Backup Battle: Who's Jets' No. 2 Tight End Behind Tyler Conklin?
It would be an understatement to say the New York Jets hit some turbulence in 2023, struggling to produce points, much less touchdowns, consistently.
There’s likely no bigger reason than the play under center, but no coach or offensive starter is blameless. De facto general manager Aaron Rodgers’ additions were fruitless, but Joe Douglas’ signings didn’t step up to the plate, either.
Tight end C.J. Uzomah struggled in both phases of the offense this past season, putting his job in jeopardy. Is third-string tight end Jeremy Ruckert the man for the job?
© Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
While neither threatened starter Tyler Conklin’s playing time atop the depth chart, Uzomah and Ruckert had their battles for the second spot. Despite being the incumbent for the role – and carrying a much higher cap hit – Ruckert came out ahead.
He outsnapped Uzomah 310 to 239, and the veteran was placed on season-ending injured reserve after Week 13’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Even before that, Uzomah was losing the favor of the coaching staff, playing just 12 total snaps in his final three contests, ceding snaps to Ruckert.
Ruckert, an Ohio State product and hometown kid, seems to have the backing of the fanbase, too, although he wasn’t particularly productive. He’ll have to build upon his flashes as both a receiver and blocker before cementing himself. Ruckert was targeted 22 times for 16 catches and 151 yards. Of him and Uzomah, only the latter found the end zone in 2023.
Nevertheless, Ruckert was good for about 20 snaps per game and saw his playing time increase as Uzomah fell out of the picture. With the importance of adding win-now pieces in Rodgers’ home stretch, the cap benefits of cutting Uzomah may be the difference.
By releasing Uzomah with a post-June 1 designation, New York would save $8 million against the gap while being penalized approximately $3.2 million (per Over the Cap). That isn’t negligible, but given the assortment of needs along the offense, the Jets may find themselves cash-strapped quicker than they’d hoped.
The coaching staff’s decisions lean in Ruckert’s favor, but it is ambitious to say he was easily the better player. It is more reasonable to suggest that the two are comparable, but given the trajectories of their respective careers and the cap flexibility of moving on from Uzomah, a glimpse into New York’s plans should emerge.
For better or worse, it would be surprising if Ruckert wasn’t the uncontested second tight end on the Jets in 2024.
