Despite a 2-7 record, the New York Jets’ young core, particularly on offense, still gives fans a reason to tune in on Sundays.
The Jets’ skill-position group has been more than encouraging so far, and the future in that facet looks brighter than ever. The team’s young wide receiver unit is separating at a league-best level, while Braelon Allen has emerged at running back to form a strong duo with Breece Hall.
When talking about the Jets’ weapons, though, it’s important not to forget about the tight ends.
At tight end, New York has invested two top-50 picks over the past two offseasons in Mason Taylor, who was a second-round pick in 2025, and Kenyon Sadiq, the 16th overall pick of this year’s draft.
While their yardage totals might not jump off the page, Taylor and Sadiq have flashed in areas that matter for the long term, and that should leave Jets fans excited for the future.
Taylor and Sadiq are popping in promising ways
Let’s start with Sadiq, who is an interesting study.
In the only game where he was targeted more than five times, coming in Week 3 against the Detroit Lions (with Taylor sidelined), Sadiq caught seven of eight targets for 105 yards and a touchdown, flashing his elite ceiling as a receiving threat.
That was after a quiet first two games of the year, when he had only six targets, catching five for 38 yards (while adding a rushing touchdown). Since the Detroit game, though, he has been targeted only 17 times, catching nine of those for 92 yards over six games.
Overall, on the season, Sadiq has reeled in 21 of 31 targets for 235 yards and a touchdown, with 45% of those yards and his lone TD coming in one game. Part of the reason he hasn’t been as involved as many would expect is because of the blocking game.
At 6-foot-3 and 241 pounds, Sadiq’s lack of size for the tight end position puts him at an automatic disadvantage in blocking, which leaves him in a tougher spot than most TEs to find a path to playing time. He is designed to be an explosive receiving threat out of the slot, but you can only use him in so many situations if he is struggling as a blocker. Theoretically, Frank Reich could line him up out wide as a boundary WR, but then he’d lose the advantage that he can create against a linebacker in the slot.
While he may not be lighting up the stat sheet, Sadiq is doing what matters at a high level as a receiver: getting open. According to FTN Fantasy, his 54.8% separation rate ranks eighth among all tight ends this season, a pretty impressive feat for a rookie on a 2-7 team.
That’s an encouraging sign. Of course, there’s still plenty that Sadiq has to work on, especially as a blocker, and that’s going to take time. But the fact that he’s already creating separation at this rate is a big deal. To see the freakish athletic tools that he possessed coming out of college actually translate is encouraging.
In addition, Sadiq is doing an excellent job of making his targets count, even if he hasn’t gotten many so far. He’s shown off his unique athleticism both at the catch point and afterward.
Sadiq has secured four of his five contested targets (80.0%), per Pro Football Focus. He is also averaging 6.3 yards after the catch per reception, ranking sixth among 35 qualified tight ends (min. 25 targets), one spot behind George Kittle.
Even if there are some growing pains as a blocker, now is the time for the Jets to develop Sadiq. They are 2-7, and the final eight games of the season should be about finding out what the team’s young pieces can do. Sadiq is a huge part of that equation, so it’d be beneficial for them to scheme up more opportunities for the rookie throughout the season’s final eight games.
Taylor, on the other hand, is much more of a two-way tight end. While Sadiq is the explosive receiving threat in the slot, Taylor is a well-rounded player who can more consistently play in-line.
The 2025 second-round pick showed enough promise during his rookie campaign to inspire confidence for his sophomore season. While his 369 yards and one touchdown did not jump off the page, he played with three different struggling quarterbacks. More importantly, Taylor thrived in areas he could control; he ranked second among qualified tight ends in contested catch rate (76.9%), trailing only George Kittle.
Having a tight end like Taylor, who can consistently win in 50-50 situations, is very valuable. Players like that can emerge as reliable red-zone targets, and that is always going to be crucial in the NFL. We saw that against the Miami Dolphins in Week 7, when Taylor came down with two contested touchdowns.
Taylor’s hands have continued to be a significant strength in 2026. Through Week 9, he ranks fifth among tight ends (min. 25 targets) with a catch rate over expected of 12.2%, per NFL Pro.
It is also important to note that Taylor has stood out as a run blocker, improving there noticeably this season after it wasn’t one of his strengths coming out of college. That development adds to Taylor’s all-around value, as it allows him to be deployed in any situation.
So, the Jets’ TE group, which they’ve invested significant assets in, has one of the position’s best separators and one of its most sure-handed pass catchers—and both of them are under 23. In a lost season, developments like that are what leave fans rightfully excited for what’s ahead.
It’d be nice to see an uptick in production throughout the final eight weeks of the year, but Taylor and Sadiq have shown plenty of promise this season, even if it isn’t showing up in the traditional box score.
