Jets bringing back smash-mouth football with 5 tight end personnel

The New York Jets have never really been known to have one good tight end, let alone two, and in order to find the last time the team even had what you would consider a good talent at the position, you'd have to go back to the early 2010s, when Dustin Keller was catching passes from Mark Sanchez.

After Keller, there were plenty of hopes. Jace Amaro, a member of the historic "Idzik 12," never lived up to his draft slot; Chris Herndon fizzled out after a dazzling rookie season in 2018; and the duo of Tyler Conklin and C.J. Uzomah was disappointing, to say the least.

But here in 2026, the Jets have legitimate promise at the tight end position. Kenyon Sadiq and Mason Taylor should develop into an elite one-two punch, while Jeremey Ruckert and Jelani Woods serve as valuable depth who are capable of making plays and blocking when needed.

We can't forget about the unofficial fifth member of the Jets tight end room, though. Fullback Andrew Beck, who, despite not being listed as one, has been claimed by New York's tight ends as one of them.

New York Jets tight end usage was creative in Week 1, to say the least

In the season-opening win over Tennessee, Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich, the madman that he is, at one point had all five tight ends take the field. That's right, all five - Sadiq, Taylor, Ruckert, Woods, and Beck were lined up at the same time, and in the red zone nonetheless.

This specific grouping is called 0-5 personnel -- when there are zero running backs or wide receivers on the field. Woods wanted to make that clear to the fans at home, via The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt, who would call this 14 personnel. Don't get it twisted, Beck is a tight end.

"On the Jets’ viral 0-5 formation from Sunday (five TEs, zero RBs), Jelani Woods pushed back on anyone suggesting it’s actually a 14 personnel look since Andrew Beck is a fullback. Woods said the TE room claims him."

With five different skill sets among five different tight ends, why wouldn't Reich want to get use out of them, especially if they're all active on game day? That's exactly what he did this past Sunday.

Geno Smith calls New York Jets tight ends the 'glue' of the offense

Even Jets quarterback Geno Smith, who has 13 years of NFL experience under his belt, wasn't used to the notion of seeing five tight ends on the field at one time. The veteran laughed about it with reporters on Wednesday and gushed about the weaponry he has to work with.

"I've been on some really talented teams. I don't think I've ever been on the field with five tight ends at one time... They (tight end room) work extremely hard, kinda the glue guys. They bring everything together on the offense. It's great to see all five of them out there on the field at once. We'll try and get the ball to each one of them when we can."

We'll see if the Jets' 0-5 personnel usage continues into Week 2 when they take on the Green Bay Packers. With the weather conditions set to be wet and rainy in Northern New Jersey, it may be another perfect day to get the road-graters out on the field.

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