 Kroft with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2015 | |||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born: | (1992-10-15)October 15, 1992 (age 32) West Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 252 lb (114 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Downingtown East (Lionville, Pennsylvania) | ||||||||
| College: | Rutgers | ||||||||
| Position: | Tight end | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2015: 3rd round, 85th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Tyler Kroft (born October 15, 1992) is an American professionalfootballtight end. He playedcollege football atRutgers. He was drafted in the third round, 85th overall, in the2015 NFL draft by theCincinnati Bengals. He has also played for theBuffalo Bills,New York Jets andSan Francisco 49ers.
Kroft attendedDowningtown East High School inDowningtown, Pennsylvania. He playedtight end andwide receiver for thefootball team. He was rated byRivals.com as a three-star recruit.[1] He committed toRutgers University to playcollege football.[2] He is of German descent.[3]
Kroft wasredshirted as a freshman in 2011 atRutgers. As a redshirt freshman in 2012, he played in 11 games and had threereceptions for 59 yards and atouchdown.[4] As a redshirt sophomore in 2013, Kroft started 12 of 13 games, including a career-best 133 yards againstArkansas.[5] On the season, he had a team-leading 43 receptions and 573 yards, along with four touchdowns,[6][7] and was a first-team all-conference selection. Kroft started 12 of 13 games as a redshirt junior in 2014, but took on a restricted role and reached neither five receptions nor 50 yards in any of them. On the season, he had 24 receptions for 269 yards.[8] He was awarded the "Loyal Knight" award for his willingness to scale back.[9]
After his redshirt junior season, he entered the2015 NFL draft.[10][11] He finished his collegiate career with 70 receptions for 901 yards and five touchdowns.[12]
| Season | Team | GP | Receiving | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 2012 | Rutgers | 11 | 3 | 59 | 19.7 | 1 |
| 2013 | Rutgers | 13 | 43 | 573 | 13.3 | 4 |
| 2014 | Rutgers | 10 | 24 | 269 | 11.2 | 0 |
| Career | 34 | 70 | 901 | 12.9 | 5 | |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft5+1⁄2 in (1.97 m) | 246 lb (112 kg) | 33 in (0.84 m) | 9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 4.75 s | 1.65 s | 2.79 s | 4.50 s | 7.18 s | 34.0 in (0.86 m) | 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) | 17 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[13][14] | ||||||||||||
Kroft was drafted by theCincinnati Bengals in the third round, 85th overall, in the 2015 NFL Draft.[15] He played back-up toPro Bowl tight endTyler Eifert. He caught his first career touchdown in Week 16 against theSan Francisco 49ers on a 20-yard pass fromA. J. McCarron.[16] He played in all 16 games his rookie season with six starts, recording 11 receptions for 129 yards and one touchdown.[17]
Kroft was third on thedepth chart behind Eifert andC. J. Uzomah for much of the 2016 season, compiling ten receptions for 92 yards off the bench.[18]
Kroft began the 2017 season behindTyler Eifert, but after Eifert was injured in Week 2, Kroft took the starting role. In Week 4, he had six receptions for 68 yards and two touchdowns against theCleveland Browns, leading the team and setting career bests in all three categories. In Week 9, he had a career-long 59-yard reception against theJacksonville Jaguars en route to a career-best 79 receiving yards.[19][20] In Weeks 11 and 12 he had back-to-back receiving touchdowns for the first time in his career, both of one yard;[21] the one in Week 11 occurred after teammateDre Kirkpatrick returned an interception 101 yards, but committed an unforcedfumble just before reaching theend zone.[22] He finished the 2017 season with 42 receptions for 404 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns.[23]
In 2018, Kroft suffered a foot injury in Week 5 and missed the next five games in hopes he could return. He was placed oninjured reserve on November 16, 2018, officially ending his season.[24] He played in five games and finished with four receptions for 36 yards.[25]
On March 13, 2019, Kroft signed a three-year $18.75 million contract with theBuffalo Bills.[26][27] On May 20, on the first day oforganized team activities, he broke his foot during practice, which required surgery.[28] Kroft finished the season with six catches for 71 yards and a touchdown, which he scored during a Week 15 game against thePittsburgh Steelers in the fourth quarter, allowing the Bills to win 17–10 and clinch a playoff spot.[29][30]
In Week 3 of the 2020 season against theLos Angeles Rams, Kroft filled in for injured starterDawson Knox, catching four passes for 24 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning score fromJosh Allen as Buffalo won 35–32.[31] Kroft was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 14, 2020,[32] and activated on November 19.[33] He was placed back on the COVID-19 list on January 2, 2021,[34] and activated again two days later.[35] Overall, he finished the 2020 season with 12 receptions for 119 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.[36]
Kroft signed a one-year contract with theNew York Jets on March 22, 2021.[37] On November 9, 2021, Kroft was placed on injured reserve after suffering a chest injury in Week 9.[38] He was activated on December 18.[39]
Kroft finished the season with 16 catches for 173 yards and a touchdown in nine games, starting six.[40]
On May 23, 2022, Kroft signed with the 49ers.[41] He was released by San Francisco during final roster cuts on August 30, but re–signed with the team the following day.[42] He appeared in 11 games and started four in the 2022 season.[43] Kroft was the subject of criticism following theNFC Championship Game against thePhiladelphia Eagles, as he was lined up on the right side of the offensive line when Eaglesedge rusherHaason Reddick collided with quarterbackBrock Purdy's arm, resulting in aUlnar collateral ligament injury of the elbow that led to Purdy being ruled out for the rest of the game. Many in the media attributed blame towardsKyle Shanahan's play-calling, citing it as confusing and negligent.[44]
On May 9, 2023, Kroft signed with theMiami Dolphins.[45] He appeared in eight games with the Dolphins in the 2023 season.[46]
| Year | Team | GP | Receiving | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |||
| 2015 | CIN | 16 | 11 | 129 | 11.7 | 22 | 1 |
| 2016 | CIN | 14 | 10 | 92 | 9.2 | 21 | 0 |
| 2017 | CIN | 13 | 42 | 404 | 9.6 | 59 | 7 |
| 2018 | CIN | 5 | 4 | 36 | 9.0 | 16 | 0 |
| 2019 | BUF | 11 | 6 | 71 | 11.8 | 20 | 1 |
| 2020 | BUF | 7 | 10 | 107 | 10.7 | 38 | 2 |
| 2021 | NYJ | 9 | 16 | 173 | 10.8 | 26 | 1 |
| Career | 81 | 101 | 1,024 | 10.1 | 59 | 13 | |
Kroft is married and has two children.[47]