The New York Jets have announced their initial 53-man roster, and it was chock-full of surprises.

Some of those surprises have drawn criticism from Jets fans. One of them, though, deserves immense props…

Keeping fullback Andrew Beck.

Jets make smart call with Andrew Beck

Beck appeared to be on the roster bubble going into the final week of the preseason. He had been playing late into games, while the Jets seemed poised to keep Jelani Woods as a fourth tight end.

Due to the overlap between the assignments of a fourth tight end and a fullback, Beck appeared to be in a precarious position. Plus, considering that Woods even scored a touchdown with the first-team offense in Week 2, it seemed that Woods may have taken Beck’s roster spot.

Instead, the Jets elected to keep both players. Woods made the roster as New York’s fourth tight end, while Beck still made the team.

As unusual as it may be for a team in today’s NFL to keep four tight ends and a fullback, keeping Beck was the right move for New York. Letting him go would have created a bigger hole than many fans realize.

The Jets fielded one of the best special teams units in NFL history last season, and Beck was sneakily among the biggest reasons why. He led the team with 315 special teams snaps, while his 84.1 special teams grade from Pro Football Focus was the best among the Jets’ top 15 players in special teams snaps.

Beck contributed to the unit in a myriad of ways. Not only did he make eight tackles across kick and punt coverage, but he also was an outstanding blocker for the Jets’ elite kick and punt return units. Beck carved out many of the lanes utilized by Isaiah Williams and Kene Nwangwu on their breakaway returns.

Additionally, Beck is no slouch on offense. A former tight end, he showed off his hands last season, tying for the team lead with two receiving touchdowns. Beck is also arguably the best on-the-move blocker on the Jets’ roster among their skill-position players, making him a useful situational piece.

Most likely, though, Beck won’t be used as much on offense this season as he was in 2025. After playing 110 offensive snaps (11%) across 17 games last year, he now has to compete with Kenyon Sadiq, Mason Taylor, Jeremy Ruckert, and Woods for snaps. Beck may only be seen in goal-line or short-yardage situations if everyone is healthy.

Nonetheless, Beck was worth keeping around for his high-level special teams abilities. He will also provide depth on offense; if the Jets deal with injuries at tight end, Beck is capable of taking some of those snaps and assuming certain blocking assignments.

Give Aaron Glenn, Darren Mougey, and the Jets credit for making an unorthodox, yet wise roster decision by keeping Beck.