The Jets’ new offense already has a Mason Taylor problem to solve.
Frank Reich’s arrival looked like a clean win for Taylor at first glance. Reich has spent plenty of time building around multiple tight ends, so the expectation was simple: Taylor should be on the field a lot in his second NFL season, barring injury.
But the picture changed in April, when the Jets used their second first-round pick on Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq. That move turned a position that had looked straightforward into a squeeze. Outside of goal-line packages, New York now has three tight ends for two spots.
That alone wouldn’t be a crisis. The issue is the draft capital attached to Sadiq.
Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn did not take him that high to let him drift through a rookie season in a limited role. At least, for their sake and job security, they shouldn’t have.
Jeremy Ruckert still has a clear lane as the blocking tight end, and Reich has already said he wants to make use of Breece Hall in the backfield. That points to plenty of Ruckert snaps, even if Geno Smith isn’t looking his way much.
So where does that leave Taylor? He’s not in trade danger, and nobody is saying the Jets are shopping him. But the real question is how Reich plans to get the most out of Taylor as a pass-catching tight end when Garrett Wilson is set to draw targets, Adonai Mitchell has become a consensus breakout candidate, and the Jets also traded back into the first round for Indiana receiver Omar Cooper Jr.
There are only so many skill players the Jets can fit on the field at once, and that’s the heart of the problem. Taylor, a 2025 second-round pick, is at least protected by a standard four-year rookie contract, but that doesn’t answer the usage question.
Trading Taylor shouldn’t even be on the table. The more pressing issue is the one New York created by adding another body to a crowded room. Reich has been around long enough to figure out a way to make it work, but what that means for Sadiq is anybody’s guess.
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Jets Linked To Another Quarterback Twist Fans Didn't See Coming
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The appeal is easy to see on paper, even if the fit in New York is far from straightforward. Gabriel played in 10 games with six starts last season and completed 59.5 percent of his passes with a 7-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio, but his overall efficiency lagged behind league average. The Jets also just used a draft pick on Cade Klubnik to develop at the position, and with multiple future first-round picks in hand, they are not exactly short on options if they decide to keep building the room their own way. [Read more 🡒]