A historic debut.
New York Jets rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq made NFL history during the Week 1 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
“Sadiq had only four touches (three receptions and one rush), but he scored one of the Jets’ two touchdowns (on a 3-yard end-around), and his versatility enabled OC Frank Reich to use creative personnel packages. After missing most of training camp because of a hernia, the No. 16 pick was limited to 26 offensive snaps, but his role will continue to grow. Sadiq joined Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome as the only two tight ends in history to score a rushing TD in his first career game,” ESPN’s Rich Cimini wrote.
More Meat on the Bone
Before the season, offensive coordinator Frank Reich got brutally honest about Sadiq’s role heading into 2026.
“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.
He was scaled back, and he still made a huge impact. As we get deeper into the season, Sadiq’s role with the team will only grow. He appears to be in peak physical condition, but he lost a ton of football reps during the offseason.
Sadiq’s sports hernia surgery forced him to miss the final week of OTAs, all of mandatory minicamp, and then he suffered a setback during training camp that cost him three-plus weeks of action.
Saleh Shade
“Kenyon Sadiq told me that the Jets were going to run the play to him from the 3 and he felt like he was going to score … until the Titans called timeout. He thought the Titans were going to change the look they were showing and make it harder. They didn’t. And then he scored,” Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic revealed on X.
Sadiq didn’t mention names, but he didn’t have to. Titans head coach Robert Saleh admitted that one of the mistakes he made in New York was choosing not to call defensive plays. In Tennessee, Saleh is the defensive play caller. He failed to adjust.
Head coach Aaron Glenn admitted that a mistake he made in year one was choosing not to call defensive plays. This offseason, he opted to call an audible at the line of scrimmage and call plays himself. It is only one week, but Glenn’s gamble appeared to pay off.
The Titans could be vying for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL draft. However, Glenn will face much stiffer challenges as we progress through the season. Up next is a potent Green Bay Packers offense that is loaded with weapons.
Rookie Kenyon Sadiq Makes History During Jets Debut