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Tim Tebow ain’t gonna make it: A look at quarterbacks who converted to tight end

Tim Tebow quarterbacks who converted to tight end
Urban Meyer had a fetish for TEs playing QB. Will Muschamp would have put Tebow at tight end from the start

The list of quarterbacks who converted to tight end is brief and underwhelming. Which makes Tim Tebow’s comeback with the Jacksonville Jaguars all the more puzzling. The guy is 33 and hasn’t been on an NFL field since 2015. To put this another way, over-the-hill Jimmy Graham is 34.

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That doesn’t factor in the challenges of a position switch. If you look at the quarterbacks who converted to tight end, most of them began the transition in college. Additionally, they usually spend at least one season learning the position in the NFL. It’s a little too late for Tebow to do this.

Even if the former Heisman Trophy winner manages to overcome his age and the difficulties of learning a new position, the upside here is minimal. Don’t take our word for it. Let’s look at some of the quarterbacks who converted to tight end.

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5 quarterbacks who converted to tight end

Logan Thomas

Logan Thomas had a nice season for Washington Football Team in 2020, but it took him years to become a serviceable tight end at the NFL level. He was drafted as a quarterback by the Arizona Cardinals in 2014. The former Virginia Tech signal caller wasn’t moved to tight end until the end of the 2016 campaign.

Between 2017 and 2019, Thomas caught 35 passes while being a key contributor on special teams. It basically took him three full seasons to learn the position effectively. Tebow probably doesn’t have three seasons left in his career.

Trey Burton and Jordan Reed
Trey Burton and Jordan Reed as QBs…no, seriously

Trey Burton/Jordan Reed

While at Florida, Urban Meyer recruited Trey Burton and Jordan Reed to replace Tebow. They both played at quarterback for the Gators in 2010 as freshmen. However, the results weren’t great. Meyer left at the end of the season after the team went 8-5. New coach Will Muschamp kicked them both out of the quarterback room.

Reed was moved to tight end where he had a pair of decent seasons before leaving for the NFL. Burton was converted to running back and then wide receiver at Florida before being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Eagles who envisioned him as a tight end. He spent his first two seasons on special teams.

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Blake Bell

Blake Bell played exclusively at quarterback during his first three seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners. He even started eight games as a junior. He was then moved to tight end prior to his senior season. Despite not doing all that much as a pass catcher, the San Francisco 49ers selected him in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

He has carved out a nice career for himself as a blocking tight end, winning a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019. However, it’s hard to see Tebow, a player who has never been asked to block before, following a similar path.

Jay Riemersma

Jay Riemersma Rick Santorum
This endorsement from noted loser Rick Santorum did not help Jay Riemersma (left)

Jay Riemersma and Tim Tebow have a weird connection. Connection isn’t really the right word. Basically, Riemersma tried to piggyback on Tebow’s fame during a run for US Congress he ultimately lost.

Anyway, he started his college career at Michigan as a quarterback. However, Riemersma hurt his rotator cuff between his sophomore and junior year which forced him to switch to tight end. The failed politician would be drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1996 but didn’t play in a game his rookie year. He spent eight middling seasons in the NFL after that.

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