Jets OTAs give one playmaker a chance to become impossible to ignore

After months without football, New York Jets fans find themselves in the weird position of actually being excited to see what their collection of young talent can do in 2026. The rookies are of particular interest, especially first-round pass catchers like wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. and tight end Kenyon Sadiq.

Sadiq was one of the more polarizing picks the Jets made in the NFL Draft, as many are wondering how someone with his skillset is going to be used in this offense while still giving tight end Mason Taylor enough runway to develop in his own right.

OTAs could give Jets fans a glimpse into where Sadiq is as a prospect. Fans may get to see some of the creative ways in which he can be deployed, as well as how he and Taylor will coexist. The play obviously won't be finalized, but they can get some clues as to what 2026 will look like.

Kenyon Sadiq could break out at Jets OTAs

After passing on someone viewed as a developmental project in Arvell Reese to take David Bailey at No. 2 overall, the Jets decided to take their raw project player at No. 16 overall in Sadiq. With limited production at Oregon, the Jets are hoping his sub-4.4 40-yard dash ends up leading to more snaps.

On one hand, Sadiq is a smaller tight end prospect, and he didn't have the most diverse route tree at Oregon. If Cooper gets some reps in the slot, it seems unlikely that both he and Taylor will be sharing the field together.

On the other hand, it doesn't take a football rocket scientist to figure out how to best use a player with his playmaking skills. Get him the ball in space and watch him cook. Sadiq's billing as a matchup nightmare is completely based in reality, and it's on Frank Reich to utilize him best.

At his best, Sadiq is much too physical for smaller cornerbacks to handle at the line of scrimmage thanks to his rock-solid upper body. Sadiq can be even more problematic for linebackers, as few have the pure speed needed to keep up with him when he gets a full head of steam.

The Jets offense should be better in 2026 due to all of the new improvements, but what can really take this unit from good to great is Sadiq looking more like an immediate playmaker than a project that needs to be fine-tuned.

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