Frank Reich made it impossible to ignore Jeremy Ruckert on Sunday.
With Mason Taylor dealing with a thumb injury, the Jets’ offensive coordinator gave the veteran tight end a bigger role, and Ruckert delivered in New York’s heartbreaking loss to the Detroit Lions. He finished with career bests in catches, with five, and receiving yards, with 39, while also scoring the second touchdown of his career and holding onto every target sent his way.
That kind of outing turns a player who’s usually known more for his blocking into something else entirely: a legitimate part of the passing game. Through three weeks, the early returns suggest Ruckert has a place beyond protecting his quarterback.
The numbers back up the shift. Ruckert had only three catches for nine yards over the first two games, but he was already trending toward a larger workload.
He entered Sunday on pace for 51 targets, a number that stands out because he had never topped 30 in any of his first four seasons. After three games, he’s already at eight targets.
Taylor’s usage had been a quieter clue. He drew just two targets across 78 snaps in the Jets’ first two games, even as the buzz around Reich’s multi-tight end looks kept building. The expectation all offseason was that Taylor and Kenyon Sadiq would be Geno Smith’s top two tight ends, but that picture has started to change.
Sadiq missed the preseason while recovering from a hernia, then produced five catches for 38 yards in his first two games. On Sunday, he took another step with seven catches for 105 yards, a performance that made him look like the clear TE1 and gave the Jets something they haven’t had in a long time from the position.
That doesn’t mean Ruckert is suddenly headed for a 100-yard game of his own. But it does mean the Jets may have found a more useful role for him than the one he’s occupied for most of his career.
And if this sticks, it won’t come with a heavy price tag. Ruckert signed a two-year, $10 million extension last December that keeps him in New York through the end of 2027, and he gets a $125,000 bonus if he catches three touchdowns.
One down, two to go.
In Other News...
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Hall sounded unsure afterward about just how serious the issue might be, which is where the real concern starts for the Jets. Braelon Allen handled the lead-back role once Hall exited, but for a team trying to piece together its offense through injuries, any uncertainty around Hall carries obvious weight going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Campbell Just Gave Jets Fans A Reason To Reconsider Aaron Glenn
Aaron Glenns first season has come with plenty of scrutiny, especially when late-game decisions and clock management have left Jets fans grumbling. But after a tight loss to the Lions, Dan Campbell offered a different perspective on the coachs work, praising Glenn publicly and crediting him for how hard the Jets made the game. For a team that has spent much of the year fighting through injuries and a difficult schedule, it was another sign that the performance level has been trending in a better direction even when the results have not always followed.
Campbells endorsement carries some weight because of his history with Glenn, and it arrives at a time when the Jets are still sorting out what their present and future should look like under him. There has been visible progress from a roster that leaned on contributions from Geno Smith, Kenyon Sadiq and Garrett Wilson to stay competitive against a strong opponent, even if the final score again left room for frustration. The broader question now is whether the improvement around Glenn is enough to quiet the criticism, or whether the conversation around him will keep coming back to the same lingering issues. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Glenn Just Gave Jets Fans Their Most Encouraging Sign Yet
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Geno Smiths afternoon also offered a real reason for optimism. He completed 31 of 37 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns, giving the Jets the kind of efficient, productive quarterback play that can keep them in games if the rest of the operation continues to clean itself up. For a team still trying to establish Glenns standard, the result was disappointing, but the process looked more like progress than setback. [Read more 🡒]