New York New York - Tight End, Tight End

Wanting, needing, expecting a big turnaround.

🗽 Good morning Jets fans, we’re a couple of weeks out from the combine and under a month away from the new league year and NFL free agency, there’s plenty to talk about and we’re going to touch on both today.

New York, New York = Tight End, Tight End 🏈

In 2021 the Jets ran 61% of their plays from 11 personnel, meaning there was only one tight end on the field, which is absolutely slap bang on the league average of 61%. The Jets used 12 personnel (2 TE’s) on 20% of their plays which is again, right around the league average of 21%. And just to round this off, they used 13 personnel (3 TE’s) on just 1% of plays, which is below the 4% league average. I’m not sure the Jets ever really had three healthy tight ends on the roster.

Those are the stats, but the Jets didn’t live in an ideal world in 2021. Their “best” TE was Tyler Kroft who appeared in just 9 games and tied his career-high with 4 drops (on significantly fewer targets, 29 this year in comparison to 57 in 2017). Backing up Kroft was Ryan Griffin, who struggled in pass protection and contributed more drops than touchdowns ( 3 drops to 2 TDs). Then you had Daniel Brown (enough said) and Kenny Yeboah (barely got a look in, mainly because of his blocking, or lack thereof).

The Jets will look to redo their tight end room this year, and while they may only run 2 tight ends at a league-average rate, the need for top-end talent is clear to see.

When you look at the Shanahan coaching tree which stretches from San Francisco to the World Champion Rams, all the way to Green Bay, one thing sticks out. They all have tight ends who can block, it’s absolutely a necessity in this system. Marcedes Lewis (Green Bay), George Kittle (San Francisco), and Tyler Higbee (LA) all ranked in the top 15 last season in relation to pass-blocking¹. Lewis and Kittle were also top-10 in terms of run blocking too.

Ryan Griffin was the only Jets TE to qualify based on the minimum snap quantity of 250 and he was ranked 31st in terms of pass-protection, although he did significantly better in terms of run-blocking, coming in at 13th overall.

There are two tight ends contracted to the Jets in 2022 in Kenny Yeboah and Ryan Griffin, Trevon Wesco is also contracted but he’s more a FB in this system. Ryan Griffin is an obvious cut candidate considering the Jets can move on and save over $3 million against the cap, a logical step.

Fortunately for the Jets, the 2022 NFL draft is absolutely stacked with TE talent. But for the sake of today’s article, we’re going to focus completely on free agency and the TE’s who are available.

Free Agent Comparison ⚖️

🏈 Here is a comparison table of the free-agent tight ends who are available this offseason. You want someone who is productive in the passing game while being a bonus in the blocking game.

Tier One - Dalton Schultz 🙌

🏈 Something we probably already knew, Schultz is the ideal tight-end candidate for the Jets. He is productive in the passing game, he’s a big target who comes down with more contested catches than he loses, and he’s also productive in both the run and pass game as a blocker. We also can’t forget that Schultz is only 25 years old, so he’s about to enter his prime and will grow with the Jet’s young offensive cast. Of the nine tight ends listed in the comparison table here is where he ranks:

Catches: 1st
TD’s: 1st
Contested Catches: 3rd
Run Blocking: 3rd
Pass Blocking: 5th

The talk coming out of Dallas is they’d love to keep Dalton, but they’re not sure they can afford him. Estimated contracts for Schultz tend to start at the 4 year $50 million mark, and that may not be enough to get it done. The Cowboys are already projected to be over the 2022 salary cap and they have some other key free agents about to hit the free-agent market like Connor Williams and Michael Gallup. The Cowboys may be looking at this 2022 NFL Draft as the perfect opportunity to find a TE replacement and let Schultz walk. We have to remember they still have Blake Jarwin and former Michigan man Sean McKeon who went undrafted in 2020 and has struggled to stay on the field.

Tier Two - C.J Uzomah, David Njoku & Gerald Everett 💪

🏈 If Dallas decides to re-sign or tag Schultz the Jets will need to pivot to their secondary options and all three of the guys listed above would be good options.

All of them were productive in the passing game with C.J Uzomah being the pick of the bunch. None of the guys listed are as good in contested catch situations as Schultz.

Of the three listed, Njoku is the best blocker of the group and the importance of that can’t be understated. I also feel as though he has untapped potential, I loved him coming out of Miami in 2017 and we saw this season how dangerous he can be when he gets going when he erupted for 7 catches, 149 yards, and a touchdown against the Chargers.

