For the longest time, the New York Jets have struggled mightily to contain high-level tight ends.
While everyone is always fixated on the top wide receivers, high-end TEs are able to take over games and really make opposing defenses pay.
This week, the Jets are squaring off against Sam LaPorta of the Detroit Lions, who is widely viewed as one of the league’s best at his position. Unlike the usual, though, Jets fans shouldn’t be overly concerned about the Jets containing LaPorta this week.
Why fans shouldn’t be worried about LaPorta taking over
Let’s be clear: LaPorta is a threat for every opposing defense. He is nowhere near a type of player who you can just ignore. If that happens, he will get unleashed and start making big plays.
His receiving ability is among the best in the league at his position. Despite injuries limiting him to just nine games last season, he still caught 40 passes for 489 yards and three touchdowns. Through two games this year, fully healthy, he has already logged 11 receptions for 100 yards.
Even with that in mind, though, there is reason to believe the Jets can limit his role on Sunday. They just did something similar against Green Bay Packers TE Tucker Kraft last week.
Kraft, who ranked third among TEs last year in yards per reception (15.3) and caught three passes for 65 in Green Bay’s opener, was nearly invisible against the Jets, finishing with just two catches for 14 yards on three targets. Jamien Sherwood was targeted twice against Kraft and allowed one four-year catch. Dane Belton, on the other hand, gave up the other reception for 10 yards.
He was still targeted a few times, but the Jets significantly limited his impact, and when the Packers needed a play, he wasn’t Jordan Love’s go-to guy. That’s the same blueprint the Jets should follow to contain LaPorta.
Sherwood should be the guy on LaPorta underneath and across the middle, where he can try to get a hand on the route or make an immediate tackle after a short completion. Belton and the Jets’ other DBs will come into play if LaPorta runs a deeper route.
Facing LaPorta this week will be an interesting test for Sherwood. In 2025, he struggled mightily in coverage following a strong 2024 season. For the year, he allowed 578 yards, four touchdowns, and a 125.1 passer rating when targeted. His 578 yards were the 11th most yards allowed among LBs last season, while the four TDs allowed tied for the seventh most.
Through two games, though, Sherwood has looked much better in coverage. That could be a testament to the arrival of Demario Davis, who is now wearing the green dot for the Jets. With his presence, Sherwood doesn’t need to handle the responsibility of getting his teammates set, allowing him to play more freely.
The concern in Sunday’s matchup is what happens if the Jets put too much emphasis on eliminating the tight end. Don’t forget about Jared Goff’s other offensive weapons: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Jahmyr Gibbs, who is one of the league’s best dual-threat running backs.
That is the balance that Aaron Glenn is going to have to face when calling plays this week. The good news is that nobody around the league is more familiar with Detroit’s offense than Glenn, who was the Lions’ defensive coordinator from 2021-24. That could be an advantage for the Jets, but it still doesn’t diminish the Lions’ elite offensive talent.
The Lions have scored 31 points in both of their first two games this season, with Goff throwing six touchdowns and zero interceptions. Gibbs’ dual-threat ability is a big part of what makes that offense difficult to defend. In 2025, he caught 77 passes for 616 yards, and this year, he already ranks second among RBs with 91 receiving yards, trailing just Bijan Robinson’s 118.
LaPorta will most likely have a few catches throughout the afternoon, at the very least. The biggest thing for the Jets should be to limit the impact of those receptions, as they did with Kraft last week.
