# | Name | Pos | Ht | Wt | Born | Exp | College | Acquired | Career Receptions |
47 | Michael Allen | TE | 6-6 | 254 | 9/8/1983 | R | Whitworth | D7-07 | 0 |
89 | Jason Dunn | TE | 6-6 | 274 | 11/15/1973 | 11 | Eastern Kentucky | FA-00 | 79 |
88 | Tony Gonzalez | TE | 6-5 | 251 | 2/27/1976 | 11 | California | D1-97 | 721 |
45 | Mike Pinkard | TE | 6-5 | 259 | 12/27/1979 | 1 | Arizona State | FA-07 | 0 |
48 | Keith Willis | TE | 6-6 | 260 | 12/14/1980 | 1 | Virginia Tech | FA-07 | 0 |
84 | Kris Wilson | TE | 6-2 | 251 | 8/22/1981 | 4 | Pittsburgh | D2b-04 | 18 |
One important note to make when reviewing our tight ends is to distinguish between blocking tight ends and tight ends who have receiving ability. Tony Gonzalez is obviously our no.1 receiving tight end while, for the time being at least, Jason Dunn is arguably our no.1 blocking tight end. Where to from here?
I would describe former division III tight end Michael Allen as more on the receiving side than the blocking side, considering he pulled in nearly 120 receptions and 29 TDs at Whitworth College. You could say that, despite being a "project", Allen is the heir apparent to Tony G's incredible reign. Just not this year. Allen will hopefully develop into the next TG but for now, Kris Wilson is probably the next best receiving tight end we have.
Keith Willis from VA Tech would appear to be Jason Dunn's eventual replacement as the blocking TE. Willis only put up few receptions a year, from the stats I can gather. He's big and apparently very strong, just like Dunn. The new recruit, Mike Pinkard, doesn't seem to have much potential beyond the practice squad.
Jason Dunn and Tony G are more than likely going to be retiring in a couple of years. It makes sense that we are stockpiling tight ends with our top two guys entering their 12th year in the league.
As I'm finishing this, I'm realizing just how boring it is to write about our tight ends. So I'll throw this question out there for today and the weekend. Where does Tony Gonzalez rank in terms of the greatest offensive Chiefs players of all time? The guy is a guaranteed Hall of Famer, a class act and an inspiration to those in the dating scene. Probably top five in Chiefs history.