HOUSTON, TEXAS — OCTOBER 26: San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle #85 celebrates after a touchdown during a Week 8 game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium (Photo credits: Terrell Lloyd/San Francisco 49ers)

As the NFL celebrated National Tight Ends Day in Week 8 of the season, tight ends across the league, from Philadelphia to Houston, showcased amazing performances.

Originally a lighthearted joke between San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, the holiday gained traction among league officials and fans in 2018.

The NFL officially recognized the holiday in 2019 and designated the fourth Sunday in October to the tight end position.

Now, an annual showcase of some of the league’s most dynamic offensive weapons ensues.

There is a certain magic in the air on National Tight Ends Day, an enchantment that breeds outstanding performances from players at the position every year.

Last season, the league saw tight ends such as George Kittle, Trey McBride, Kyle Pitts, and Travis Kelce dominate with upwards of 90-yard outings on National Tight Ends Day.

This season, the holiday aligned with Week 8, a day in which tight ends around the league showcased why they deserve to be celebrated.

The league saw a tight end reach the end zone 12 times on Sunday, a slight drop from last season’s 16 touchdowns by tight ends on the holiday.

The magic of National Tight Ends Day bred strong performances from players at the position throughout the week’s eventful viewing.

Browns’ Tight End Pair Reach End zone in New England

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS — OCTOBER 26: Cleveland Browns tight ends Blake Whiteheart #86 and Harold Fannin Jr #44 celebrate a touchdown during a Week 8 game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium (Photo credits: Matt Starkey/Cleveland Browns)

The Cleveland Browns played poor football in a 32-13 loss to the now 6-2 New England Patriots on Sunday, but the showing from their tight ends gives fans something positive to discuss.

Cleveland’s opening drive ended in seven points courtesy of an 18–yard dime to rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. from rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

Fannin, a 3rd-round pick from Bowling Green, notched his second touchdown of the young season during the Browns’ Week 8 clash with the Patriots. The 21-year-old also tallied a team-leading 62 receiving yards in the loss.

Fannin also saw a team-high in targets (8), something he also saw in the first game of his NFL career and in Cleveland’s previous game, Week 7 against the Miami Dolphins.

His performance granted Fannin a nomination for Week 8’s NFL Rookie of the Week Award, an honor received by a tight end twice this season (Indianapolis Colts’ Tyler Warren in Week 2 and Los Angeles Chargers’ Oronde Gadsden II in Week 7).

Three quarters later, Fannin’s partner in crime, David Njoku, found the end zone.

Njoku, a veteran and former Pro Bowl selection, scored his six points to cut New England’s lead to 17 in the fourth quarter, a bit of a different situation than Fannin’s earlier touchdown.

The former 1st-round pick also raised his touchdown total on the season to two.

Njoku ended the loss with four catches for 37 yards, on par with his 37.1 average yards per game.

The 29-year-old tight end has seen a decrease in production from recent years after the arrival of Fannin. His 260 receiving yards through his first seven games of the season ranks 17th among tight ends around the league, before Monday Night Football.

His counterpart, Fannin, ranks 7th in that category with 352 receiving yards on the year.

Nonetheless, Cleveland’s tight end is among the strongest in the league, one of the very few bright spots in a spiraling Browns season. The team possesses the only tight end duo in the league to rank in the top 20 in receiving yards among tight ends this season.

The only other duo in the league in which each tight end has more than 175 receiving yards is Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger of the New York Giants.

For reference, Fannin and Njoku both have exceeded 250 receiving yards on the season, a feat Browns fans can claim exclusively.

The tandem looks to continue their excellence from the position as they provide a safety net for 3rd-round pick Gabriel, who was navigating his fourth career start in Foxborough on Sunday.

Kittle, The Holiday’s Founder, Notches a Touchdown in Houston

HOUSTON, TEXAS — OCTOBER 26: San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle #85 catches a touchdown during a Week 8 game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium (Photo credits: Terrell Lloyd/San Francisco 49ers)

It wouldn’t be National Tight Ends Day without a George Kittle touchdown.

