Gase: Herndon a ‘unicorn’
INDIANAPOLIS – The Jets clearly need offensive upgrades around Sam Darnold, but there’s at least one player who has opened eyes with the new coaching staff.
Adam Gase evidently is the unofficial president of the Chris Herndon Fan Club, waxing poetic about his young tight end during a media session at the annual NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday.
“I think Chris is unique,” Gase said. “I don’t think you find a lot of tight ends that are able to be on the field all three downs. Obviously, he’s a very good receiver. He’s very good in the run game. He did a really good job in pass protection last year. He’s a unicorn-type player ... You don’t see a lot of these guys that can all three phases of the game.”
Herndon was one of the few bright spots for an offense that languished near the bottom of most meaningful categories last season. Truth be told, he’s probably Mike Maccagnan’s best draft pick not named Darnold or Jamal Adams.
The fourth-round pick showed flashes of top-end play during his rookie season. Herndon, who finished with 39 receptions for 502 yards and four touchdowns, has the skill-set to be an integral piece to Gang Green’s puzzle for the foreseeable future.
Herndon’s presence should make life easier for the rest of the pass catchers on Gase’s offense. His diverse talent should also offer flexibility for Gase, who is creative enough to maximize the tight end’s ability.
Expect Herndon, who is facing league discipline in 2019 stemming from a DUI arrest last offseason, to make a significant improvement in his second season. Gase has already noticed a vastly better player on tape than what he saw when analyzing his college tape.
“What he was (at the University of ) Miami and what I saw on tape last year, I saw lot of improvement,” Gase said. “I see a guy that’s a complete player. He’s only going to get better from here, factoring in all three phases of pass protection, run game and receiving. It’s exciting. When we get a chance to get going with him, we’ll be able to do a lot of things with him.”