An update on health of Chris Herndon

Newly drafted rookie tight end Chris Herndon did some light workouts with the New York Jets during minicamp but is likely to not fully participate until early to mid-June.

As rookie minicamp was underway for the New York Jets over the weekend, newly drafted tight end Chris Herndon was able to do some light workouts and positional drills. Unfortunately, he’s still coming off an MCL injury that will need a bit more time to heal as he rehabs towards being 100 percent ready to be a full participant in upcoming team activities.

In an article written by Darryl Slater of NJ.com, he confirmed that Herndon didn’t participate in the 11-on-11 team periods between offensive and defensive players. The Jets are likely being cautious with Herndon to avoid having him miss more important events like organized team activities and then eventually training camp.

In Slater’s article, head coach Todd Bowles confirmed that he’s taking things slow with Herndon and are hoping he’s ready for training camp but for now, things are day-to-day. Ideally, he’s about another month away before he’s ready to fully compete for the starting job at tight end.

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Jets mandatory minicamp won’t be until mid-June so hopefully, Herndon will be ready to showcase his skills for his teammates and the coaching staff. Before he got hurt in his final year at Miami, Herndon was a tight end on the rise thanks to everything he brings to the table.

If Herndon can stay healthy, he might end up being a pleasant surprise for the Jets thanks to his speed and impressive size at 6-4 and 252lbs. In three years at Miami, Herndon totaled 1,048 receiving yards, 86 receptions, and seven touchdowns. Most impressive of all, Herndon had an average of 12.2 yards per catch which would be a nice offensive weapon to have for the Jets in those big 3rd down conversions.

It’s expected that the competition for the starting tight end spot will come down to Herndon and Jordan Leggett. It will be one of the many positional battles dominating the headlines throughout the summer considering that the Jets want to continue making the tight end position a contributing one on offense, similar to last season.