Tag: C.J. Uzomah

Jets’ C.J. Uzomah put on his best ‘A Christmas Story’ bunny outfit, and NFL fans loved it

No, he didn’t look like a deranged Easter bunny.

With the New York Jets fighting for an AFC playoff spot so close to the Christmas holiday, some players decided to really get into the festive spirit. That’s because, as everyone knows, the best way to combat Trevor Lawrence’s red-hot Jacksonville Jaguars is by staying as loose and jolly as possible.

One of the Jets’ core pieces, tight end C.J. Uzomah, unveiled quite the Christmas look in the pregame. While walking with quarterback Mike White, Uzomah wore a pink bunny outfit — a clear-as-day reference to the very same suit young Ralphie famously donned during the classic, A Christmas Story.

Seeing a listed 6-foot-6, 265-pound man wear the bunny outfit is definitely … different, but not at all unwelcome this time of year:

Some people wear Christmas sweaters or pea coats. And some people, like Uzomah, go all out in showcasing a classic moment from a timeless holiday movie.

The Jets will need Uzomah to channel his festive mood on the field. With only three games remaining in the 2022 season, every matchup will carry more weight as New York tries to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2010. Getting the big tight end going would undoubtedly help those efforts against the Jaguars.

Ted Karras steps into Bengals leadership role after loss of C.J. Uzomah

Ted Karras is one of the new critical leaders and drivers of Bengals culture.

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Cincinnati Bengals fans were right to worry even a little bit this past offseason about losing a locker room presence like former tight end C.J. Uzomah.

But Ted Karras has erased all concerns.

Karras has fully embraced stepping into a leadership role with the Bengals, which is especially a point of conversation this week as his new team collides with his old one and the “Belichick way.”

Karras said the following of the situation, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:

“Karras says he was looking to assimilate his personality into the locker room of a winner and is ‘very happy,’ with his choice of what he calls ‘an amazing locker room.’ But he also says he grew up a Patriot and adheres to many of the Belichickian principles. The No. 1 football thing he learned, he said, ‘is a Bill Belichick adage. You can’t win until you keep from losing. I firmly believe that.'”

Joe Burrow tackled this subject too:

Karras is the latest example of the Bengals prioritizing locker-room guys and it would seem he’s added more in this regard than the team has lost over the past year.

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Watch: C.J. Uzomah catches first touchdown as a Jet

Watch: C.J. Uzomah catches first touchdown as a Jet

After a slow first quarter and allowing a punt return for a touchdown, the Jets busted out of the gates in the second quarter with two big passes from Zach Wilson.

The Jets opened the second quarter with a 33-yard strike to Garrett Wilson and then Zach Wilson hit tight end C.J. Uzomah for a 40-yard score to tie the game 7-7.

The touchdown is Uzomah’s first as a member of the Jets.

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Zach Wilson throws 40-yard TD pass to C.J. Uzomah for Jets

Zach Wilson throws a touchdown pass for the Jets in his return to action

Zach is back and he has the New York Jets in the end zone.

The controversial quarterback Zach Wilson returned to the New York Jets starting lineup Sunday when Gang Green faced the Detroit Lions.

He was named starter because Mike White and his busted ribs were not cleared for duty by any doctor.

Wilson threw a touchdown pass to C.J. Uzomah that was good for 40 yards in the second quarter.

It wasn’t an easy — or safe — throw as Wilson rolled left and threw back across the field.

The PAT was good and the Jets and Lions were knotted at 7-up.

 

Fantasy football: Where to draft New York Jets TE C.J. Uzomah

Analyzing New York Jets TE C.J. Uzomah’s 2022 fantasy football ADP and where you should target him in your drafts.

The New York Jets signed former Cincinnati Bengals TE C.J. Uzomah to a 3-year, $24 million dollar deal this offseason. With $15 million guaranteed from that deal, he is expected to have a large role in the new-look offense.

Uzomah is an excellent pass catcher and a big-time red-zone threat, but he is also a strong blocking tight end. He’ll pair with rookie TE Jeremy Ruckert and fellow free-agent addition TE Tyler Conklin to really energize a position that has been devoid of talent for a long time in New York.

Below, we look at C.J. Uzomah‘s 2022 fantasy football average draft position (ADP) and where you should draft him.

Uzomah is a player who has been rather durable over his career, playing 16 games in 3 of his last 4 seasons. He was limited to just 2 games due to a torn Achilles’ tendon in 2020 but bounced back nicely in 2021 with 49 grabs, 493 yards and 5 touchdowns — all career bests.

C.J. Uzomah’s ADP: 234.11

(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com; last updated at time of this publishing – ADPs continually change as more drafts occur)

Uzomah has been drafted very low in most leagues, but he can be a very solid TE2 fantasy option in standard formats, especially in those rewarding points per reception (PPR), although his production could take a hit as he downgrades from Bengals QB Joe Burrow to Jets 2nd-year QB Zach Wilson.

Ruckert (57.25) has a rather high ADP in keeper leagues, and even Conklin (131.40) is ahead of Uzomah in that format.

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C.J. Uzomah’s 2021 stats

Games: 16 (with Bengals)

Receptions | targets: 49 | 63

Receiving yards: 493

Receiving touchdowns: 5

Where should you draft Uzomah?

Uzomah isn’t a top-flight TE fantasy option capable of carrying a team like Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce (15.45), Baltimore Ravens Mark Andrews (23.23) or even Atlanta Falcons Kyle Pitts (33.49), but he can be a serviceable option for fantasy teams when the matchup is favorable or when your primary option has a bye week or difficult matchup. Play him accordingly.

