For years, Travis Kelce and George Kittle dominated the conversation surrounding who the NFL’s best tight end was. With those future Hall of Famers now in the latter stages of their careers, however, along with the emergence of Trey McBride and Brock Bowers, there’s a new debate for the league’s best tight end.
Amid PFN’s release of its Top 100 NFL players heading into the 2026 season, here’s who the site’s experts ranked higher between the Cardinals’ and Raiders’ star pass catchers.
PFN Reveals Who Ranks Higher Between Trey McBride and Brock Bowers
Shockingly, McBride and Bowers were placed more than 50 spots apart, with the Cardinals’ star at No. 21 overall and the Raiders’ tight end at No. 73 overall. McBride ranked as TE1, while, somewhat surprisingly, Bowers ranked as TE3, also behind 49ers star George Kittle (No. 31).
“Trey McBride comes in as our highest-rated tight end this year, and he’s coming off a season in which he was undoubtedly the best-performing tight end in the NFL,” PFN Analyst Jacob Infante wrote. “He led his position with 126 receptions and 1,239 receiving yards, and his 11 receiving touchdowns also tied for first place.”
“On an Arizona Cardinals offense that had its rough patches in 2025, McBride was by far the biggest bright spot. He ran away with first place in the PFN TE Impact Score rankings after placing in second in 2024; he’s firmly solidified as an elite tight end, and at 26 years old, he should remain in that category for years to come.”
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In regard to Bowers, Infante wrote, “Despite having poor quarterback play around him his first two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, Brock Bowers has instantly solidified himself as one of the best tight ends in the NFL with his play upon getting drafted in 2024. He missed five games due to injury in 2025, so he wasn’t able to replicate his All-Pro numbers from his rookie year, but he was still very productive.”
“Bowers has been a top-ten tight end in PFN TE Impact Scoring each of his two years in the league,” Infante continued. “He finished the year with 64 catches for 680 yards and seven touchdowns, which is impressive production without factoring in the games he missed. His 56.7 receiving yards per game ranked third among all tight ends, earning him his second Pro Bowl nod in as many seasons.”
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The Cardinals and Raiders tight ends posted near-identical stats in 2024, during the McBride breakout season and Bowers rookie campaign. McBride posted 111 receptions, 1,146 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns (he also had a rushing score and a fumble-recovery score that year). Bowers, meanwhile, recorded 112 catches, 1,194 receiving yards, and five touchdown scores.
In PFN’s Top 100 NFL players list heading into 2025, McBride placed No. 91, while Bowers went completely unranked. One year later, they both earned spots on the list, but McBride, having recorded more than 60 more receptions, over 500 receiving yards, and four additional touchdowns, earned himself a significant boost in the rankings compared to Bowers.
Bowers, if healthy, should without a doubt have a bounce-back in 2026. As for McBride, expect him to continue building on his momentum as he enters year five of his NFL career. These two tight ends have plenty of elite seasons ahead of them and will likely be debated as the league’s best for years to come.
