Tyler Kroft – Page 4 – Syndication Server

Zach Wilson needs Jets’ tight ends to be better moving forward

Zach Wilson targeted the Jets’ tight ends a lot in Week 1, but they didn’t offer much help as receivers. Their blocking wasn’t good, either.

Tight end was never a strength for the Jets heading into 2021. Even before New York traded Chris Herndon, the group didn’t look strong.

After Week 1’s loss to the Panthers, they look even worse.

Not only did the duo of Tyler Kroft and Ryan Griffin fail to positively affect the passing game, but they were also horrible blockers as well. Zach Wilson targeted Kroft and Griffin 11 times combined against Carolina, but they only finished with six receptions for 48 yards. The yardage isn’t terribly concerning considering Kroft’s average depth of target was just 3.2 yards and Griffin’s was only 4.0 yards, but failing to haul in almost half of the targets tanked a few drives for the Jets.

Now, not all of those incomplete passes were the tight ends’ fault. A lot of the mistakes made in the passing game were the direct result of the Jets’ poor offensive line. Wilson went to his tight ends frequently when he was forced out of the pocket with pass-rushers in his face. Those throws were rarely pristine, which led to a lot of the miscues.

Kroft and Griffin were never meant to be important pass-catching pieces of this offense, though. The Jets added several receivers over the offseason so that their tight ends could focus on blocking more. However, Kroft and Griffin were not reliable in that role, either.

Griffin’s 16.5 pass-block Pro Football Focus grade ranked second-worst among qualified tight ends in Week 1, while Kroft’s 24.0 grade finished third-worst. Griffin’s run-block grade wasn’t much better at 43.1, which ranked second-worst.

If the Jets’ offensive line continues to play poorly, they’ll need support from the tight ends. It’s why the Jets used 12 personnel – one running back, two tight ends and two receivers – on 40 percent of their snaps, according to Sharp Football Stats. That ranked third in the league in Week 1 behind the Falcons and Patriots. But New York only had a 42 percent success rate out of that package, partly due to the inefficient play of Kroft and Griffin.

This may not be the norm for the Jets’ offense moving forward. New York lost Jamison Crowder and Keelan Cole for a week and both figured to play prominent roles in the offense. Their absence forced the Jets to feature Braxton Berrios and rookie Elijah Moore instead. Berrios played well and tied Corey Davis in targets and receptions, but he’s also the Jets’ fourth-string receiver.

Crowder and Cole should return this week, which changes the dynamic of the playcalling and personnel packages. New York lined up in 11 personnel – one running back, three receivers and one tight end – on 50 percent of their offensive snaps, which is below the league average of 57 percent and ranked 21st in the league. Wilson should have a better time passing with more competent catchers at his disposal in Week 2.

The Jets never meant to rely on the tight ends as pass-catchers. It’s likely why they were fine trading Herndon before the season. But New York needs its tight ends to block. That they didn’t in Week 1 is more concerning than their receiving ability because of how necessary good protection is in the wide-zone offensive scheme.

Week 1 could be an anomaly considering how often Kroft and Griffin ran routes, but it’s still not encouraging to see how much they negatively affected the Jets’ offense in the season opener.

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Tight end-needy Jets should pursue a trade for Eagles’ Zach Ertz

The Jets are woefully thin at tight end and Zach Ertz would be a great offensive addition if the Eagles’ price is right.

The Jets are woefully thin at tight end following Tuesday’s cutdown deadline.

Tyler Kroft and Trevon Wesco are the only players at that position left on the roster after New York released Ryan Griffin, Kenny Yeboah, and Daniel Brown and traded Chris Herndon. Wesco will play fullback in Mike LaFleur’s offense.

New York needs to add another player at that position. That’s where Eagles tight end Zach Ertz could come in.

The 30-year-old received permission to seek a trade in March, but Ertz remains in Philadelphia just a few weeks before the season starts. Ertz would be a welcome addition to a Jets offense in need of more veteran leadership and pass-catching ability from the tight end spot.

Kroft is a serviceable player, but he is a much better blocker than receiver. That’s fine, though. LaFleur needs good blockers for his wide-zone scheme, which will lean heavily on the run. Kroft fits that role well.

