Predicting NY Jets next 3 moves after releasing Laken Tomlinson

1. The NY Jets will release C.J. Uzomah

The Jets' decision to release Laken Tomlinson came as a bit of a surprise as, even though his performance on the field was lackluster, he was the only consistent member of the offensive line over the last two seasons. The release was justified, but it still caught some off guard.

The same can't be said about the seemingly inevitable release of tight end C.J. Uzomah. Now that the Jets have begun their cap-saving process, Uzomah feels like the next veteran to be shown the door.

The Jets originally signed Uzomah to a three-year, $$24 million contract prior to the 2022 season. Uzomah played an important role in the Jets' offense in his first season, even if his box-score production was rather nondescript.

Unfortunately, Uzomah's second season with the Jets was far less impactful. The veteran tight end struggled mightily as both a receiver and blocker and eventually found himself benched in favor of the younger Jeremy Ruckert.

Uzomah hauled in just eight catches for 58 yards in 12 games before a knee injury ended his season prematurely. The injury, combined with his lackluster performance, makes this an easy decision for the Jets.

Uzomah's cap hit balloons to $11.2 million in 2023, but the Jets can save $5.3 million by releasing him. They could've saved even more had Joe Douglas not already restructured his contract last offseason.

The Jets can move forward with Tyler Conklin and Ruckert as their top two tight ends and potentially look to add another piece in the offseason. As for Uzomah, his time with the Jets has likely come to an end.