New York Jets tight end C.J. Uzomah looked hobbled after an apparent leg injury
New York Jets tight end C.J. Uzomah went down with what appeared to be a right leg injury during the final day of Jets OTAs.
In the video below we can see that Uzomah was running routes with the quarterbacks when the injury occurred. After cutting back to Aaron Rodgers on a hitch route, Uzomah came up hobbling and was unable to put weight on his right leg.
#Jets TE C.J. Uzomah appeared to injure his right leg while going out for a pass from Aaron Rodgers in drills. Came off the field limping badly. pic.twitter.com/lkShD0gVe5
— Dennis Waszak Jr. (@DWAZ73) June 9, 2023
Uzomah comes up hobbling. Didn’t see how exactly it happened, a route against air (QB-TE drills). pic.twitter.com/CHn2hBvqL1
— Robby Sabo (@RobbySabo) June 9, 2023
Uzomah hopped out of the drill area on one leg before being attended to by medical staff. Uzomah was able to walk off the field under his own power but still had a visible limp.
Following Uzomah’s injury, the Jets’ top two healthy tight ends were Jeremy Ruckert and Zack Kuntz, as Tyler Conklin was already in the rehab area.
Ruckert and Kuntz getting a ton of work in with Uzomah sidelined and Conklin working off to the side. #Jets
Zach Wilson hits the Kutztown kid in stride (against air, installing/working through concepts).
Xavier Gipson and Irvin Charles have been more noticeable/prominent than…
— Robby Sabo (@RobbySabo) June 9, 2023
The Jets have invested heavily in the tight end position over the last two seasons. In the 2022 free agency period, they signed Uzomah and Conklin to three-year contracts worth $24 million and $20.25 million, respectively. They also drafted Ruckert in the third round last year and Kuntz in the seventh round this year.
With the two veterans recovering, the Jets’ youngsters have the opportunity to establish themselves with the first team.
In his first season with the Jets, Uzomah served as the secondary tight end behind Conklin. Uzomah played in 15 games and caught 21 of 27 targets for 232 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 35.0 offensive snaps per game, playing 53% of the Jets’ offensive snaps in the games he appeared in.
Looks like a quad.
“We can all R-E-L-A-X,” said Chao in a tweet. “Just saw some video that shows less twisting than change of direction. Likely quad strain which is way better than other possibilities!”
Called it.