Though he’s been known as an adept receiving option throughout his eight-year career, Ertz’s production waned recently. His age, the emergence of Dallas Goedert and the Eagles’ recent offensive woes are among the biggest reasons for Ertz’s fall. But befoe an injury-plagued 2020 season, Ertz averaged 86.2 receptions for 914.4 yards and 5.6 touchdowns from 2015-2019. That’s a skill set the Jets lacked in Chris Herndon and the rest of their recent tight ends.

The Jets wouldn’t have to lean on Ertz’s playmaking ability. They have quality wide receivers in Corey Davis, Jamison Crowder, Elijah Moore and Keelan Cole. You can even throw Denzel Mims and Braxton Berrios into that mix. The backfield of Tevin Coleman, Ty Johnson, Michael Carter and La’Mical Perine also provides solid weapons.

While this may appear like a reason the Jets don’t need Ertz, it also means he wouldn’t need to perform up to his previous Pro Bowl level to contribute to this offense. Ertz would be another safety net for Zach Wilson, instead.

There are two issues with an Ertz trade, though: His contract and what it will cost to acquire him.

Ertz comes with a $6.6 million base salary on top of his $5.8 million in bonuses. The Eagles would likely have to pay the bonus money, though. His base salary bumps up to $8.5 million in 2022. That’s a manageable contract for the Jets, who have around $15 million in salary cap this season and an estimated $63.4 million in 2022, per Over The Cap.

However, it’s also unclear what the Eagles would want in return for Ertz. A lot of teams were interested when Ertz sought a trade in March, but no deal manifested. Clearly, no bidders reached the threshold the Eagles were looking for. If the Jets moved Herndon and a sixth-round pick for a fourth-round pick, it stands to reason the Eagles would want a lot more than that for a productive, albeit aging, tight end. That might be a little too rich for Joe Douglas’ blood. The GM loves draft capital and the Jets are flush with picks for next season.

In all likelihood, the Jets won’t trade for Ertz unless the Eagles scale back their asking price for the tight end. It wouldn’t make sense for a Jets squad that isn’t competing for a division title and still developing its roster to give up valuable assets for a player who is trending downward. But Ertz’s presence would be helpful for the team in the short term, and that’s worth exploring at a position without any depth behind Kroft.

If anyone could pull this off, it’s Douglas, who is familiar with Ertz and the Eagles after spending time there as the vice president of player personnel during most of the tight end’s career. As per usual, it will come down to the price.

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Jets trading TE Chris Herndon to Vikings

Joe Douglas is making another trade before the 2021 season. TE Chris Herndon is going to the Vikings, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Joe Douglas is making another trade before the 2021 season, shipping Chris Herndon to the Vikings, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport said the Vikings are dealing “draft compensation” for the tight end, but he did not specify.

Herndon spent the past three seasons with the Jets after New York selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 draft. After a promising rookie season, Herndon played two unspectacular seasons marred by injury and suspensions. He finishes his Jets career with 71 receptions, 796 yards and seven touchdowns in 33 games.

The Jets now have an interesting decision to make at tight end. After trading Herndon and cutting UDFA Kenny Yeboah, the only tight ends on the roster are Tyler Kroft, Ryan Griffin, Trevon Wesco and Daniel Brown. None are great starting options, though Kroft played well in the preseason and established a solid connection with Zach Wilson.

Wesco is expected to play a fullback role in Mike LaFleur’s offense.

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What are Kenny Yeboah’s chances of making Jets’ 53-man roster?

Kenny Yeboah bettered his chances of making the Jets’ 53-man roster with his play against the Eagles, but his future is still up in the air.

Kenny Yeboah entered the Jets’ preseason finale against the Eagles in desperate need of a big-time performance to garner any sort of consideration for a spot on the 53-man roster.

The undrafted free agent out of Ole Miss delivered just that on Friday night, catching four passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns — including a heave from James Morgan as time expired to set up Josh Adams’ game-tying two-point conversion. Yeboah flashed the potential that intrigued Joe Douglas enough to give him $200,000 just after the draft ended against Philadelphia, providing the Jets with the receiving threat at tight end they have been lacking all offseason.

Tyler Kroft caught two touchdown passes from Zach Wilson against the Packers, but he is not a prolific pass-catching tight end. Chris Herndon and Ryan Griffin were non-factors throughout the spring and summer. Trevon Wesco is going to operate as a full back in Matt LaFleur’s offense more than anything else.

Yeboah should be on his way to making New York’s 53-man with all of that taken into account, but one big preseason performance does not wipe out all of the struggles he has endured since joining the Jets.

