This New York Jets tight end position is setting up to be a one-man band in 2025.
The Bret Michaels band is Bret Michaels and a bunch of other people. The Jets’ tight end room is Mason Taylor and a bunch of other people.
Taylor, 21, was the No. 42 overall pick in the second round of April’s draft. He was the highest drafted tight end by the Jets since 2009. The former LSU product is the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Jet Jason Taylor.
He is listed on the Jets’ website at 6-foot-5 and tipping the scales at 251 pounds. Taylor looks the part of a star tight end at the NFL level, but he will have to prove it on the field.
The Jets haven’t had consistent production at the tight end position since taking Dustin Keller with the No. 30 overall pick in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft.
The Longshots at the TE Position for the Jets
Gang Green has five tight ends on the 91-man roster.
Taylor is the crowned jewel, and the other four are battling it out for the remaining spots on the 53-man roster.
Two of the players are long shots with hopes of making the backend of the depth chart if they get lucky, and are more likely to be fighting for practice-squad time.
Neal Johnson, 23, is listed at 6-foot-4 and tips the scales at 250 pounds. He spent all five of his collegiate seasons at Louisiana. During that period, he finished with 101 receptions for 1,196 receiving yards and scored 11 touchdowns.
Johnson had a career year during his final season with the Ragin’ Cajuns. He posted 30 catches for 383 receiving yards and scored five times.
The other player who faces a ton of obstacles to make the roster is Zack Kuntz. Kuntz, 26, is certainly talented, but that alone isn’t enough to guarantee a roster spot.
He was the No. 220 overall pick in the seventh round by the Jets in 2023. Across his two seasons in the NFL, Kuntz has appeared in two NFL games and has been on the field for just three offensive snaps.
Kuntz is listed on the team website at 6-foot-8 and tips the scales at 251 pounds.
A Couple of Intriguing Players That Are Worth Keeping an Eye on
Believe it or not, Jeremy Ruckert is the longest tenured tight end on the roster. Ruckert, 24, is strangely the veteran of the group.
The former Ohio State product entered the league with much fanfare as a longtime Jets fan and someone with traits.
However, that has not translated to the NFL through three seasons. He has appeared in 41 games and has made 15 starts. Ruckert has 35 receptions for 264 receiving yards, but he has yet to score a touchdown in his NFL career.
To put it bluntly, it’s now or never for Ruckert in 2025. He faces a make-or-break year and, quite frankly, a make-or-break training camp.
Stone Smartt, 26, just entered the Jets’ tight end mix this offseason as a free agent. Throughout his high school, college, and NFL career, he has played a variety of positions, including quarterback, wide receiver, and tight end.
Smartt has 31 receptions for 380 receiving yards and has scored one touchdown in his career. He has appeared in 38 games and has made six starts.
How many tight ends will the Jets keep? Probably at least three, maybe four. So in other words there is plenty of meat on the bone for these guys to take not named Taylor.
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