Chris Herndon continues growth as a quality tight end

Despite a brutal loss in Week 7 to the Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets tight end Chris Herndon continues his growth as a quality player that is now finally contributing on offense.

When it comes to the tight end situation of the New York Jets early on this season, it’s been mostly about a solid group of players without a single one standing out from the bunch. Thankfully, one has emerged from the group that is much more than just being an extra blocker on offense.

Tight end Chris Herndon has shown some steady growth after a few weeks of getting used to life in the pros. Herndon is coming off two straight games in which he’s caught a touchdown pass as he has brought a nice dimension on offense.

It’s no secret that any rookie quarterback needs a quality tight end as a security blanket on offense as Herndon has stepped up at a time with Sam Darnold needs it most. With a plethora of injuries that have hit the Jets offense hard, Herndon has delivered on the whole “next man up” mantra and performed well.

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Even Darnold sees Herndon’s growth throughout the regular season since the two tend to spend a lot of time in practice together developing a good relationship. Courtesy of the Media Relations Department of the Jets, here is what Darnold said about Herndon’s growth so far this season:

Every single game I feel like he’s getting better. It’s awesome to see him compete every singleday in practice and then when he comes out here in the game it looks just like practice, which is awesome.

If Herndon can continue his development and progression with Darnold, he could easily become the next top receiving option on the Jets. With Quincy Enunwa out for the next few weeks, Robby Anderson having an off year, and now with Bilal Powell out for the year, Herndon could be the next catalyst on offense if everything falls into place.

Overall, keep an eye on Herndon as the season progresses. Despite 2018 likely to be another losing year, Herndon could very well be a bright spot in another forgettable season.