When Brock Bowers caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins in the fourth quarter of the Las Vegas Raiders' win against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, a bit of NFL history was made. It was the sixth touchdown of the game for a tight end, tying a league record.
Later that night, two more touchdowns were hauled in by tight ends in the Denver Broncos' win against the Los Angeles Rams, making for another note in the NFL record book. That pair of scores brought the Sunday touchdown total for NFL tight ends to 20, the most ever in a single day.
It wasn't just one good day for the position. Tight ends have seen their time to shine increase on an annual basis. During the 2024 season, tight ends collectively caught 178 touchdown passes, about 22% of the 809 receiving touchdowns recorded that year. A year later, it was 231 touchdowns for tight ends, 28.5% of the league total.
While it's only been three weeks' worth of sample size, tight ends in 2026 already have 51 touchdowns, nearly a third (32.3%) of the 158 passing touchdowns recorded so far this season.
From young players like Kenyon Sadiq and Harold Fannin to veterans like Travis Kelce and George Kittle, tight ends are thriving in a league that, not too long ago, was prioritizing speed at their expense. But it was that shift that is causing the pendulum to swing back in tight ends' favor.
Just five years ago, NFL offenses had three wide receivers on the field 63% of the time, a trend that was forcing defenses to get lighter and faster in the secondary. Nickel cornerbacks, who were once sub-package players, were increasingly becoming starters in lieu of linebackers. So offenses have gradually countered that by getting bigger. According to Sharp Football Analysis, three-wide-receiver formations are down to 58% this season with two or more tight ends on the field 34% of the time.
It's not a massive rethinking of the way offenses work, but tight ends are making the most of the increased opportunities.
The Rams have led the way in the tight end renaissance. Far more often than any team in the NFL, the Rams line up in "13" personnel, which means they have one running back and three tight ends on the field. Tyler Higbee and Terrance Ferguson have caught one touchdown each, and both Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen have made an impact too.
"We can move those guys all around the field," Rams offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase said of his tight end room in August. "They all can do so much, both in the run game and the pass game, that you're excited just based on a game plan. You don't know who ends up popping and making a play in the pass game. You don't know who ends up being at the point of attack in the run game."
Rams running backs have reaped the rewards of having so many capable blockers on the field too. The team's 4.6 yards per rushing attempt ranked sixth-best in the NFL last season and the Rams are averaging 5.0 yards per carry so far in 2026.
Presumably, the pendulum will eventually swing the other way. Athletic rookie linebackers like the Washington Commanders' Sonny Styles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Josiah Trotter, and Miami Dolphins' Jacob Rodriguez are making an immediate impact in coverage. Teams will continue to hunt for similar players who can provide answers to the problems presented by opposing tight ends.
For now, though, those answers aren't abundant enough to slow the tight end revolution.
Adam Stites is a contributing writer for theScore.
