2024 NFL Free Agents: Hunter Henry, Dalton Schultz, Tanner Hudson, Johnny Mundt

After hitting on QBs, RBs and WRs through our 2024 free agency primer series already, we tie a bow on the positional previews with tight ends in the 2024 NFL Free Agency Primer for Fantasy Football. Just as with the other positions, free agency significantly impacts team dynamics and shapes the landscape for Super Bowl contenders. Free agency also plays a critical role in how teams approach the 2024 NFL Draft.

Here are all of the most noteworthy impending free-agent tight ends and provide insights for fantasy players in redraft leagues, best ball leagues, and dynasty leagues. Below we dive into a few notable names.

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2024 NFL Tight End Free Agency Primer

Dalton Schultz

Dalton Schultz will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, so his fantasy value will largely depend on where he lands. Backend fantasy TE1 the last two seasons in favorable situations, finishing as the TE10 and TE11 in PPR fantasy scoring. No worse than TE12 over the last four seasons since he became a starting NFL tight end.

Ideally, a place like the Cincinnati Bengals or Miami Dolphins would work in his favor, attached to high-powered offenses. The 28-year-old will only go as far as the offensive environment he plays in.

A return to Houston can’t be ruled out either, given their vast amount of available salary cap space. Schultz was PFF’s 12th-highest-graded tight end in 2023.

Hunter Henry

Get this man reunited with Shane Steichen in Indianapolis from their days spent in San Diego. Third-year tight end Jelani Woods can’t be relied on after missing all of 2023, and the Colts don’t have another difference maker at tight end on the roster. That was so apparent last year when they would split tight-end snaps between three and even four tight ends at times.

Mo Alie-Cox can be cut for a zero dead cap hit with a potential “out” in his 2024 contract.

Hunter Henry provides Anthony Richardson with a big red-zone target, which is by far Henry’s biggest asset to an offense. During his three seasons spent in New England, Henry finished no worse than TE22 (2022), averaging nearly 6 TD receptions per season. The red-zone weapon finished this past season as the TE18 overall, tying for second in red-zone TD receptions (6). Henry was PFF’s 14th-highest-graded tight end in 2023.

The 29-year-old could also be a candidate to replace Schultz in Houston, given how heavily their passing game used the former Dallas Cowboys tight end in the red zone.

Tanner Hudson

Keep tabs on Tanner Hudson, who the Bengals leaned on more down the stretch. From Week 9 onward, Hudson posted an elite 26% target rate per route run. If they keep Hudson in-house on a cheap deal instead of “paying up” for another tight end, Hudson could be a sneaky tight-end sleeper for fantasy football in 2024. Hudson was PFF’s 13th-highest-graded tight end in 2023, ranking 9th in yards per route run.

Johnny Mundt

If Mundt re-signs in Minnesota, he could inherit the T.J. Hockenson role while Hockenson rehabs from a torn ACL injury. Was productive in that starting tight end role in the last two weeks of the season, playing in 76% of the snaps while posting stat lines of 4-39-1 and 5-58-0 on 6.5 targets per game.