In redraft formats, he is only worth scooping up in the final rounds in leagues of 12 or more teams. He is likely a player who will be started in just a handful of games by fantasy managers, and Ruckert’s role is likely to grow as the season goes on and he gets more acclimated to NFL life.

Ruckert’s emergence will cut into Uzomah’s effectiveness, although his snaps are likely to remain steady due to his blocking ability. Of course, snaps and blocking do not make fantasy managers happy, catches and touchdowns do.

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Former Auburn tight end added to NFL active roster

He’s been activated off the PUP list and is ready to start training camp with his new team.

A former Auburn tight end has officially been activated to his new team’s active roster.

Tight end [autotag]C.J. Uzomah[/autotag], who had previously been with the Cincinnati Bengals and was part of their playoff run that culminated in a Super Bowl loss, was officially named to the active roster of the team he signed with as a free agent over the offseason — the New York Jets. He was activated to the main roster with tackle Mekhi Becton and defensive end Carl Lawson.

Uzomah was previously on the Jets’ PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list due to a minor injury that the team did not disclose, but it looks as if he is all ready now as NFL teams begin training camp in the coming days.

While at Auburn, Uzomah played for four years and caught just 29 passes for 435 yards and seven touchdowns across his career. He struggled to catch on with the Bengals sometimes, but last year, he caught 49 passes for 493 yards and 5 touchdowns during the Bengals’ AFC Championship-winning campaign.

Uzomah signed with the Jets in March to a three-year, 24 million-dollar deal.

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Will New York Jets’ new-look tight end corps matter in fantasy football?

How does New York’s revamped cast of tight ends translate to fantasy football?

Last season was yet another tough one for the New York Jets, which missed the playoffs for an 11th straight year and posted a non-winning record for the 10th time during that stretch. There was a lot of overhauling heading into 2021, including the hiring of new head coach Robert Saleh, and the drafting of quarterback Zach Wilson, and the work has continued this offseason as well.

One of the focal points has been surrounding Wilson with more talent, and to that end the Jets spent a first-round pick on wide receiver Garrett Wilson, and a second-rounder on running back Breece Hall. The team also handed out money in free agency to address the tight end position by signing C.J. Uzomah (Cincinnati Bengals) to a three-year, $24 million deal, and Tyler Conklin (Minnesota Vikings) to a three-year, $20.3 million contract.

That’s a significant financial commitment from the front office, but given how little the team received from the position last season it seems warranted. In 2021, now-Chicago Bears tight end Ryan Griffin led the group with a 27-261-2 line; those 27 catches were good for eighth on the club. Tyler Kroft, now with the San Francisco 49ers, finished behind Griffin with 16 catches, 173 yards, and a score. Expect the tandem of Uzomah and Conklin to far exceed what their counterparts produced.

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Bengals hoped C.J. Uzomah would return even after agreeing with Jets

The Bengals still had hope despite C.J. Uzomah agreeing with the Jets.

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It’s no great secret the Cincinnati Bengals were surprised that tight end C.J. Uzomah decided to leave for the New York Jets in free agency.

And as it turns out, those Bengals were hoping Uzomah would change his mind, even after agreeing to sign with the Jets.

This little detail came out over the weekend courtesy of NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, who wrote the following: “Yup, the Bengals were hoping he’d go back even after he agreed to terms with NYJ. We saw a few of those this free agency but Uzomah was set on the Jets and the NY market.”

There were a couple instances this offseason of players agreeing with one team, only to go and end up with another, as nothing’s final until a contract gets signed.

The fact the Bengals were hoping Uzomah would do the same speaks to how much they wanted him back for a number of reasons. After he elected to head for New York, the Bengals pivoted and signed Hayden Hurst.

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7 Jets poised for breakout seasons in 2022

These Jets could enjoy a career year in 2022:

Potential and promise are two words that sum up the Jets’ possibilities in 2022.

The team is chock-full of young talent across the roster but lacks clear-cut superstars. That could change this upcoming season, however, if the right players develop and are healthy enough to put together career years.

Here are seven Jets who are poised for a breakout season.

C.J. Uzomah happy to reunite with Carl Lawson: ‘He’s built like an action figure’

C.J. Uzomah has seen a lot of Carl Lawson throughout his career. He can’t wait to see more of the pass rusher now that they’re both Jets.

C.J. Uzomah has seen a lot of Carl Lawson throughout his career.

The two first became acquainted as college kids at Auburn. Then they shared stripes with the Bengals. Now they’re back in the same locker room after Uzomah signed with the Jets earlier this offseason. The 29-year-old will be New York’s starting tight end. Lawson, meanwhile, signed with the Jets last offseason but missed the 2021 campaign after tearing his Achilles last summer.

Now Lawson is on the mend, and Uzomah can’t wait to see his new and old teammate return.

“Carl is a monster. He’s built like an action figure. If you go on Madden and you try to build a player, that is Carl,” Uzomah said of the pass rusher on Wednesday. “He’s just a freak.”

Lawson also spoke on Wednesday. He expects to be on the field when training camp starts at the end of July. “I’ll be ready to go when my number is called,” Lawson said.

Lawson was a training camp terror before getting hurt last summer and in 2020, his most recent season. He only recorded 5.5 sacks in his final year with the Bengals, but he totaled 32 QB hits and 44 pressures. Those numbers had the Jets dreaming about what the 26-year-old could do in Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich’s defense.

The hope now is that they get to find out after a year-long delay. Like everyone else, Uzomah also has high expectations for Lawson’s return.

“To get him back on the field, our defensive line is going to be really freaking good,” the tight end said.

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