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New York Jets: Grading TE situation

It seems as if 2015 is the year the New York Jets will finally get a feel for what they have at the tight end position. Last season showed that Gang Green can get production out of guys like Jace Amaro and Jeff Cumberland, but that’s if quarterback Geno Smith performs well. The ceiling is also very high for undrafted rookie free agent Wes Saxton.

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After Zach Sudfeld went down with a torn ACL in mandatory minicamp, the doors have opened for Saxton to get a true crack at a starting job. As of now, his competition for the 3rd spot on the depth chart is journeyman Kellen Davis and ex-Patriot Steve Maneri.

The Jets signed Davis during the free agency period in March while they acquired Maneri shortly after they put Sudfeld on the IR. This unit may be deep heading into 2015, but the upside at the top of the depth chart is what stands out most.

Oct 12, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets tight end Jace Amaro (88) scores a touchdown defended by Denver Broncos strong safety T.J. Ward (43) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

In his rookie year, Amaro caught 38 of the 53 passes thrown his way for 345 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The stats may not be too eye-opening, but he played his 14 games as pretty much the No. 2 tight end on the roster. According to ProFootballFocus.com, the former Red Raider ranked 32nd out of 67 tight ends that played at least 25% of snaps last season. It may feel like he was on the field quite a bit, but he played only 380 snaps compared to Cumberland’s 926.

Surprisingly, Amaro earned a positive grade as a run blocker, yet he was given negative grades as a pass blocker and receiver. Since he will be on the field more in 2015, expect his stats and PFF grades to increase as a result of new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey’s pass-happy approach. However, despite a projected reduced role this upcoming season, Cumberland must rebound from a bad 2014.

Nov 24, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; New York Jets tight end Jeff Cumberland (85) against the Buffalo Bills at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Last year was not one for the five-year veteran to remember. In playing close to 1,000 snaps, Cumberland only managed to put up 247 yards and 3 touchdowns. To make matters worse he caught only half of the passes thrown his way (23 out of 46). As an experienced tight end who has dealt with shaky quarterback play before, there is no excuse for him to have another season like this.

If anything, 2014 should have been a year to set an example for Amaro and aid Smith in his sophomore season. On PFF, Cumberland ranked as the worst tight end out of the 137 who received a snap last year. If he can rebound in 2015, he can be a decent option for Gang Green in the new offense, but another disappointing season could make him a cap casualty come next offseason.

The battle for the 3rd spot between Saxton, Davis, and Maneri is what makes the tight end position in New York very interesting. Before the injury to Sudfeld, it seemed as if these three were fighting to make the practice squad. Now, New York has quite the battle on their hands heading into training camp.

All three of these guys are predominately used for blocking and can do most of their damage paving the way for backs running the ball off-tackle. Over his seven-year career, Davis has totaled just 561 yards. He has scored 12 touchdowns, but he has never been looked at as a threat to make a play outside of the red-zone.

Sep 13, 2014; Mobile, AL, USA;South Alabama Jaguars tight end Wes Saxton (13) tries to stiff arm his way past Mississippi State Bulldogs linebacker Zach Jackson (14) in the third quarter at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mississippi State defeated South Alabama, 35-3. Mandatory Credit: Glenn Andrews-USA TODAY Sports

Saxton played his college ball at South Alabama where he caught only one touchdown in three seasons. He did rack up yards given the fact that he is pretty lean for a tight end sitting at 235 pounds compared to Davis’s 265, but Gailey would have minimal use for him in year one.

Maneri is ultimately no different. In his four years in the league, he has just 6 catches, all of them coming as a member of the Chiefs. The deal breaker in this battle may come down to experience, and for that reason you have to give Davis the advantage. Although, if new general manager Mike Maccagnan values youth highly, don’t be surprised to see Saxton edge out the veteran for the spot.

Overall, if Amaro can stand out and Cumberland can rebound, Gang Green can most definitely find production out of the tight end position in 2015. But for now, you cannot look at this unit as a strength nor weakness simply because of the production that was not entirely there last season.

Grade: B-

Next: New York Jets 2015 Training Camp Profile: Brandon Marshall

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