Kittle, a 6-time Pro Bowler and the creator of the league celebration, has had his 2025 season riddled with injury. Sunday’s contest against the Texans marked just the third game he has played in this year.

A lackluster game for San Francisco, Kittle’s score gave the Niners their first points of the game just before the conclusion of the first half.

Quarterback Mac Jones zipped the football 17 yards into double coverage for Kittle’s 2nd touchdown of the season.

The pass was hauled in with one hand, a spectacular, but seemingly regular, play for Kittle.

The former Iowa Hawkeye was not the only San Francisco tight end to reach the end zone.

Late in the third quarter, Jones rolled out from the 2-yard line to find 26-year-old Jake Tonges for a touchdown to make it a one-score affair.

In Kittle’s extended absence this season, Tonges has risen to the occasion for the injury-prone 49ers. His touchdown against the Texans marked his 4th of the year, tied for 3rd-most among tight ends.

Kittle had jokes for his teammate and fellow tight end after the game.

“Mac [Jones] throws me the ball and Jake [Tonges] just has nice long arms and plucked that baby right out of the air,” Kittle said on the KNBR 104.5 FM radio show.

The 49ers, who are still battling injuries across the board, fell to 5-3 after their defeat at the hands of sophomore quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Texans. With Kittle ramping up his action, San Francisco’s offense looks to regain traction in an extremely competitive NFC West division.

Goedert’s Two Touchdowns Help Eagles Comfortably Rout Giants

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA — OCTOBER 26: Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert #88 celebrates after a touchdown during a Week 8 game against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field (Photo credits: Kiel Leggere/Philadelphia Eagles)

Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert had played among the best at his position through the first seven weeks of the 2025 NFL Season.

Week 8 was no different.

The former South Dakota State Jackrabbit put six points on the board for Philadelphia twice in their victory over the New York Giants, continuing his league-wide tear.

The first of Goedert’s two touchdowns occurred just before halftime when star quarterback Jalen Hurts found the 30-year-old for a 6-yard quick hitter across the middle. His first touchdown gave the Eagles a 21-10 lead.

Goedert’s next touchdown put the game out of reach for the Giants, giving his squad a 31-13 lead in the fourth quarter after a 17-yard catch and run for a score.

Goedert, a former 2nd-round selection, notched his second multi-touchdown performance of the season on Sunday. His first came in the team’s Week 4 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Before this season, Philadelphia’s star tight end had only scored multiple touchdowns in one game, a 33-18 victory over the New York Jets in Week 13 of the 2021 season.

Goedert’s outing on Sunday put his touchdown total at 7, which leads all tight ends and is tied with Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown among all pass catchers.

Goedert also finished the game with 28 receiving yards on three catches, two of which went for six points.

Very few tight ends have been as dominant as Goedert this season. The veteran has been a foundational piece of a strong Philadelphia team that sits atop the NFC East with a 6-2 record.

Rookies Helm and Taylor Score First Career Touchdowns

CINCINNATI, OHIO — OCTOBER 26: New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor #85 catches a touchdown in a Week 8 game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium (Photo credits: New York Jets)

National Tight Ends Day saw two different rookies reach the end zone for the first time in their NFL careers.

Rookie Mason Taylor punched in his first career touchdown to close out the first New York Jets victory of the season.

With the game on the line late in the fourth quarter, the Jets pulled out some trickery. Star running back Breece Hall received the pitch from quarterback Justin Fields, rolled to his right, and found Taylor in tight coverage for the 4-yard game-winning score.

What better a moment for your first ever touchdown than a game-winner to award your team its first victory.

The 24-year-old finished his eighth career game 34 yards on five receptions, including his game-winning touchdown.

