Geno Smith names Jets standout who's turning heads at training camp

Throughout New York Jets training camp, there's arguably been no bigger standout than veteran quarterback Geno Smith. After an offseason of question marks surrounding the quarterback position, it should feel good to fans that their trigger man is off to a hot start.

It certainly helps that he's looking at an upgrade over his last supporting cast with the Las Vegas Raiders. Instead of a makeshift group of weaponry, Smith is working with the likes of Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, and a fairly deep group of tight ends to catch his passes.

Among that group of tight ends, of course, are the big names. Fans' eyes will be glued to first-round draft pick Kenyon Sadiq, 2025 second-round pick Mason Taylor, and even Long Island legend Jeremy Ruckert.

But Smith singled out one tight end who he says has been drawing the most attention early on in training camp, and he may surprise you.

Geno Smith singles out Jelani Woods for turning heads at New York Jets training camp

Speaking with reporters after training camp practice on Thursday, Smith said that tight end Jelani Woods, a player who was seemingly buried on the depth chart heading into the summer, has been standing out.

"Specifically, I like the way Jelani has been out there making plays."

Geno Smith

Woods, a former third-round pick with the Indianapolis Colts, is entering his second season with the Jets. He appeared in four games last season, starting one, and hauled in one pass for four yards.

A former Frank Reich pupil, the Jets' new offensive coordinator clearly has plans to utilize his 6-foot-7, 250-pound tight end. The implementation starts now in training camp.

Of course, Smith also paid respects to the rest of the Jets' offensive core in his press conference and is clearly excited to work with this supporting cast in the regular season.

"The cohesiveness of the team, just how connected these guys are in the locker room. I think that's a big part of this thing, not just how we practice on the field, but the way that we connect off the field. And I think that's something that's been really pleasing to me."

Typically, there aren't too many reasons to be excited about the Jets heading into the season, let alone the offense. But this year is different.

New York has real talent at their skill positions and along their offensive line, and Smith can obviously see that. They've just got to put it all together by the time September rolls around.

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