In a tight spot
Thin at WR, Jets may look to TE corps versus Vikings
With Quincy Enunwa out and Terrelle Pryor doubtful, the Jets are in need of pass catchers Sunday.
Their unheralded group of tight ends may be ready to step in.
Nobody at the position will blow opponents away with their names or stats, but Chris Herndon, Neal Sterling, Eric Tomlinson and Jordan Leggett have served the Jets well entering Sunday’s Week 7 battle against the Vikings.
“I feel like we’re a very unique group,” Herndon, a rookie, said Friday after practice. “There’s four of us that are playing and we all each bring our own deal to the table. We all have our pluses. I feel like we do a good job of mixing it up, the coaches do, and putting us in the right position. We just support one another big time, making sure we all know what we gotta do and looking out for one another.”
After opting not to re-sign veteran Austin Seferian-Jenkins, the Jets’ tight end group had plenty of questions entering the season. It was one of the most competitive battles during training camp, with Clive Walford, the most experienced member of the bunch, proving to be the odd man out as the Jets kept four on the active roster. They entered the season with little experience to their names, combining for just 26 catches and one touchdown.
Together through five games, they have combined for 21 receptions for 226 yards and two touchdowns. That’s comparable to what Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph has done on his own — 27 catches for 266 yards and two touchdowns.
“They all bring different things to the table,” coach Todd Bowles said. “It’s more of a lunch pail group, but they are all very talented in their own right. A different one steps up each game. So you don’t know which one it will be, because they are all solid in the things that they do. You just like the group as a whole getting better, and you see who the hero is that game.”
The Vikings have been vulnerable against tight ends, giving up 34 catches (on 45 targets) for 467 yards and two touchdowns. The catches are the sixth-most allowed to the position in the NFL, and with Sam Darnold likely missing two of his top receiving options Sunday, the Jets’ tight ends could be more involved.
As a unit, the group ranks 25th in receiving yards by tight ends and 22nd in receptions by tight ends in the NFL. But they provide versatil- ity for offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates, with the ability to double as fullbacks or wide receivers, and they have helped in blocking as well. All four tight ends also contribute to special teams.
Herndon has played the most of any of them, taking 57.6 percent of the Jets’ offensive snaps as he builds a connection with Darnold.
“We just know each and every week, you never know when the tight end’s number is going to be called,” Herndon said. “We just try to do what we can to make sure we execute that play, whether it’s blocking, catching, even special teams. We just take a lot of pride in that.”
Bowles has seen the game slow down for Herndon while praising him for his “outstanding” study habits. The Jets’ 2018 fourth-round pick out of Miami leads the group with seven receptions for 103 yards and was finally rewarded last week with his first career touchdown.
“It was a moment of relief, but I’m not satisfied with that,” Herndon said. “I want to keep getting better each and every week and hopefully see more.”