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The New York Jets might be stowing away a secret offensive weapon on the 90-man roster.
Aaron Rodgers appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday, April 25. Unprovoked he highlighted second-year Jets tight end Zack Kuntz as someone to keep an eye out for.
“Big Zack, last year who we drafted late, him and I had a lot of success late in the season practicing together on the scout team,” Rodgers revealed.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranked Kuntz as his No. 10 tight end in the 2023 draft class. He said Kuntz has “rare size/speed tools waiting to be cultivated.”
At the 2023 NFL Combine, the former Old Dominion product measured in at 6-foot-7 and tipped the scales at 255 pounds.
There Are Plenty of Tight End Targets to Go Around
The Jets were the betting favorites to select Georgia tight end Brock Bowers in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.
New York was on the clock with the No. 11 overall pick and could’ve selected Bowers, who was still on the board, but they opted for offensive tackle Olu Fashanu out of Penn State.
Connor Hughes of SNY shared on social media, “From what I’m told: The Jets never considered Brock Bowers here. That was a smokescreen.”
After passing on Bowers, the Jets decided to skip out on the tight end position entirely. New York didn’t select a single tight end in April’s draft.
That means the leftover tight ends on the roster will have to divvy up the target share next season. With no new names in the mix, that leaves plenty of opportunity.
Tyler Conklin is penciled in as the veteran starter, but the team moved on from CJ Uzomah this offseason. The No. 2 tight end is totally up for grabs between Jeremy Ruckert, Zack Kuntz, and Kenny Yeboah.
John B. of Gang Green Nation listed Kuntz as a big winner coming off of the 2024 NFL draft based on what transpired.
Kuntz Got a Unique Opportunity to Build Chemistry With Rodgers
Kuntz, 24, entered the league as the No. 220 overall pick in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL draft.
He didn’t make the team as a rookie but was signed to the practice squad after he cleared waivers. Kuntz only appeared in one game in 2023 appearing in just 3% of the offensive snaps.
That reality limited his opportunities to strut his stuff. Until of course, Rodgers returned to the team in December.
A-Rod, a four-time NFL MVP, got to lead the scout team against the Jets’ starting defense which raised the profile of his teammates.
We didn’t have full media coverage of Rodgers’ scout team battles with the starting defense, but plenty of players have weighed in.
Veteran linebacker CJ Mosley told Jake Asman that Rodgers was “lighting” up the Jets defense when he returned to practice at the end of the year.
“I really wish I could just show a few plays that I recorded,” Mosley explained on “The Jake Asman Show.” “Obviously the pass rush isn’t going full speed. He has a little more time to make a throw but just him making that throw. That arm power. The precision. It’s a beautiful thing to see. He throws a great ball.”
Mosley explained to Asman that some of the players he was suiting up with on the scout team offense “hadn’t even played in a game yet.” He made them look like, “All Pros”, according to Mosley.
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