Jets' Adam Gase Is 'Hopeful' Chris Herndon Can Build Upon Sunday's Promising Performance

The first time the football went Chris Herndon's way on Sunday in Los Angeles, it bounced right out of the tight end's hands and onto the turf.

Herndon, in his third season with the Jets, has struggled. He's dropped three passes, fumbled the ball twice and has gone without a catch in three of his eight starts this year.

As much as the drop in the second quarter may have made it seem like Herndon was in for another rough outing, the 24-year-old went on to have one of his best games of the year. 

Not only did he make a pretty leaping grab down the field, showcasing his ability to make contested catches and use his size to his advantage, Herndon snagged his first touchdown of the season. Fading up the seam, the tight end rose to secure the pass from quarterback Joe Flacco from six yards out, spinning in the air to brace for impact from a nearby Chargers defender and to ensure his feet came down in bounds. 

Not only was it the first touchdown for a Jets tight end this season, but it was Herndon's first touchdown catch since Dec. 23, 2018. 

"That was one of those throws where you feel like it’s wide open in the red zone and the windows close up quick," Jets head coach Adam Gase said on Monday in a conference call with reporters. "You know you’re going to get hit by that safety, Joe threw a really nice ball, kind of back shouldered it, almost to keep him away from the safety. Just to see him have success, especially how hard he’s been working trying to do everything right, to see him finally have some success, that was a big positive for us."

Assessing Herndon's overall performance, Gase said he's "really hopeful" that the tight end can build on his two catches (for 32 yards) and continue to contribute over the final six weeks of the season. 

Flacco echoed the sentiment of his head coach. The veteran quarterback believes Herndon's pair of big plays will do wonders for the tight end mentally.

"Listen, Chris has a lot of ability and it’s just like everybody else, you’re fighting the battle with yourself to go out there and be able to do it," Flacco said on Sunday. "I think the more that he can make some of the plays like he made today, it’s proof to himself. It shows himself, it shows his brain, it shows his mind that he did it. So, it gives you that memory and it allows you to kind of store it away for the next time. So, all those things are going to help him. He’s a young player with a ton of ability. He just needs to keep doing what he did today."

For Herndon, who's faced plenty of criticism this season for his play, his confidence has never wavered. 

"I'm always confident in myself whether it shows or not," Herndon told Jets team reporter Ethan Greenberg after the game on Sunday. "It's just a matter of continuing to work. I'm happy I got my first touchdown but at the end of the day, we didn't win and that's what's most important. This is a team sport and it's not like individually focused. I just feel like we're continuing to take good strides as a team."

As is the case on both sides of the ball with other young players in green and white, if Herndon can end the season on a high note, he'll have even more confidence for next year and beyond. 

Mix Herndon in as a red zone threat and big body in the middle of the field along with New York's talented wide receivers and this offense has the makings of something special. Especially when you envision someone like Trevor Lawrence under center starting next fall...

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