Former NFL coach Jon Gruden doesn’t have time for any Jason Witten slander.
While speaking on a podcast with Barstool Sports’ Dave Portney and Big Cat this week in New Orleans, Gruden was asked to go through his top five NFL tight ends of all time.
Gruden started with a few names such as Rob Gronkowski and Mike Ditka before moving into a familiar name from the Volunteer State.
“But what is a tight end?” Gruden asked. “A receiver? The tight end lines up tight on the end of the line. He’s got to be a point-of-attack blocker. He’s got to pass protect. Jason Witten, definitely top five.”
“No way,” Portnoy responded to the Witten claim.
“Oh, God yes,” Gruden said. “Great receiver!”
After rattling off a few more potential names, Portnoy went back to the Witten conversation, saying that the former Vol had “no shot” of being on the list.
“I see the tight end position, the tight end plays tight on the end of line,” Gruden said. “I mean, you can’t run a play-action pass without Jason Witten. He’s unbelievable! The blocking he did.”
.@BarstoolGruden’s Top 5 Tight Ends of all-time is gonna have some people feeling a certain type of way.
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At one point, Portney mentions never really seeing Witten break any tackles as a “catch it and fall down” type of guy. While Witten did have his strengths operating around the line of scrimmage with the Cowboys’ offense, the former Vol could drop his shoulder back in the day, too.
#TBT to 2007 when Jason Witten kept running despite getting his helmet ripped off vs the #Eagles. #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/UpiLpAeJzk
— Dem Boyz Nation (@DemBoyzNation) October 27, 2016
The Elizabethton, TN, native played three years at the University of Tennessee from 2000 to 2002 and was named a First Team All-SEC selection during his final season in Knoxville.
Witten was drafted with the 69th overall pick in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys.
Witten served as one of the three former Tennessee figures on the back of the Neyland Stadium jumbotron in 2018 until he was replaced by VFL Alvin Kamara in 2021.
The former Tennessee legend spent 16 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and one season with the Las Vegas Raiders, racking up 11 Pro Bowl selections, one All-Rookie team selection, and four All-Pro selections during his storied career in the NFL.
While he was a rumored candidate for the Dallas Cowboys coaching job this past offseason, Witten currently resides in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and is the head coach of the Liberty Christian School football team. Witten led Liberty Christian to a Texas state football title and the school’s first undefeated season in 2023.
Witten’s son, Cooper Witten, is a star prospect in the 2027 recruiting class.
247 Sports currently ranks the 6-foot-2 safety as a four-star prospect, the No. 23 player in the class, the No. 2 safety in the nation, and the No. 5 player from the state of Texas. Tennessee is one of 15 teams that have reportedly offered Witten a scholarship alongside Auburn, Baylor, Oklahoma, SMU, TCU, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech.
