Jets TE Mason Taylor: Breakout Potential for New York's No. 20 Player in 2026

The 20th-ranked player on our list of the 25 most important Jets is Mason Taylor, who is looking to turn a subpar minicamp performance into a breakout season.

Sep 7, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor (85) reacts to the play during the second half against the Pittsburgh Steelers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Our list of the top 25 most important New York Jets entering the 2026 season continues with a young tight end looking to bounce back from a quiet offseason program so far.

Coming in at the No. 20 spot is second-year TE Mason Taylor, who was a second-round pick in the 2025 draft out of LSU. The Jets signed him to a four-year, $10.46 million rookie contract ahead of a rookie season that offered a lot of promise.

Despite beginning his career on a team that posted the fewest passing yards per game (140.3) with a revolving door of quarterbacks, Taylor still led the Jets in targets (65), receptions (44) and finished second in receiving yards (369), a clear sign of a player with a lot of potential as the Jets debut a new scheme under new offensive coordinator Frank Reich.

Entering the 2026 season, Taylor needs to prove that his success as a rookie is something he can carry over to Year 2 as he deals with some additional competition at the position. But why does he land on our list here?

Why Mason Taylor is so important

Oct 26, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor (85) celebrates after scoring a touch down during the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

After last season's offensive struggles, Taylor's importance cannot be understated as he returns for a second season on a team full of newcomers. That includes first-round draft pick Kenyon Sadiq, who is already projected to be the Jets' TE1 when the season rolls around.

At 6-foot-3, 241 pounds, Sadiq has already made some early impressions with his pass catching ability and willingness to run block. Taylor's rookie season performance certainly puts him in the running to contend for the starting spot, but a slow start in OTAs and minicamp has raised some doubt.

Even with that in mind, Taylor has shown that he can be counted on in the red zone with a team-high eight targets in that area last season (among WRs and TEs), not to mention an encouraging 63.1 run blocking grade from Pro Football Focus that shows how effective he can be in those situations.

Taylor offers a little more size at 6-foot-5, 251 pounds and has offered enough on tape in his rookie season to potentially have a breakout season, even if it means taking on a different role than he had in 2025 after the additions of Sadiq and fellow first-rounder Omar Cooper Jr.

Mason Taylor's strengths and weaknesses

The first two strengths that come to mind are Taylor's red-zone success and run blocking, two areas of utmost importance for an offense that struggled mightily last season and with the potential to create even more lanes for running back Breece Hall to exploit.

At the same time, the run blocking could still use some improvement due to his lack of explosiveness and physicality at the point of attack. For a player who is seemingly searching for more snaps going into the 2026 season because of the speed and athleticism that Sadiq brings to the team, he could definitely make some strides there.

Sep 21, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor (85) stiff arms as Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (31) defends during the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

However, with a good feel for the game and outstanding hands that make difficult catches look routine, there is no reason to believe Taylor cannot have a breakout season in 2026. Granted, he did drop a pass in the end zone during a minicamp practice, per Jets on SI's Nick Faria, but with some competition at the position and Reich's new scheme to get used to, it will be interesting to see if Taylor can overcome those offseason struggles and revert to the player who became the go-to target on this team last season.

What happens if Mason Taylor gets hurt

New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor (85) catches a pass being being tackled by Cleveland Browns cornerback Tyson Campbell (7) during an NFL Week 10 game between the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If Taylor were to miss time due to injury, Sadiq would likely take on an even larger role. Still, Sadiq is coming off a minor hernia surgery and is still getting used to Reich's scheme as a rookie, so the focus could also turn to Jeremy Ruckert and Jelani Woods.

Ruckert agreed to a two-year, $10 million extension late in the 2025 season after setting career-highs in catches (23), targets (29), receiving yards (179) and TDs (one), making him a clear option to move into the TE2 role if something happens to Taylor.

When Taylor missed the final four games of 2025 with a neck injury, Woods played in three of those four games as a backup to Ruckert, registering one reception (three targets) for four yards. While most teams do not keep a fourth TE on their roster, Woods' physical prowess could be used to his advantage coming off an encouraging OTAs.

Ruckert is also solid as a blocker, so that could be a huge benefit to him as Sadiq and Taylor likely assume the pass-catching duties. If Taylor is sidelined at some point, Ruckert appears to be the clear option to step up and either become TE2 or even take on a majority of the snaps at TE1 if Sadiq were to experience more setbacks. Don't count out Woods, either, but his outlook is not as good as the projected TE4 at the moment.

Why we ranked Mason Taylor here

Oct 26, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor (85) celebrates after scoring a touch down during the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Taylor had a breakout rookie season and was a rare bright spot on a struggling offense. Even with that in mind, his offseason performance up to this point suggests he is still a work in progress as Sadiq takes over the TE1 role.

The increase in talent around Taylor could give him a chip on his shoulder and lead to an uptick following a disappointing offseason program if he feeds off it. He may not get the snaps at TE1 that it appeared like he would following last season, but this could also be another good opportunity to give the Jets two talented TEs who can contribute in multiple ways.

If Taylor builds off his rookie season and does not let a potential demotion to TE2 affect him, he could easily find himself much higher on this list. However, if the poor offseason performance carries over into the regular season and Sadiq plays like he's expected to, a potential breakout season might be put on hold for the second-year TE.