Getty New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson warming up ahead of an NFL game.
The New York Jets have an array of scheduled workouts this offseason with mandatory minicamp, OTAs, and training camp.
However several players have gone out of their way to get some extra work in ahead of the season.
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A Party Is Heading to TEU
Jets tight end Tyler Conklin is headed to tight end university this offseason. The announcement was made on Friday, May 27 on social media.
This will be the second time this event has been held. It is designed for the top 75 tight ends in football to come together so they can better themselves and work on their craft.
This year the creators of this event (Travis Kelce, George Kittle, and Greg Olsen) will be inviting several high-profile quarterbacks to divvy up the necessary throwing including Josh Allen, Trey Lance, and Jets second-year quarterback Zach Wilson.
It will run from June 22 through 24 at Vanderbilt University.
#49ers TE George Kittle (@gkittle46) revealed the QBs that will be participating in @te_university including #Jets QB Zach Wilson (@ZachWilson) who is ‘almost confirmed’ along w/ Trey Lance (@treylance09), & #Bills QB Josh Allen (@JoshAllenQB): 🎥 @PatMcAfeeShow #TEU #TakeFlight
This will present a unique opportunity for Wilson and Conklin to develop some chemistry and get some extra work in.
The 26-year-old (will be 27 by the start of the 2022 season) signed a three-year deal for $21 million to join Gang Green this offseason.
Prior to signing with the Jets, Conklin the first four years of his career with the Minnesota Vikings.
Sneaky Guy to Watch out For
After completely ignoring the tight-end position a year ago, general manager Joe Douglas decided to dive into the deep end of the pool this time around.
Not only did the Jets invest $21 million into Conklin, but they also invested an additional $24 million into veteran CJ Uzomah.
If that wasn’t enough, the Jets went all-in by selecting Jeremy Ruckert with the No. 101 overall pick in the third round.
Everyone is focused on either the cool hometown draft story or Uzomah who signed for more money and was added to the team first.
However, the guy to circle that may have the biggest impact is Conklin.
A younger player than Uzomah (by three years) and has better receiving statistics at his peak.
Last season Conk delivered a career year in receptions (61), yards (593), and touchdowns (three).
One of the most underrated signings for the #Jets this year is TE Tyler Conklin (@T_Conk1). Look at that footwork + the hands 👀 Zach Wilson (@ZachWilson) is going to fall in love with those flowing brown locks 🎥 @nyjets on IG #TakeFlight #NFL
He feels like the kind of weapon you can put across the formation and he’ll be able to take advantage of the mismatch.
While other pieces are receiving more noise at this stage of the offseason, Conklin is the one to circle for both fantasy football purposes and for offensive impact.
For Wilson, he will be going from night to day in terms of what he had at tight end to what he will have at his disposal in 2022.
These three weapons can provide a security blanket when other options are covered. A big thing will be their red-zone usage which should provide a nice uptick in those touchdown percentages.
Although the coolest thing to pontificate on is how offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur will deploy his weapons.
These tight ends will be bigger than any secondary member they face so they will have the ability to box them out and be physical. On the other side of the fence, they also have the unique speed to blow by slower linebackers.
Watching the tight-end position this season will finally be fun again for Jets fans.
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