For seven years, Gary Barnidge was one of the hundreds of nondescript players in the NFL. He played in 92 games for two teams, but logged just 25 starts. He caught 44 passes for 603 yards, an average of less than 100 yards a season, with just three touchdowns. He averaged 6.6 yards per game during this seven-season stretch in his 20s.

But Barnidge turned 30 on September 22nd, and then transformed into one of the most dominant tight ends in the NFL. Barnidge has played in six games since his 30th birthday, and has caught 36 passes for 512 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Let’s say Barnidge finishes the season with 1,000 yards in 16 games. That would mean his career average in receiving yards per game will have jumped from 6.6 to 14.8, a pretty remarkable increase for a player in his eighth season. In fact, Barnidge would become just the third player to have his career receiving yards per game double at any point after their fifth season in a year where they gained at least 500 receiving yards.

The last player to do so is Jim Jensen, a utility football player for the Dolphins who saw time at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end in his career. In his 20s, he totaled just 414 receiving yards in seven seasons, but he broke out in 1988 with 58 catches for 652 yards and five touchdowns.

The other is Pat Curran, who caught just 9 passes in 66 games in six years with the Rams. Then, before his age 30 season, he was traded to San Diego, where he gained 619 receiving yards in 1975.

Another query I ran was to look at players who had 600 yards in a season and 65 career games after that season. Then, among that group, I checked to see which players increased their career receiving yards per game by the largest multiple. Curran topped that list, followed by the Jets Jo-Jo Townsell (he averaged 4.7 receiving yards per game through his first four seasons, then 49.2 in his fifth) and Todd Christensen (0 yards in his first two years, 115 in his third, 510 in his fourth, and then 1,247 in his fifth). Barnidge will likely pass Christenen via this method by the end of the year.

Here’s another way to think about it. Let’s say Barnidge finishes with exactly 700 receiving yards this season in 16 games. That would bring his career average to just 12.1 receiving yards per game, the lowest career average in NFL history by any player after a 700-yard season. The current record-holder there is Townsell, and Barnidge would hold that honor even if he gained 940 receiving yards this year!

The lowest career yards per game average by a player after recording at least 800 receiving yards in a year? That mark is held by Kevin Walter (2007 Texans, 16.7), but Barnidge will almost certainly break that. At 900, the record holder is Clifton McNeil (1968 49ers, 22.1), and at 1,000, it’s Wallace Francis (1979 Falcons, 23.9). Remember: if Barnidge gets 1,000 yards in 16 games, his career average will be just 14.8 yards per game!

If we drop the threshold to 600 yards, Curran is the record holder at 6.98 yards per game. Given the environment — 1975 was close to the nadir for the passing game — his 619-yard season in 14 games was probably as mind-boggling as what Barnidge is doing now. He ranked 4th in receiving yards and 3rd in receptions among tight ends that year. But in what is quickly becoming a lost year for the Browns, Barnidge’s breakout season is one incredibly story.