We’ve heard ad nauseam about the New York Jets’ visions of establishing a run-first identity in 2025.
In order to do that successfully, you need strong blockers across the line of scrimmage.
That includes not just the offensive linemen, but the tight end position as well.
And in this particular offensive scheme, it is critical to have two tight ends who can block. Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand hails from a Detroit Lions offense that heavily relied on 12 personnel packages (1 RB/2 WR/2 TE).
It is already obvious that second-round rookie Mason Taylor will be the Jets’ top tight end. He’s been the Jets’ second-most targeted receiver at training camp, and while his blocking is a work in progress, he has the upside to become solid in that area.
But the Jets have a crisis of sorts at the TE2 spot.
Jeremy Ruckert isn’t providing hope
Jeremy Ruckert is the de facto TE2 at the moment. However, the fourth-year tight end has done little to place a stranglehold on the role.
Ruckert has made little noise as a pass catcher in training camp. His most notable moment of camp occurred on Monday, when he committed a false start penalty and was promptly benched.
Across three NFL seasons, there isn’t much on tape to suggest that the third-round pick has any sort of legitimate promise as either a receiver or blocker.
In 41 games, Ruckert has yet to score a touchdown. He isn’t even effective at moving the chains; he has only converted 12 first downs on 52 career targets (23%), with a career-best of six first downs in a season. Ruckert has nearly half as many career drops (5) as first downs.
As a blocker, Ruckert has been a colossal liability. In 2024, he earned a run-blocking grade of 39.0 at Pro Football Focus, placing second-worst among 85 tight ends (min. 100 run-block snaps).
If Ruckert doesn’t show substantial progress this summer, it will be difficult to consider him worthy of a 53-man roster spot in the NFL.
The problem is that New York lacks real competitors behind him. As a result, Ruckert may still win the TE2 job by default.
Can Stone Smartt push Ruckert?
The Jets’ tight end depth behind Taylor is troubling.
After Ruckert, the next man up is Stone Smartt, a free agent pickup from the Chargers. Smartt was a restricted free agent but did not receive a tender from Los Angeles, which isn’t the best sign.
At 6-foot-4 and 226 pounds, Smartt hardly qualifies as a true tight end. In fact, he is one inch shorter and one pound lighter than Allen Lazard.
In 2024, Smartt showed promise as a pass catcher, making the most of his minimal opportunities. On just 19 targets, he recorded 16 receptions for 208 yards and 11 first downs – one fewer first down than Ruckert has in his entire career (with 33 more targets). Over a 2.5-game stretch as the Chargers’ top tight end, Smartt had 11 catches for 141 yards.
The issue is that Smartt was not a viable blocker for the tight end position. He had a run-blocking grade of 43.0 at PFF. While still better than Ruckert’s, it was among the worst marks at the position.
More troubling than Smartt’s actual blocking performance is that Los Angeles had no faith in him to be on the field for a run play. Outside of the two games he started due to injuries, Smartt played 35 run-blocking snaps in 13 games, which is less than three per game. On the year, over 70% of his snaps were pass plays.
Smartt is essentially a big wide receiver. While he can find a niche for himself in the Jets’ offense, he does not provide what they need from the TE2 role.
Only one other player is a potential solution
After Smartt, the depth chart is bare bones. The other two tight ends on the roster are 2023 seventh-round pick Zack Kuntz and 2024 undrafted free agent Neal Johnson.
Kuntz hypothetically has upside thanks to his perfect 10.0 Relative Athletic Score, but the opposite is also true; he must be a really unimpressive football player if he has only gotten on the field for two NFL games in two seasons despite his unmatched athleticism. Already 26 years old heading into Year 3, Kuntz is unlikely to develop into much more than a special teams player at this point.
Johnson went undrafted out of Louisiana in 2024 and signed with the Los Angeles Rams. After he was waived in August, the Jets claimed him and stashed him on their practice squad. Johnson only played one preseason game as a rookie, including just 17 offensive snaps, so there isn’t much to judge him on.
The wild card in this conversation is Andrew Beck, the 29-year-old fullback. While Beck converted to fullback two years ago, he played tight end over his first four NFL seasons with the Broncos, and he has still played a decent chunk of his snaps as an in-line tight end since switching positions.
Beck’s film shows a capable blocker. Based on that and his extensive experience in multiple blocking roles, Beck is arguably the Jets’ best option to fill the TE2 role, even if he maintains his fullback label on the depth chart.
So far in training camp, Beck has remained behind Ruckert on the depth chart. However, he has been sprinkled in for some reps with the first-team offense, which is worth noting.
Still, the Jets signed Beck to a one-year deal with only $167.5K guaranteed, so he is not even a lock to make the roster, let alone seize a role that would essentially make him a starter. Despite logic pointing to him as the best non-lineman blocker on the Jets’ offense, we have yet to see much evidence that the regime is attached to him.
While Beck is yet to stand out much in camp, it hardly means he’s struggling. Blocking from a TE/FB is not something that will catch the eyes of reporters during practices. If Beck can consistently impress the coaches with his blocking throughout the summer, he could eventually rise to the Jets’ quasi-TE2 spot as long as Ruckert leaves the door open for him.
Is there any hope?
The Jets badly need a second tight end to emerge as a reliable option in this offense. Being able to count on two tight ends is an integral part of running the scheme.
Without a second reliable tight end, the Jets would be left between a rock and a hard place.
On one hand, they could ride it out and continue relying on multi-TE packages, suffering from the poor play of the TE2 (likely Ruckert) for the sake of keeping their scheme intact.
On the other hand, they could respond to the TE2 hole by ditching the multi-TE packages. The cost is that it would require Engstrand to move away from the ideal system to complement Justin Fields and the run game. Not to mention, the Jets also have depth issues at wide receiver, so whichever wide receiver takes the snaps of the TE2 may be another player the coaches do not have much faith in.
New York’s best hope is for Beck to usurp Ruckert. At this stage of Ruckert’s career, a breakout feels unlikely. If he does not show significant development in the summer, it would be unwise for the coaches to ride him into the season with blind faith that he suddenly improves. It would be too risky for the integrity of the offensive infrastructure. Trusting Beck’s track record is a much safer bet.
Perhaps Smartt, Kuntz, or Johnson could come from out of nowhere and seize the spot, but that’s wishful thinking.
It comes down to Ruckert and Beck. A third-year breakout from Ruckert would do wonders for the Jets. It sure seems unlikely, though. In all likelihood, Beck is the only realistic solution on the roster.
Perhaps the Jets could address the position in the coming weeks if they are unhappy with what they see from their current roster. They would be wise to consider doing so, as the outlook is uninspiring at the moment.
There is a very good chance that multiple tight ends waived during roster cutdowns will be good enough to immediately slide in as the Jets’ clear-cut TE2. Look for the Jets to target these players in a few weeks.
In the meantime, keep a close eye on the blocking of the Ruckert, Beck, and the rest of the Jets’ tight ends once we get to the preseason. It won’t receive much fanfare in the media, but it’s a battle that the Jets’ coaches will be watching with great interest.
