Who Should I Start? Chig Okonkwo or Mason Taylor

Wednesday, July 9, 3:01 PM

Tennessee Titans Chig Okonkwo has flashed on occasion during his three-year NFL career, but tight ends often take time to develop, and Tennessee's offense has been well below league-average since the start of the 2022 campaign. The former fourth-round pick out of Maryland has tallied 138 receptions (193 targets) for 1,457 yards and six touchdowns in 51 career games. Heading into Year 4, Titans beat writer Jim Wyatt believes he is "poised" for his best season as a pro. He now has valuable experience, and he'll enter the year with momentum after finishing the 2024 season on a roll." Wyatt wrote. "Okonkwo finished the year third on the team with 52 catches for 479 yards and two scores. The Titans are counting on big things from Okonkwo after a solid offseason, when I charted him with a team-high 13 catches during the five open practices." While it's tough to get too excited about a mid-level tight end catching passes from a rookie quarterback, there is a low bar for Cam Ward to have the best season of any Tennessee signal callers since Okonkwo arrived in Nashville. At his TE26 cost in preseason fantasy drafts, he's worth a dart throw given the lack of target competition behind Calvin Ridley.

Friday, July 18, 10:58 AM

The New York Jets and tight end Mason Taylor have agreed to terms on a four-year rookie contract, according to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network. The Jets drafted Taylor out of LSU in the second round of the 2025 draft, and he appears to be the favorite to start at tight end as a rookie. In his final college season at LSU, Taylor had 55 catches for 546 yards and two touchdowns. Previous reporting has indicated that the Jets expect him to contribute to the offense immediately, and there's certainly an opportunity for pass-catchers behind star wide receiver Garrett Wilson to emerge. New York's other options at tight end entering camp are Jeremy Ruckert, Stone Smartt, and Zack Kuntz. Now that he's under contract with the team, Taylor will have a full training camp to build chemistry with Jets quarterback Justin Fields.