AFC West tight end rotations ranked worst to best in 2023

The AFC West has boasted some of the best tight ends the NFL has ever seen through the years, including players like Denver Broncos Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, Chiefs Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez, and Chargers future Hall of Famer Antonio Gates. In the last 10 years, the division has had some of the best tight end play in the league as well with the Broncos having a couple of awesome years out of Julius Thomas, the Raiders getting some big-time production out of Darren Waller, and obviously the Chiefs riding Travis Kelce as their primary weapon in the passing game.

Heading into 2023, everyone's tight end room looks quite a bit different than a year ago. Everyone, that is, except for the Chiefs with Travis Kelce. Does any tight end rotation in the AFC West compete with what the Chiefs have? Where do the Denver Broncos rank?

Let's look at the top tight end rotations in the AFC West for 2023.

AFC West best TE rotations in 2023 ranked from worst to best

4. Los Angeles Chargers: Gerald Everett, Donald Parham, Tre' McKitty

Throughout this series, it kind of seems like I might be picking on the Los Angeles Chargers, but I'm really not trying to. When you look at this tight end group as a whole, the Chargers have very little upside.

Gerald Everett kind of is what he is at this point. I would say what he is is a very solid TE1 but someone you could certainly stand to upgrade over. I'm surprised the Chargers didn't try to pair him up with free agent Dalton Schultz, who could have easily followed offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to Los Angeles from Dallas.

Donald Parham has been a big-bodied target who excels in the red zone at times for the Chargers, but he hasn't proven he can be a high-volume target at this point. The same can be said for 2021 third-round pick Tre' McKitty, who has just 16 receptions in his first two NFL seasons. Maybe a breakout is coming, but that would require a significant projection.

I think the Chargers' TE room has an average floor and the lowest ceiling of any TE group in the AFC West right now.