A 2nd-round selection out of LSU, expectations are high for Taylor this season. Tyler Conklin, New York’s 2024 leader in receiving yards at tight end, posted 449 yards last season, a total Taylor is already more than halfway to passing.

Taylor is on pace to finish his rookie season with 514 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns.

His development has been slightly affected by the lifelessness of New York’s offense, but his career milestone on National Tight Ends Day instills promise in the Jets organization that Taylor will flourish as the team’s future tight end.

Taylor was not the only rookie to notch his first career touchdown on Sunday.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA — OCTOBER 26: Tennessee Titans tight end Gunnar Helm #84 celebrates a touchdown during a Week 8 game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium (Photo credits: Beau Brune/Tennssee Titans)

The Tennessee Titans selected tight end Gunnar Helm out of Texas with the 120th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with hopes of creating a dynamic duo between him and veteran Chigoziem Okonkwo.

Thus far in the season, Helm has seen minimal action with just 172 receiving yards on 19 receptions. However, the 4th-round rookie found the end zone for the first time in his career on Sunday.

Helm’s 1-yard touchdown catch from 1st-overall pick, quarterback Cam Ward, put the Titans on the board early in the second quarter of their road matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.

The former Texas Longhorn marked the second tight end to tally their first career score on the holiday, something that has not happened since the day has been officially recognized by the league. Last season, Denver Broncos’ Nate Adkins was the lone tight end to accomplish this feature on National Tight Ends Day.

In 2022, Dallas Cowboys’ Peyton Hendershot scored his first career touchdown on the holiday.

Helm is “developing quickly,” according to Titans Offensive Coordinator Nick Holz, a good sign that the coaching staff has confidence in the rookie to continue his progress despite offensive struggles.

Tennessee’s young tight end will look to continue improving his role on a struggling Tennessee offense. Okonkwo, a former 4th-round pick from Maryland, is the only thing that stands in the way of a consistent starting job for the 23-year-old.

With the trade deadline dangerously near, maybe a trade frees up playing time for Helm, who is still yet to make a notable impact in his rookie season.

Kraft’s Two-Touchdown Performance in Pittsburgh Closes the Holiday With a Bang

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA — OCTOBER 26: Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft #85 runs with the ball during a Week 8 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium (Photo credits: Madison Morris/Green Bay Packers)

The headline of Week 8’s installment of Sunday Night Football was future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers facing off against his former team in a highly anticipated matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers.

After all, this would mark Rodgers’ first game against Green Bay since leaving the team via trade to the New York Jets in 2023.

However, Packers future superstar tight end Tucker Kraft stole the show and made history in his own way.

Kraft, 24, not only posted a career-high 143 receiving yards on Sunday night, but also recorded two touchdowns to help spoil Rodgers’ prophetic revenge game against his former squad.

Kraft’s monster performance against the Steelers easily takes the cake for the best game by a tight end on National Tight Ends Day. The former 3rd-round selection from South Dakota State lead all pass catchers in receiving yards in Week 8.

The next closest to Kraft was Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze, who tallied 114 yards against the Baltimore Ravens earlier on Sunday.

Kraft’s historic night began on Green Bay’s second drive, which ended in a 16-yard touchdown to the future superstar. The score gave the Packers a 7-3 lead.

The second half brought about more insanity from the former Jackrabbit, who recorded 94 yards in the third and fourth quarters alone.

Kraft’s second touchdown, a 24-yard pass over the middle from star quarterback Jordan Love, put his squad up 10 points over the Steelers with just under 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Kraft, Week 8’s highest-graded football player according to Pro Football Focus, has now totaled upwards of 100 receiving yards in two games this season. The 24-year-old ranks 3rd in total receiving yards and 4th in yards per reception among tight ends this year.

One of the league’s commanding players at the position, Kraft’s elite showing against Pittsburgh was the perfect way to conclude a holiday widely-respected around the league.

Tight end dominance is good to see on any given Sunday, but something about National Tight Ends Day generates magic in the air for players at the position across the NFL.