Yeboah struggled mightily with his hands during the spring, frequently dropping passes he made a living catching during his college career. Rookie wide receivers and tight ends often take a while to catch up to the speed of the professional game during their first round of OTAs and minicamps, but their hands seldom fail them in the extreme fashion Yeboah’s did.

Training camp represented a clean slate for Yeboah. He could have arrived at One Jets Drive in July and made everyone forget about his case of the dropsies with statement performances on the practice field. Instead, he remained quiet among the underwhelming competition at his position. The beginning of the preseason did not flip the switch for Yeboah, either, as he fumbled in the fourth quarter of New York’s preseason opener, setting up a Giants touchdown to make it a one-possession game.

There is no denying Yeboah has talent. He flashed plenty of it against the Eagles. The 22-year-old is just not ready to take on the challenge of playing meaningful regular season reps right now. That might not be the case after a couple more weeks of refinement on the practice squad, but the Jets cannot afford to roll the dice on Yeboah putting the pieces together as a member of their active roster.

Tight end is a key position in LaFleur’s offense given its reliance on play action. Blocking tight ends like Kroft are important to the scheme’s success. So are tight ends who can get open and catch the ball. Until Yeboah shows LaFleur and the rest of the Jets’ coaching staff he can do that on a consistent basis, he is best served working in the shadows as a member of the practice squad.

Even after providing a glimpse of his untapped potential to cap the preseason.

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Studs and Duds from Jets’ preseason Week 2 win over Packers

The best and worst performances from the Jets’ preseason Week 2 win over the Packers.

It’s just the preseason, but the Jets have themselves a winning streak.

New York notched its second win of the preseason against the Packers on Saturday, defeating Green Bay, 23-14. Zach Wilson led the Jets to a 17-14 halftime lead with two touchdowns and New York’s reserve defense pitched a shutout in the second half to keep the Kurt Benkert-led Packers’ offense at bay.

Here are the studs and duds from Gang Green’s preseason Week 2 triumph.

Jets vs. Packers Preseason Week 2 recap: Everything we know

The Jets beat the Packers for their 2nd win of the preseason. Here’s our recap of the action, including Zach Wilson’s stellar performance.

The Jets improved to 2-0 on the preseason Saturday, beating the Packers in Green Bay.

The Packers didn’t play many of their best in the 23-14 New York win. Still, several Jets looked sharp at Lambeau Field, including Zach Wilson.

Below, we’ll go over key happenings in the game, including Wilson’s performance and developments in Gang Green’s tight end battle.

Jets TE Trevon Wesco smart to switch to fullback

Mike LaFleur’s offense needed a fullback and the Jets have plenty of tight ends. Trevon Wesco’s switch is a win for all.

Trevon Wesco looked like a potential roster cut heading into the spring.

A raw offensive talent near the bottom of the tight end depth chart, it was hard to see him out-shining the competition at his position. Fortunately for Wesco, Mike LaFleur’s scheme needs a fullback, and the Jets don’t have one.

Wesco and the Jets’ decision to convert him is a mutually beneficial move that likely secures the third-year pro’s roster spot if he proves up to the challenge. The switch fills a hole in the Jets offense and gives Wesco the chance to make a positive first impression on a new regime.

Luckily for Wesco, he isn’t making the switch completely blind. He’s played fullback in college and in the NFL and already worked with LaFleur at the 2019 Senior Bowl.

“I got to know Wesco before I knew any of these guys from our Senior Bowl, where we played him a bit at fullback,” the Jets offensive coordinator said last week. “He’s a very confident dude, he loves being out there and yes, he is our fullback right now.”

Wesco spoke positively of his Senior Bowl experiences with LaFleur and the 49ers coaching staff prior to the 2019 draft. They had him run a lot of blocking plays in the T-formation, where a fullback lines up between two running backs behind the quarterback.

“It wasn’t really nothing new for me because I played a lot of fullback at West Virginia, so it’s no different,” Wesco said at the time, per The Associated Press. “I’m a versatile player. I’m a two-in-one player — I can play tight end and fullback. Whatever they ask me to do, I’ve done.”

When the Jets asked him to block more and play some fullback in 2020, Wesco once again jumped at the opportunity to help the team.

“Whatever role they ask me to play, whatever they ask me to do, I just try to do it to the best of my ability,” Wesco said before the 2020 season. “I’m just trying to help the team any way I can.”

