Where does Kellen Winslow Jr. rank against other NFL Tight Ends?

LeBron James isn’t the only high profile athlete to move from dreary Cleveland to sunny Florida. In February of 2009 the Browns traded the then-controversial Winslow to the Bucs, giving him the chance for a new start. He cashed in on that opportunity.

Kellen’s’ tenure in Cleveland was bumpy to say the least; he was injured often, got into disagreements with the front office and was looked upon as somebody with attitude problems. With the 6th overall pick, Kellen was drafted out of  Miami, where he had his infamous “soldier tirade”. He broke out in 07 to the tune of 1106 yards and 5 touchdowns, but was injured the next season, leading Cleveland to make the decision to trade him.

Lucky for us Bucs fans, new GM Mark Dominik jumped on the opportunity to acquire an all pro talent and pulled the trigger on a trade. Winslow’s contract extension that he signed with Tampa that year made him the highest paid tightend in NFL history. 

Since joining the Bucs Kellen has been among the best in the league. His 143 receptions are 3^rd among tightends in the last 2 seasons. With constant knee pains that have forced him to miss practices those numbers look even more impressive. Despite not eclipsing the 1000 yard mark as a Buccaneer, K2 set a Buccaneer record with 77 catches for 884 yards in 2009; both tight end records for Tampa Bay, and has been instrumental in the speedy development of quarterback Josh Freeman. He and Freeman were among the best duos in 3^rd down conversions last season, a very underrated stat. His new-found leadership abilities and fantastic suction-cup-like hands make him irreplaceable on the young Buccaneer offense.

Among other NFL tightends Kellen surely ranks within the top 10. Guys like Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten and Dallas Clark probably rank ahead, but after that Kellen surely has a place.

While his blocking isn’t as good as some would like it to be, he is about as athletic a tightend you’ll find and has some of the best hands in all of the NFL.With Kellen saying his knee issues are a thing of the past and his continued chemistry with Josh Freeman, I fully expect a huge season from our starting tightend. Fantasy football players, you heard it from me first.