a season.
The eight coaches and evaluators felt Kelce deserved top billing as the most established of the three.
Three testimonials for Kelce
A quick sampling of thoughts from the coaches and evaluators who placed Kelce atop their lists:
Offensive-minded head coach: "Kelce and Ertz are both good, but I think Kelce is a little tougher matchup.
Some of these guys are 'F' and some are 'Y' tight ends. Gronk could do it all."
Defensive-minded head coach: "My mind immediately goes to which one is the hardest to guard. Kelce is a little longer, a little faster [than Ertz]."
General manager: "I am going to go Kelce, with the possibility of that person becoming Evan Engram.
Kittle is good, but like many of the players who have been with Kyle Shanahan, he should feel blessed. I mean, look at what Kyle did with the backs in Atlanta. Look at what he did with Matt Ryan."
Top tight ends' head coaches weigh in
Beyond the anonymous poll, I asked Shanahan and fellow head coaches Andy Reid and Doug Pederson for their thoughts on the position in general and on their tight ends in particular.
Reid on Kelce: "The best tight ends develop a trust with the quarterback, and then they have skill after the catch. Travis is phenomenal at that. He can do everything. He can block at the line of scrimmage, he is a great, great route runner, he can play inside, you can move him outside, we have had him in the backfield and he has a great feel for the game."
Pederson on Ertz: "A lot of the so-called West Coast offenses were designed around tight ends who were athletic and created mismatches. Zach is a Pro Bowl-caliber guy, a leader of our team, dynamic on the field. I love having those big-bodied guys that are right in front of the quarterback."
Shanahan on Kittle: "To be a good tight end, you have to be a good blocker or at least you have to be a threat as a blocker. Otherwise, they will put a nickelback on you, they will put corners on you. It is when you can beat all safeties and linebackers in man-to-man coverage, yet you are a good blocker so they cannot put a nickelback on the field. George had the best year ever statistically, and I think he can get a lot better."
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With Gronk retired, who is the No. 1 tight end in the NFL?
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