When the New York Jets invested the No. 16 overall pick in the first round on tight end Kenyon Sadiq, he was expected to play a major role on the offense.
What about now, after he has missed so much time due to injury this offseason? Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich shared some brutal honesty at the podium.
“Yeah, there’s no doubt we will have to scale it back. We just gotta work him in slowly. We can’t rush it, as much as we would like to. The good thing is he’s very smart, and we’ve said it all before, but he will be as ready as you can go, but there’s nothing like practice. I know he has stayed locked in, but we gotta get back out on the practice field and just slowly work him back into the mix,” Reich explained.
“Yeah, there’s no doubt we will have to scale it back. We just gotta work him in slowly. We can’t rush it, as much as we would like to. The good thing is he’s very
Bummer Update
This wasn’t a surprising answer from Reich, but it confirmed what many have speculated.
Sadiq had high expectations as the No. 16 overall pick in the first round of April’s draft. He was the highest drafted tight end by the Jets since Dustin Keller was the No. 30 overall pick in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft.
However, he has missed some critical time this offseason.
He had sports hernia surgery in May that forced him to miss the final week of OTAs and all of mandatory minicamp.
Sadiq looked like gangbusters through the first several days of training camp, but he suffered “a little bit of a setback” on August 4. “He missed the final 12 practices of training camp, which concluded Tuesday,” ESPN’s Rich Cimini wrote.
That will also include the entire preseason. These are critical reps for any player, let alone a rookie.
Cimini said Sadiq was used like a “chess piece,” with the coaches having him serve in “a variety of roles” in the first three practices of camp when he was healthy.
The more you ask someone to do, the more of the playbook they have to master. Sadiq was lining up in-line, at H-back, in the backfield, and split out as a wide receiver during my observations of training camp. The lack of physical reps will limit the type of impact he can have, at least early on in the season.
The Good News in All of This
It stinks to have an impact player on the shelf, but if there’s any consolation for the Jets, it’s their depth.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini told NFL Insider Ari Meirov that the Jets believe that “they have one of the deepest tight end rooms in the league.”
Beyond Sadiq, that group includes Mason Taylor, Jeremy Ruckert, and Jelani Woods.
🏈 Mason Taylor 🏈 Jeremy Ruckert 🏈 Jelani Woods 🏈 Kenyon Sadiq (still on the shelf)
FULL SHOW:
Taylor has been popping in camp in Sadiq’s absence. With all of his missed time, Taylor has taken full advantage. On top of those additional reps in practice, Taylor got extra work in with starting quarterback Geno Smith during the break.
That chemistry is translating to the field.
During the final training camp practice of the summer, Taylor “mossed” star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick on a big play.
The Jets posted the highlight clip on X with the caption, “Catch-of-camp nominee.”
If this is any indication of what’s to come, it seems like the Jets will be just fine without Sadiq while he gets healthy.
Frank Reich Shares Brutal Honesty With Jets TE Kenyon Sadiq