Frank Reich finally unveiled the Jets' Jeremy Ruckert-sized weapon

As has been the case for much of his New York Jets career, it’s become incredibly easy for veteran tight end Jeremy Ruckert to be the forgotten man. 

But with Mason Taylor battling a thumb injury, offensive coordinator Frank Reich ensured fans had every reason to remember Ruckert’s name on Sunday afternoon. 

Ruckert set career highs in catches (five) and receiving yards (39) during Sunday’s heartbreaking loss to the Detroit Lions. He also caught his second career touchdown and hauled in every ball thrown his way. 

We spent much of the offseason operating under the impression that Mason Taylor and Kenyon Sadiq would be Geno Smith’s top two tight ends. Yet the first three weeks suggest that Ruckert, known more for his blocking, has a home in the Jets’ passing game beyond keeping his quarterback upright.

New York Jets fans might want to get excited about Jeremy Ruckert

The first 24 hours after any game, much less one that ended as Sunday’s loss in Detroit did, result in cringeworthy overreactions. Anyone who has listened to WFAN when driving to work on a Monday morning figured that out pretty quickly. 

That said, maybe we shouldn’t be so surprised by his increased action. Ruckert quietly had three catches for nine yards over the first two weeks, which doesn’t sound overly impressive. Sadiq missed the preseason while recovering from a hernia, yet recorded five catches and 38 yards in his first two games. 

You don’t need to be a math whiz to see where we’re going with this. Ruckert was on pace for 51 targets entering Sunday, and he’d never even exceeded 30 in any of his first four seasons. He’s already at eight targets through three games. 

Taylor drew two targets over 78 snaps in the Jets’ first two weeks, which should have raised more eyebrows than it did. All we heard was that Reich loves his multi-tight end sets and uses them as receivers — and yes, we’re aware we contributed to the ex-Miami Hurricanes standout’s hype train. 

By no means are we predicting that Ruckert is due for his first 100-yard game. Sadiq has clearly become the TE1, and Sunday’s seven-catch, 105-yard performance was especially encouraging. It's been far too long since a Jets tight end has had such an explosive, dominant performance. 

Perhaps the best part about a potential long-term breakout for Ruckert is that it won’t significantly cost the Jets. He signed a two-year, $10 million extension last December that will keep him in New York through the end of 2027. 

Ruckert nonetheless stands to make himself some extra money, though. He could earn as much as $375,000 via playing-time incentives and gets a $125,000 bonus if he catches three touchdowns. 

In other words: One down, two to go.

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