Kenyon Sadiq didn’t need long to make the Jets look smart.
Three games into his NFL career, the rookie tight end has already shaken off the old draft chatter and carved out a much bigger identity than the Dustin Keller comparisons that followed him into April. On Sunday, in a 31-24 loss to the Detroit Lions, Sadiq turned in the kind of performance that jumps off the page and straight off the screen: seven catches, 105 yards, and his first career receiving touchdown.
He did it with flair, too. One play brought a diving score.
Another had him leaping over Detroit defenders on a long catch-and-run. For a player who missed the preseason with a hernia and, depending on who you asked, entered Week 1 with questions about how much he’d actually factor into the offense behind Mason Taylor and Jeremy Ruckert, that’s a pretty loud answer.
The numbers matter, of course. Any time a player crosses 100 receiving yards, it stands out.
But what made Sadiq’s afternoon different was how commanding it felt in real time. Jets fans haven’t exactly been spoiled by tight ends who can consistently tilt the passing game, and Sunday looked like something new.
The Keller comparison always felt a little odd anyway. The former Purdue star has been retired for more than a decade, and the league has seen plenty of receiving tight ends since then - players who moved positions, or just arrived with the kind of size-speed mix that keeps defenses honest.
Sadiq fits that mold in a big way. He’s listed at 6-foot-3, 214 pounds, and he backed up the profile at the NFL Combine with a 4.39 40-yard dash, the best time among tight ends, plus 28 bench press reps.
That combination is exactly why the Jets drafted him. They weren’t looking for a simple safety blanket. They wanted a weapon.
And early on, they’re treating him like one. Credit goes to Smith and offensive coordinator Frank Reich for leaning into that right away. Outside of H-backs, it’s not common to see a tight end score both rushing and receiving touchdowns in the same season, much less within his first three games.
So even with the Jets sitting at 1-2 heading into next Sunday’s matchup with the Caleb Williams-less Bears, Sadiq has already given them something real to build on. The tape says it.
The eye test says it. And on Sunday, the Lions found out the hard way.
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Jets Finally Have Their Kicker After An Unsettled Start
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Grupe never got into a game for New York before being waived, leaving Sanders as the latest attempt to bring some stability to special teams. For a Jets team looking to avoid self-inflicted problems, simply finding a reliable kicker is a small but meaningful step, and this move suggests the club is ready to stop auditioning and start sticking with one option. [Read more 🡒]