Tier Three - Everyone else 🧐

🏈 It may be strange to see Ertz in here, but he’s entering his age 32 season, and his 49.8% run-blocking grade just isn’t suitable for the Jets, especially if they want to run a lot of 11 personnel next season where the TE could be counted on for passing and running plays. Gesicki can’t block so he’s in here as well, he just isn’t a natural fit for what the Jets look for, same for Evan Engram. I’d quite like Mo Allie-Cox for his run blocking alone, and he’s still only 28, but that would be as TE2 and certainly not the marquee signing we’re looking for.

Dark Horse - Maxx Williams 🤔

🏈 Williams's value is hard to identify because he’s coming off a torn ACL in 2021. Over his 7 year career, he has made a name for himself for being one of the better blocking tight ends in football. A former 2nd round pick of the Baltimore Ravens, Williams has never been heavily featured in the passing game but when he has he’s been effective. He’s been targeted 121 times in his career and he’s caught 102 passes (84.3%) for 994 yards and 6 touchdowns. He’s also only dropped 2 footballs over 7 years which is an outstanding number, even if he hasn’t been a heavy focus of the offense.

I’m not saying I’d target Williams, but he could certainly be an interesting option as a high-end #2 option for a team. If you strike out on the big boys, getting Williams and pairing him with a rookie like Trey McBride may be an option for the Jets.

The Rest

🏈 Obviously, this isn’t an exhaustive list of all the TE’s who are available, here is the best of the rest:

Robert Tonyan - Tore his ACL in 2021, a good receiving tight end but unproven blocker.

Jared Cook - He may be 34 but he’s still putting up the numbers. 564 yards and 4 TD in 2021.

O.J Howard - Was buried on the depth chart at times in Tampa. Got the tools but lacks consistency and effort in the run game.

Jordan Akins - Not a bad option in the receiving game, but doesn’t really offer anything as a blocker. Not a fit for the Jets.

Draft Comparison - Tight Ends ☝️

🏈Now if we quickly flick our attention to the draft, you’ll see there are plenty of options for the Jets to consider.

I would be absolutely shocked if the Jets don’t draft at least one of the tight ends listed above, speaking to people who were at the Senior Bowl, I came away with the impression the Jets absolutely loved multiple tight ends in their group and while we like to talk about Trey McBride and Jeremy Ruckert, I wouldn’t count out Charlie Kolar, the same person said that Kolar was a popular name among the coaching staff. Kolar has that blue-collar type work ethic that goes down well and he made numerous impressive plays on the ball. As you can see from the statistics above, he’s good in the ground game and comes down with more contested catches than not.

I know a lot of people like Jalen Wydermyer, but with all the drops on his tape and his inability to block, I just don’t see the Jets spending a pick on him considering the rest of the talent in this draft. If they do, they are absolutely banking on that athletic upside, which is a risky game to play.

Matt’s Sleeper Special 💤

🏈 I asked my co-host Matt Merrett to pick out five wide receivers who aren’t expected to go at the top of the draft and write a little something-something about each one. Here are 5 players the Jets could target come April. Don’t forget to jump over to Twitter and follow Matt HERE.

Christian Watson, NDSU - The Senior Bowl Sweetheart continues to rise up draft boards. He has prototypical size coupled with top-end speed and an effortless ability to move up through the gears. Natural separator.

Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama - A long rangy frame with the ability to track the ball down the field. Has shown the ability to make tough grabs with an elite catching radius, but concentration drops have let him down. Lacks sharpness in his cuts to impact short game regularly.

Justyn Ross, Clemson - Perhaps the forgotten man in this WR class, Ross’s ceiling is high. Great one-cut ability for his size gives him the versatility to align across the formation, although lack of top-level speed will hinder results on the outside. If he’s healthy he could be a steal.

Jaivon Heiligh, Coastal Carolina - Combines a quick release and good length to offer immediate upside as a slot receiver. Has demonstrated an understanding of what ‘QB friendly’ route running looks like after he cuts. Will need to work hard to prevent his smaller frame from slowing him down in NFL.

Calvin Austin III, Memphis - Consistently plays like he’s been shot out of a cannon, with top-level speed that can make defenders look silly. He’s a big play machine that will attract manufactured touches in the quick game. Plays with a  competitive fearlessness despite his size.

1. Minimum of 250 offensive snaps required to qualify.