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2017 free agency: Which tight ends can replace Julius Thomas?

Super Bowl LI - New England Patriots v Atlanta Falcons Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

With the Jacksonville Jaguars reportedly trading away tight end Julius Thomas and the only real youth at that position being Neal Sterling and Ben Koyack, don’t be surprised if the team looks to free agency for someone.

I wouldn’t expect one of the first-tier guys to come to Jacksonville, but maybe someone with a Tom Coughlin connection is a possibility?

Here’s Spotrac’s full listing of all free agent tight ends in 2017:

2017 free agent tight ends

Name Age Team Games Yards YPC Touchdowns Fumbles AAV Status
Name Age Team Games Yards YPC Touchdowns Fumbles AAV Status
Jordan Cameron 28 MIA 3 60 7.5 1 $7,500,000 UFA
Martellus Bennett 30 NE 16 701 12.7 7 $5,100,000 UFA
Jermaine Gresham 28 ARI 16 391 10.6 2 1 $3,500,000 UFA
Jared Cook 29 GB 10 377 12.6 1 1 $2,750,000 UFA
Anthony Fasano 32 TEN 16 83 10.4 2 $2,625,000 UFA
Vernon Davis 33 WAS 16 583 13.2 2 $2,400,000 UFA
Brandon Myers 31 TB 16 59 8.4 1 $2,125,000 UFA
Rhett Ellison 28 MIN 15 57 6.3 $1,750,000 UFA
Larry Donnell 28 NYG 14 92 6.1 1 1 $1,671,000 UFA
Jack Doyle 26 IND 16 584 9.9 5 1 $1,671,000 UFA
Jacob Tamme 31 ATL 8 210 9.5 3 $1,600,000 UFA
Gavin Escobar 26 DAL 16 30 7.5 1 $1,052,623 UFA
Kellen Davis 31 NYJ 8 $965,000 UFA
Clay Harbor 29 DET 15 19 6.3 $885,000 UFA
Matthew Mulligan 32 DET 8 8 8 $885,000 UFA
Jeff Cumberland 29 LAC $840,000 UFA
Tim Wright 26 DET $815,000 UFA
Logan Paulsen 29 CHI 16 15 5 $760,000 UFA
David Johnson 29 PIT 16 80 11.4 $760,000 UFA
John Phillips 29 NO 16 72 7.2 1 $760,000 UFA
Jim Dray 30 SF 6 $760,000 UFA
Brandon Williams 29 SEA 16 36 18 $675,000 UFA
Dominique Jones 29 MIA 9 61 8.7 1 $675,000 UFA
Dion Sims 26 MIA 14 256 9.8 4 $656,888 UFA
Levine Toilolo 25 ATL 16 264 20.3 2 $615,146 UFA
Luke Willson 27 SEA 11 129 8.6 2 $584,633 UFA
Mychal Rivera 26 OAK 13 192 10.7 1 $566,213 UFA
Ryan Griffin 27 HOU 16 442 8.8 2 1 $559,670 UFA
Chris Gragg 26 BUF $554,794 UFA

Martellus Bennett would be a fun addition but at 30 years old would that fit with Coughlin’s free agent philosophy? Larry Donnell is a possibility, after having played for Coughlin for a few years, but at 6’6” and 265 pounds, he’s definitely more of a help in the run game.

What do you think? Do any of these tight ends look like a possibility for the Jaguars next month? Or will the team look to the draft to build up this position?