Ranking the available free agent tight ends in 2023

7. Jordan Akins, Houston Texans

Jordan Akins broke into the NFL in 2018 with the Houston Texans as one of the older rookies in his class at the age of 26. That’s why he’s just now hitting free agency at the age of 30, almost 31 years old. The former third-round pick out of UCF is coming off his best NFL season yet with almost 14 yards per reception, five touchdowns, and 37 receptions total.

Despite the fact that he will be 31, Akins should be able to find plenty of interested teams especially if he’s willing to sign a shorter-term deal. He never did run before the 2018 NFL Draft in the 40-yard dash but Akins clearly has good speed and burst, along with leaping ability and ball skills.

8. Hayden Hurst, Cincinnati Bengals

It’s kind of funny that two former baseball players made the same slide on this list. Hayden Hurst, just like Jordan Akins coming out of UCF, was a former baseball player who ended up becoming a top-flight NFL prospect at an older age.

At this point in his NFL career, Hurst might be best suited as a TE2 for some team with a higher-upside option as TE1, but he can be a very solid contributor. Hurst will be 30 in August, and seemingly was a good fit for the Bengals. We’ll see what Cincinnati does this offseason but their safest option might be to re-up with Hurst for a year and draft someone at the position.