PARTS UNKNOWN
They may be the most anonymous position group on the 2018 Jets.
Quick, name the Jets’ tight ends.
Most fans can probably name Mickey Shuler, Jerome Barkum and Rich Caster before they come up with the current crop.
Despite their anonymity, or maybe as an effect of it, this tight end competition is one of the most interesting in Jets training camp. No one knows who will be the starter Sept. 10 in Detroit.
The group of Eric Tomlinson, Clive Walford, Neal Sterling, Jordan Leggett and Chris Herndon does not have much name recognition, but they are fighting every day in training camp to try to win the job.
“I think it’s tough. I think we’ve got a lot of competition there,” coach Todd Bowles said. “I think those guys work hard every day. From top to bottom, it’s probably the deepest we’ve had since I’ve been here. I look forward to them competing every day and getting better.”
Walford, the former thirdround pick of the Raiders, is the most experienced of the bunch. He only has 70 career catches in three years and six touchdowns. If you remove him from the group, the other four have a combined 26 career catches and one touchdown.
Leggett and Herndon have not made a catch in the NFL yet. Leggett, the team’s fifth-round pick in 2017, missed his rookie year with a knee injury. He is currently injured again and missing training camp practices with an undisclosed injury.
Herndon was taken in the fourth round this year by the Jets out of Miami and has shown some promise early in camp.
Each one of them does something well, but none look like the complete package. If you could blend their skills, you might have a really good tight end.
The Jets showed confidence in this group when they allowed Austin Seferian-Jenkins to walk as a free agent and then did not replace him with a big signing. Seferian-Jenkins had 50 catches for the Jets last year. The Jets have not had a 500-yard tight end since Dustin Keller in 2011.
“I think they like what we do out there,” Sterling said of the front office’s decision to not sign a big free agent. “I think each person in the tight end room brings something different to the table and has strong suits that can help this team out a lot. I think the tight end group has a lot of potential to do some good things this year.”
Sterling showed some signs at the end of last year. He had five catches for 74 yards in the season finale against the Patriots and caught the coaches’ eye.
“I started getting a little bit more confidence on the field getting to go against one of the better teams in the league and putting up numbers against them,” Sterling said. “It helps build confidence.”
Tomlinson started 12 games last year and had eight catches. He proved himself a capable blocker, something that endeared him to Bowles.
“Tomlinson played well for us last year,” Bowles said. “He was kind of our rock. He’s solid. He’s really our unsung Steady Eddie guy.”
The Jets claimed Walford off waivers from the Raiders in April. Walford had two good seasons for the Raiders before getting buried on the depth chart last year. On Thursday, he showed his power when he ran over safety Doug Middleton after making a catch. At 6-foot-4, 250 pounds he is a load to bring down.
Walford sees this as a fresh start for him.
“I feel like it’s open,” Walford said of the starting job. “I’ve just got to do my part, go hard and learn this playbook and try to put myself in the best position to win the starting job.”
Bowles believes this competition could come down to the end of camp.
“I think that will be a tough call,” he said. “I think that will be one of the tougher position battles that we’re going to have to judge going in.”