Jeremy Ruckert's growth will allow NY Jets offense to reach its ceiling

The NY Jets will be counting on a number of talented playmakers to reach their ceiling as an offense in 2024, but one player whose impact has flown under the radar is tight end Jeremy Ruckert.

Ruckert is set to enter his third NFL season in 2024 as the Jets' presumptive No. 2 tight end behind starter Tyler Conklin. The Jets parted ways with veteran C.J. Uzomah in the offseason and didn't make any notable additions to their tight end room.

That leaves Ruckert, who saw his role increase steadily in 2023, as the odds-on favorite to be the Jets' TE2 this season. That's not a small role, either. The Jets are relying on Ruckert to take a sizable leap forward in his third year.

The Jets' offense will be predicated on the success of Aaron Rodgers with playmakers such as Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall factored in as well. But Ruckert's role is more significant than most probably realize. The Jets are placing a lot of responsibility on his shoulders this season.

The NY Jets will be relying on Jeremy Ruckert in 2024

A third-round pick in the Jets' star-studded 2022 draft class, Ruckert had a quiet rookie season but eventually usurped Uzomah on the depth chart to become the Jets' primary No. 2 tight end in 2023.

Ruckert's effectiveness to date has been rather hit or miss. The former Ohio State standout has been inconsistent as a blocker, particularly struggling in pass protection. His 36.3 Pro Football Focus pass-block grade was the third-lowest among qualified tight ends in 2023.

Ruckert has fared a little better as a run-blocker, earning a roughly league-average 55.0 PFF run-block grade last season, although he performed much better in zone-blocking than he did gap gap-blocking. That's not ideal considering the schematic shift the Jets have undergone this offseason.

His production in the passing game has been limited, but Ruckert has made the most of his opportunities. Ruckert hauled in 16 catches for 151 yards in 2023, including a catch rate over expected of 23.6 percent, indicating he outperformed his expectations, albeit in a limited sample size.

It's not abnormal for young tight ends to take a few years to find their footing in the NFL. Ruckert's teammate, Conklin, is a perfect example of that. It took four years for Conklin to surpass 200 receiving yards in a season. Now, he's genuinely one of the better tight ends in football.

The Jets are counting on Ruckert taking a leap forward in 2024, particularly as a blocker. His growth this season will be instrumental in allowing the Jets' offense to reach its full potential. The options behind him, Kenny Yeboah and Zack Kuntz, haven't proven that they can contribute regularly on offense.

The Jets used multiple tight ends on roughly 25 percent of offensive snaps in 2023. Ruckert is going to play a good amount for the Jets this season — they need him to be more consistent than he was last year.

If this Jets' offense is going to maximize its potential and reach the heights many fans hope, they're going to need Jeremy Ruckert to take that next step. His development is crucial.

This article is part of the "Summer Spotlight" series on The Jet Press, dedicated to highlighting individual players on the Jets roster throughout the summer. Stay tuned for more features as we provide in-depth profiles and insights on various Jets players before the season kicks off.

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