An early look at the TE's.

Always one of the toughest positions to rank. Lets take an early peek at the TE position.

1) Jason Witten (Dallas) - A good thing for Witten and the Cowboys may have gotten even better with the departure of Terrell Owens. Dallas QB Tony Romo and Witten have a very good relationship building and could once again put up solid numbers.

2) Antonio Gates (San Diego) - Injuries kept Gates down somewhat last season. Hopefully, a healthy season will allow Gates to re-establish himself as one of the NFL's best. He's a perfect fit for the Charger offense.

3) Tony Gonzalez (Atlanta) - What a great trade for Gonzalez. He put up great numbers playing in Kansas City without a whole lot of help. With Atlanta, he has a top-10 WR in Roddy White, a stud RB in Michael Turner, and an up-and-coming QB in Matt Ryan helping him to possibly get the ring he so badly wants.

4) Dallas Clark (Indianapolis) - Having been an owner of Clark I can say how nice it is to put his name in the starting lineup, sit back, and reap the rewards. Anytime you have a quality TE like Clark...and knowing that Mr. Manning will be tossing him the ball, you breathe easier. This year should be no different.

5) Owen Daniels (Houston) - This is one of the teams I see taking that next step. Daniels will be a big part of it. If QB Matt Shaub can keep it together, Daniels should be a monster over the middle of the field. With Andre Johnson as the #1 WR, that part of the field should be wide open.

6) Greg Olsen (Chicago) - I have to imagine that Olsen thought Christmas had come early with the Bears trade for QB Jay Cutler. Even though Olsen had a fairly good year with Kyle Orton at QB, he should do much better with the step up in quality in Cutler. Olsen is extra dangerous with his ability to go deeper downfield than most TE's.

7) John Carlson (Seattle) - A surprise breakout last season, Carlson became a go-to guy. With all the injuries at the WR and QB position, Carlson was the one constant. This year, with QB Matt Hasselbeck healthy and WR T.J. Housmanzadeh in camp, Carlson's stock is looking mighty good.

8) Kellen Winslow (Tampa Bay) - This was a very tough call. I could see putting Winslow a notch or two higher. I could also see him just outside the top-10. His abilities are unquestioned. His attitude, past injuries, and inexperience at QB, are a question.

9) Chris Cooley (Washington) - After a below-par year last season, we foresee a rebound of sorts for Chris. Just how big a rebound depends on if the wounds QB Jason Campbell felt with all the trade talk concerning him are healed. This team has a very good offense...if they'd just knock the dust off the entire playbook.

10) Kevin Boss (N.Y. Giants) - Boss seemed to get better as the year went on. Giant QB Eli Manning was more comfortable going to Boss in key situations, especially once Plaxico Burress was no longer a factor. Look for a solid season from Boss.