Projecting the Falcons 2016 offense: Jacob Tamme

Entering his 9th season, Tamme has had a decent career. His time in Denver saw him get decreased targets with the emergence of Julius Thomas. The 2015 season offered him a good opportunity to get more targets and he took advantage of it. Tamme had a career year with the Falcons and it was clear he earned the trust of Ryan as the season progressed. Let's take a look at how he might fare in 2016.

2008 - 2014

From 2008 to 2011, Tamme was with the Colts catching passes from a little known QB named Peyton Manning. In 2012, he moved on to the Denver Broncos where he would catch passes from a little known QB named Peyton Manning. As you can see, Tamme has played with some pretty good QBs in his time, so his numbers are probably not reflective of a poor offensive system or incapable quarterback.

2015

Coming to the Falcons, Tamme's only competition was Levine Toilolo and Tony Moeaki. Toilolo has largely been disappointing and Moeaki couldn't even manage to stay on the roster all year. Given that depth, it wasn't surprising that Tamme emerged as Ryan's favorite target at tight end. The numbers reflected this, as Tamme had his best season since coming into the league. It's even more impressive when you consider that he changed teams and was going into a brand new offensive system.

Projection

Fans are looking forward to seeing newly drafted Austin Hooper on the field, and for good reason. He has tremendous promise and could be a key part of the offense going forward. For 2016, however, his impact will probably be minimal and Tamme should continue getting the majority of reps as the starting tight end. The signing of Sanu will probably take a few targets away from Tamme, but don't be surprised to see him have very similar season in 2016.

What are your thoughts on the projection for Tamme?