The emergence of the New York Jets’ young offensive weapons has been highly promising this season.
Between Breece Hall, Adonai Mitchell, Garrett Wilson, and the strong starts from Braelon Allen and rookies Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr., fans have plenty to be excited about in the offensive core.
However, fans may be overlooking another potential piece: second-year tight end Mason Taylor.
Don’t sleep on Mason Taylor
When a new season starts and a young player like Taylor doesn’t deliver an immediate strike while those around him do, it’s easy to forget his abilities.
However, Jets fans should remember how effective Taylor was as a second-round rookie in 2025.
Despite dealing with three different quarterbacks, he still ranked second on the Jets in receiving yards (369), catching 44 of his 65 targets. Taylor also hauled in 11 of his 14 contested targets (78.6%), the second-highest rate among qualified tight ends (minimum 10 opportunities), trailing just George Kittle.
Entering the season, Taylor was largely labeled a “breakout” candidate and a player who could develop into a significant role in the Jets’ offense. Despite that billing, he was targeted just three times in the team’s season opener, reeling in two for -2 yards.
Then, in Week 2, Taylor wasn’t targeted despite playing 25 passing snaps, seven more than the week prior. He also got injured during the game and missed Weeks 2-4.
In his Week 5 return against the Cleveland Browns, Taylor was more visible, catching all three of his targets for 24 yards. That continued Sunday against the New England Patriots, with four receptions for 33 yards on six targets.
Overall, those are modest numbers. They are nothing impressive by any stretch of the imagination in terms of receiving production.
That doesn’t mean he hasn’t been making an impact elsewhere, though. One of the more encouraging developments since the season started has been his improvement as a run blocker. Through his first four games, Taylor owns a 70.2 run-blocking grade at Pro Football Focus, up from 63.1 as a rookie last season.
Against the Patriots on Sunday, the tight end finished with an 82.0 run-blocking grade at PFF, which was the highest among all tight ends in Week 6. Also, keep in mind that run blocking was not considered a strength for Taylor entering the draft.
Watching the LSU product improve in that regard is encouraging. Even the top receiving tight end threats in the league need to hold their own in run blocking. Taylor is nowhere near that territory yet, but especially with the first-round selection of Sadiq, if the former develops into a reliable run-blocker and plays well in-line, he could handle a heavy dose of snaps.
This season, the Jets have operated out of 12 personnel (two tight end sets) on 26.1% of their plays, which ranks 13th in the league. They have found immense passing success out of those looks, ranking third in passing DVOA (51.1%) from 12 personnel.
With Sadiq already looking like a high-end receiving threat, the Jets also have an opportunity to get creative in how they integrate Taylor. If he can keep playing well as a blocker, there is no reason they shouldn’t both be prominent pieces in the offense.
Nevertheless, the emergence of the Jets’ skill position players this year has been promising, and Taylor could even be another one.
