Clemson Football: Three questions about the tight ends

How will the tight end position be used in Garrett Riley’s offense with Clemson Football?

Briningstool could be the best receiving tight end since Leggett left following the 2016 season. The operable word is ‘could’ because we don’t know exactly how he might be used.

One of the exciting moments for many Clemson fans was when the team issued a depth chart in the spring that included four starting wide receivers, instead of the three starters we had always seen in the past. This was the first sign that things were going to change under Riley.

However, if you are putting a fourth receiver on the field, you are taking someone off. Unless you plan on running the Wildcat, it can’t be the quarterback. It can’t be an offensive lineman. It has to be a running back or tight end.

Given that a failure to utilize the talent at running back is generally considered to be one of the reasons Riley’s predecessor is no longer here, it doesn’t seem logical that Shipley or Mafah will be left off the field too often.

Riley has said he understands the talent he has to work with, and historically he has found ways to use tight ends at SMU and TCU. Ultimately, his offense can’t be all things to all people. If a four wide receiver look is going to be relevant at all to this offense, it will likely come at the expense of the tight end.