Kenyon Sadiq’s injury setback just opened a door for this forgotten Jets signing

Veteran tight end Jelani Woods picked the perfect time to make his presence felt at New York Jets camp.

Jets coach Aaron Glenn announced on Tuesday that rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq will be “out a bit” after suffering a setback. Sadiq, the No. 16 pick this past April, had offseason sports hernia surgery. Glenn nonetheless remains optimistic that the All-American will play against Robert Saleh and the Titans in Week 1.

For now, Mason Taylor and Jeremy Ruckert remain entrenched in the Jets’ tight end plans. Then there’s Woods, who joined the team via waiver claim last summer and signed another one-year deal in March.

Woods has turned heads throughout the last week and has already become a favorite of Geno Smith and Cade Klubnik. According to the Jets’ official website, he had three catches and the most targets among Jets players on Monday.

“There’s a number of things that you can envision him doing for us,” Glenn told reporters. “You can split him out and let him go one-on-one with a safety [or] a linebacker, and I’m expecting him to win that matchup.”

Kenyon Sadiq’s injury creates a golden opportunity for New York Jets tight end Jelani Woods

Woods and Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich are intimately familiar with one another, having overlapped in Indianapolis during Woods’ rookie year in 2022. He didn’t need long to work his way into Reich’s offense, finishing with 25 catches for 315 yards and three touchdowns.

Injuries, as they often do, entirely derailed Woods’ Colts career. He missed the 2023 season because of hamstring troubles and all of 2024 following toe surgery. Indianapolis cut him last August, and he worked his way into four games with the Jets. His lone 4-yard catch came in the Week 17 loss to New England.

Fast forward to now, and Woods has quickly positioned himself to at least have a spot on the Jets’ practice squad. Taylor is entering the second year of his rookie deal, and the Jets extended Ruckert last December. There is no reason to believe that either wouldn’t be on the Week 1 roster.

Glenn’s optimism about Sadiq bodes well, at least for his potential Week 1 availability. But there were already only so many touches to go around for the three tight ends, and now Woods is working his way into the rotation. 

Familiarity with Reich works in Woods’ favor, as does the veteran coach’s love for multi-tight-end sets. Sadiq’s health could also allow Woods to play deeper into preseason games and further his relationship with Klubnik, the fourth-round rookie from Clemson.

Credit to Darren Mougey for assembling a Jets roster that allows for optimism even when a first-round pick is injured. The sky doesn’t always need to be falling, even with how often it’s felt that way over the last decade.

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