It would have been hard for Wesco to make an impact on this Jets team had he not made the move. He has just three receptions and one rushing attempt on 360 snaps in his two NFL seasons. He is the Jets’ fourth tight end at best. Wesco played a little on special teams, but the Jets beefed up that unit this offseason.

While the tight end is extremely important in LaFleur’s offense, the fullback might be even more important for the wide-zone scheme. Kyle Shanahan’s offenses in San Francisco and Atlanta used a fullback at some of the highest paces in the league and LaFleur wants to emulate that strategy in New York.

“You like to have a fullback. You like to be in those traditional 21-personnel formations, it just keeps the defense balanced a little bit more,” LaFleur said. “You can go lead their way so you can control the angles, particularly in the run game and obviously all the play passes that come off of it.”

That’s a way in which Wesco can help the team that he couldn’t as a tight end. The Jets are likely to lean on Chris Herndon, Tyler Kroft and Ryan Griffin at that position – as both blockers and receivers. Wesco would have seen some snaps, but not enough to garner attention from the staff. As a fullback, the 6-foot-3, 267-pound Wesco gives the Jets a fantastic blocker in the backfield for their running attack. He can also play a role in the passing game. Kyle Juszczyk, the 49ers’ five-time Pro Bowl fullback, averaged 39 targets, 30 receptions and 316 receiving yards over the past four seasons under Shanahan.

LaFleur recognizes that Wesco isn’t the same as Juszczyk, but he noted that Wesco’s massive body in the backfield can do a lot of good things for the Jets.

“Is he going to do all the same stuff that [Juszczyk] could do? Probably not. Is he going to do some stuff that [Juszczyk] couldn’t do? Absolutely,” LaFleur said. “He’s a bigger body, he’s longer. He’s going to be able to play a little bit more inline, so we can use him in multiple ways, whether it be 21 or your typical 12 personnel formations. So, he’s embracing it.”

4 things to know about new Jets TE Tyler Kroft

Tyler Kroft is primarily known for being a blocking tight end, but there are a few other things to know about the Jets’ newest player.

The Jets added to their tight end room this week, agreeing to sign Tyler Kroft.

New York and Kroft agreed on a one-year deal worth $2 million with $1.5 million in guarantees. Kroft was drafted in the third round out of Rutgers by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2015 NFL draft. After four seasons with the Bengals, Kroft joined the Bills for two years before having the final year of his three-year contract voided.

The 28-year-old tight end has 85 catches for 851 yards and 12 touchdowns in his six-year career.

Let’s get to know a little more about the Jets’ newest tight end.

Tyler Kroft’s contract with Jets includes $1.5 million guaranteed

The Jets bolstered their tight end depth with the low-cost signing of former Bills TE Tyler Kroft.

The Jets agreed to sign Tyler Kroft this week, adding depth to their tight end room.

Gang Green and the former Bills tight end agreed on a one-year, $2 million deal with $1.5 million guaranteed, according to The Athletic’s Connor Hughes. The guaranteed money is broken up between Kroft’s $1.25 million base salary and a $250,000 signing bonus. He also has a per-game roster bonus of $500,000 and $1 million tied to performance incentives for yards and receptions.

Kroft’s cap hit is $2 million.

Kroft’s arrival could mean the end of Ryan Griffin’s stay in New York. The Jets can recoup $1.8 million in salary relief if they part ways with the veteran tight end.

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Jets to sign ex-Bills TE Tyler Kroft

The Jets added a backup tight end in Tyler Kroft with great blocking ability to fortify their new run-heavy offense for 2021.

The Jets added some tight end depth Friday, agreeing to sign Tyler Kroft to a one-year contract, according to his agent.

Kroft, a 6-foot-6, 252-pound tight end, joins the Jets after two seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He finished the 2020 season with 12 receptions, 119 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games. He missed a few games after landing on the COVID-19/reserve list twice. Kroft, 28, previously played four seasons with the Bengals from 2015-2018. His best season came in 2017 when he caught 42 receptions for 404 yards and seven touchdowns.

This could spell the end of Ryan Griffin’s time in New York. The Jets can save around $1.8 million if they cut Griffin this offseason. Kroft won’t compete for pass-catching roles ahead of Chris Herndon, but his blocking ability will be useful in the Jets’ wide-zone rushing offense under Mike LaFleur.