Atlanta Falcons Position Preview: Tight Ends

Starting TE: Jacob Tamme

 

You would think a 6’8” 265 pound tight end could be a deadly weapon in Atlanta’s offense. Hell, that kind of frame could be a weapon in any offense. The man with the frame, Levine Toilolo, has not produced the numbers close to what is expected of him. Toilolo has had an ample amount of opportunities to prove himself as the Falcons primary tight end, but his output has been poor to say the least. Atlanta went out and signed tight ends Jacob Tamme and Tony Moeaki. I’m giving the nod to Tamme as his experience in this league is valuable. He is already proven that he can be a weapon as a pass-catcher. Matt Ryan seems to favor having pass-catching tight ends on the roster, and Tamme can be that man. He had 67 receptions in 2010 with the Colts, and he had 52 receptions in 2012 with the Broncos. Tamme started to lose playing time due to Virgil Green and Julius Thomas at the position, but those two are very solid tight ends. Tamme’s main competition at tight end is against Levine Toilolo. Until Toilolo can prove reliable, Tamme should get the nod as the starter.

 

Backups: Levine Toilolo, Tony Moeaki

 

As much as Toilolo has disappointed ever since the departure of Tony Gonzalez, I still have hope this player can turn his game around. Profootballfocus.com rated Toilolo -23.0 overall in 2014, which was second-worst on the offense. Tight ends have started to develop into playmakers in the past years, and if Toilolo can’t develop his game, he might not be in a Falcons uniform in the near future. Tony Moeaki is another player Atlanta signed over the offseason, and I actually thought this was a very underrated signing. In his rookie year, Moeaki had 47 receptions for 556 yards. In 2012, he had 33 receptions for 453 yards. So Moeaki has proven he can be reliable in the passing game, and he is also a solid blocker. Though Moeaki has dealt with injuries throughout his career, his numbers are promising. Durability is the biggest question about Moeaki. No matter how talented one is, if a player cannot play on Sundays due to injuries, then he is just another guy being paid for warming up the sideline benches. Hopefully these three tight ends can push each other through OTA’s and training camp to bring the best out of each player.

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