Jets TE Chris Herndon still preparing despite suspension

Despite his looming four-game suspension, New York Jets tight end Chris Herndon is still hard at work preparing himself for the 2019 season.

It’s been a roller-coaster offseason for the New York Jets, with plenty of highs (signing Le’Veon Bell and C.J. Mosley) and lows (having to overhaul their entire front office and coaching staff).

One of the bigger negative blows came in the form of a four-game suspension for second-year tight end Chris Herndon, who was primed for a breakout year after flashing tons of potential in his rookie season.

But despite the fact that he’ll miss the first four games of the regular season, Herndon is still doing everything he can to prepare himself for his second NFL campaign (via team reporter Olivia Landis):

You know I’ve just got to deal with this. It’s a mistake I made so I have to deal with the consequences. I’m just going to try my best to stay as prepared and stay as ready as I can be and move on from it. I’ll be putting in extra work in the film room, extra conditioning and extra studying to make sure when that time comes, I’m ready.

While he’ll miss out on valuable game time in the early going this season, Herndon knows there are still other things he can focus on in order to hit the ground running once his suspension is up:

Whatever my coaches sit me down and tell me what they want me to prepare for and what they want me to study, I’m just going to do that. I’ll make sure I’m conditioned well and make sure I’m running every day because when I come back it’s not going to be camp time. It’s going to be everything counts, so I’m going to come back as ready as I can.

While the Jets added some stop-gap options in the meantime, signing Ryan Miller and Bucky Hodges to help bolster their tight end depth, Herndon’s position on the roster won’t be in doubt because of this suspension. He proved his value and upside last season, and should only improve once he shakes off the rust this year.

If he continues to attack his preparation with this kind of focus, don’t be surprised if Herndon makes up for lost time once he returns to the lineup.

Do you think Herndon can still have a significant impact once he returns from his suspension? Give us your take in the comment section!