As Jeremy Ruckert enters his third year with the Jets, he's hoping for more consistent good moments.
"I think I show flashes of doing some really good things, but then other plays kind of let the little things get away from me," he said. "Keep fine tuning those details that allow me to just play hard and be more consistent. Keep bringing that spark to the offense and keep being that player to set the tone."
Ruckert, drafted in the third round out of Ohio State in 2022, earned himself more playing time over the course of last season. As Ruckert enters Year 2 in OC Nathaniel Hackett's system, fellow TE Tyler Conklin thinks there's more in store for the Long Island native.
"That's my guy," Conklin said of Ruckert. "I mean, he's always been a good football player, but I do think there's just a jump with your confidence and how comfortable you get in the offense, being in the offense for a second year. He has great hands and runs good routes. I think the cool part about the whole tight end room, and Ruck is a good example of it, is just tight ends can do anything. Playing the run game, playing pass pro, going out there to win one-on-ones in the pass game. I'm excited for him to take a big jump this year and I think there's going to be a lot of opportunity for him."
Ruckert is part of a tight end room that was one of two units on the roster (linebacker was the other) that did not add a player via free agency or the draft. Kenny Yeboah re-signed and Zack Kuntz is entering his second year.
"All the guys in our room can do everything," Ruckert said. "We're kind of the group that you can put us out there and we can do whatever job you need us to do. We take pride in that. Coach Mid [TEs coach Ron Middleton] is the best. He'll make sure that we're in the right spots and have the right mentality going into every single play."
Ruckert played in 15 games for the Green and White last season and accumulated 16 receptions for 151 yards after just a single catch in nine games as a rookie. This coming season, he expects to become more of a contributor as he continues to fine-tune his game.
"The biggest thing for me is just continuing to let the game slow down," he said. "Working on the little things that make the game, get down the little details and go through the little intricacies of moving around and seeing defenses, which allows me to play faster. Just take advantage of being in the system for another year. We had a change after my rookie year, so this is Year 2 going into the system."
