Second-year Jets tight end listed as breakout candidate in 2026

There is no denying that, out of all the New York Jets' position groups, Darren Mougey has made a concerted effort to build a strong tight end room. From the 2025 draft to the 2026 draft, Mougey has already used two top-50 picks at the position.

In 2025, the Jets selected Mason Taylor 42nd overall and followed that up by taking Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq 16th overall this past April. With Taylor entering just his second season, the Sadiq pick in the first round was a bit of a surprise.

The Sadiq selection has put the Taylor excitement on pause to the point where he is starting to fly under the radar entering the 2026 season. Jets fans shouldn't forget about Taylor, though. In fact, it could be a big season ahead for the second-year tight end.

CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan recently picked Taylor to become a breakout star for the green & white in 2026. While it may seem far-fetched for some, Taylor needs to be noticed as still being a true weapon in the offense.

Mason Taylor listed as a breakout candidate for the Jets in 2026

After being selected in the second round last year out of LSU, Taylor put together a solid but at times up-and-down rookie season. The 22-year-old hauled in 44 receptions on 65 targets for 369 yards and one touchdown in 13 games played.

With Garrett Wilson appearing in just seven games, Taylor finished with a team-high 44 receptions. If Taylor had played all 17 games, his stats would project to around 58 receptions for 482 yards and one touchdown.

The LSU product also showed an encouraging ability to bring in contested catches in his opportunities. Taylor caught 11 contested catches on 14 contested targets, which was good for a promising 78.6% contested catch rate.

It wasn't all positive for Taylor, though, as he struggled with consistency, which is a common theme for most first-year tight ends. Taylor had four games in which he tallied only one reception and seven in which he caught three or fewer passes.

Was some of it growing pains for Taylor? Yes. However, a lot of these inconsistencies were the offense around him and poor quarterback play that defined the Jets' 2026 season. From Justin Fields to Tyrod Taylor and Brady Cook, any rookie would go through struggles catching passes from those names.

Factor in the lack of weapons and 12-personnel use around Taylor, and it makes sense why some of these inconsistencies occurred.

While some may view Sadiq as someone who will take over Taylor's role and limit him in the offense, the second-year tight end's outlook should be different.

Sadiq and Taylor should only help each other with the expectation that New York will rely heavily on 12-personnel sets.

With two very different skill sets at the position, these two young players should help take the attention off each other from opposing defenses and open up easier pass-catching opportunities.

There's no denying how much improved the Jets' offense is on paper right now than it was a year ago. When looking at Taylor, fans should expect a much-improved second season despite him flying under the radar.

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