Heading into the 2022 season, the Jets have made a series of moves to improve the state of their roster and overall depth, but are they ready to compete for a playoff spot?

In this series, we’ll break down the depth chart for every position group. This time, we’ll go in-depth on the tight ends…

Projected depth chart

Starters: CJ Uzomah, Tyler Conklin

Backups: Jeremy Ruckert, Trevon Wesco, Lawrence Cager, Kenny Yeboah

Key additions/losses: Signed Uzomah and Conklin, drafted Ruckert, released Ryan Griffin and allowed Tyler Kroft to leave in free agency

Top Performer in 2021: Uzomah (with the Cincinnati Bengals, including the postseason) – 64 catches, 639 yards, six touchdowns

2021 ranking via PFF: Conklin – 17th, Uzomah – 21st

What Jets’ tight ends have going for them

The Jets entered the offseason determined to improve their tight end position and addressed this early on when they swooped for Uzomah on a three-year, $24 million contract. They then made an effort to sign Evan Engram, which would have enabled them to pair a pass-catcher who can produce out of the slot with a more traditional inline tight end in Uzomah.

However, when that was unsuccessful, they instead added Conklin on a two-year, $14 million deal instead, giving them two players who can both block and catch passes. This could provide added scheme flexibility because they will be interchangeable.

The Jets also opted to draft Ruckert in the third round, giving them a longer-term developmental option who can contribute early if he makes steady progress. Ruckert was mostly a blocker in college but flashed some serious pass-catching potential towards the end of his college career that the Jets will hope to tap into.

The Jets typically carried four tight ends in 2021, so there may be one other spot available for the veteran Wesco or the youngsters Cager and Yeboah. Cager is showing some promise having converted from wide receiver, while Yeboah had a nice preseason as an undrafted rookie last year and saw some brief action on the main roster.

Key concern for 2022: Chemistry

On paper, these additions give Zach Wilson more weapons in the passing game, but it may take some time for Wilson to establish chemistry with his new teammates. He’s also got to get used to his tight ends being a viable option, whereas they were treated as more of an afterthought in his rookie year.

With improvements to the receiver position and a fortified running game, tight ends will be open over the middle, as a safety valve and down the seams. If Wilson can develop chemistry with these new targets, this will boost the efficacy of the Jets’ play action and open up another dimension to the playbook. However, if he is not on the same page with them, this could lead to missed opportunities and turnovers.

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