Mason Taylor continues to thrive in the absence of Jets rookie Kenyon Sadiq

The New York Jets haven't had an elite tight end since the 20th century, but they've invested in the position since their current regime took over in January 2025. They drafted Mason Taylor No. 42 overall out of LSU last year and Kenyon Sadiq No. 16 overall out of Oregon this year.

Taylor, who notched 44 catches for 369 yards and a touchdown last season, received compliments from head coach Aaron Glenn on Wednesday.

"One of the things he's really improved on is his ability to catch and get yards after the catch," he said. "He made some unbelievable catches in this camp. The thing about Mason, he's still growing. He's still starting to understand exactly what his body can do and how he can go out there and make himself successful in certain situations. I'm excited about that player, and I love the way he attacked this training camp."

Mason Taylor has more momentum than New York Jets rookie Kenyon Sadiq

Although Sadiq has the higher draft pedigree, Taylor has the health and experience advantage. Sadiq suffered a setback in August related to his hernia surgery in May, causing him to miss the final few weeks of camp and preseason. Meanwhile, Taylor has been healthy since his rookie campaign.

New York would benefit if both players turned into consistent offensive weapons, but Taylor deserves the initial lion's share of targets between the two. While it's not Sadiq's fault he got hurt, his sophomore colleague has taken advantage of his opportunities.

At the same time, the Jets need to justify their investment in the latter player. The 2025 second-team All-American was the tight end off the draft board this year, and they used their second of three 2026 first-round picks on him.

New York can thread the needle by featuring Taylor more in the passing game in the first couple of weeks. That will also allow Sadiq to ease into NFL football without being expected to put up numbers right away, especially coming off an injury. The 21-year-old returned to positional drills for the first time in a month on Monday, per the team's website.

From there, the Jets can slowly increase Sadiq's target share and evaluate which player looks better. If both are effective receivers, they can consistently run two-tight-end sets.

However, there will only be so many targets to go around for tight ends in New York, as it also has star wideout Garrett Wilson as well as up-and-comers Adonai Mitchell, Isaiah Williams, and Omar Cooper Jr. Additionally, running back Breece Hall averages 4.46 targets per game in his career.

Taylor totaled 65 targets over 13 games (five per game) in 2025, and he must prove Glenn right on the field in the first month of the season to replicate that average with Sadiq in town.

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