| Player | Exper in '23 | GP-GS-DNP-IA | O-ST-Tot Snaps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Conklin | 6th | 17 - 12 - 0 - 0 | 772 - 13 - 785 |
| Jeremy Ruckert | 2nd | 15 - 6 - 0 - 1 | 310 - 205 - 515 |
| C.J. Uzomah | 9th | 12 - 8 - 0 - 0 | 239 - 148 - 387 |
| Kenny Yeboah | 3rd | 5 - 1 - 0 - 0 | 123 - 114 - 237 |
| Zack Kuntz | R | 1 - 0 - 1 - 0 | 2 - 4 - 6 |
Finished Season on IR: Ruckert, Uzomah
POTENTIAL FREE AGENTS
Restricted: Yeboah
Lay of the Land in '24
The Jets three tight ends who saw most of the playing time last season — Tyler Conklin, C.J. Uzomah, and Jeremy Ruckert — remain under contract as they head into the 2024 offseason. Both Ruckert (6 starts, 310 snaps) and Uzomah (8 starts, 239 snaps) ended the year on injured reserve but were key pieces in the run-blocking game. Conklin took the fifth-most snaps for the Green and White's offense with 770.
Rookie Zack Kuntz, selected by the Jets in the 7th round (No. 220), saw two offensive snaps in the Jets' season-ending 17-3 win over the New England Patriots.
Kenny Yeboah, who signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent in May of 2021, is a restricted free agent. Yeboah filled in for the last 5 games of the season after Uzomah was put on IR with a knee injury, tallying 2 receptions for 28 yards.
See the best photos of the Jets tight end group in action during the 2023 season.
Quick Look Back at '23
Conklin followed up his productive 2022 season with a career-best 61 receptions for 621 yards. He played in all 17 games this season and was a key contributor on third downs. Since joining the Jets in 2022, Conklin has caught 43 passes on third downs, the second most of any tight end in that span.
"Yeah, there's a lot of things I did on film and in the season that I am really proud of this year," Conklin said. "I feel like I played well in the run game. I don't think it's anywhere near what I can accomplish. I do think I have a lot more to put out there and I know there's a lot of things I can get better at. But I got a career-high in yards, I'm happy about it. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't, but I do think there's a lot more meat on the bone."
Uzomah played in 12 games, recording 8 receptions for 58 yards. In Week 12 against the Atlanta Falcons, he suffered an MCL injury that forced him to be placed on IR for the remainder of the season.
Finally, Ruckert took a big step in his second season. After just 1 reception in his 9 games as a rookie, Ruckert had 16 receptions for 151 yards in 15 contests. He missed the final two games with a concussion, but HC Robert Saleh is encouraged by his trajectory.
"We found a lot of versatility with him," Saleh said of Ruckert. "It's unfortunate he got hurt, against Washington, played some fullback and did a really nice job back there. If you can create that versatility, one at the point of attack, he's already a really good blocker to show versatility in the backfield and split as a wide receiver, really excited about him and the things that we can do with him."
TE Trivia
Led by Tyler Conklin's remarkably consistent receiving lines, the Jets tight ends totaled 80 catches in 2022 and 87 receptions this season, the first time the Jets' TE room has contributed 80-plus catches in back-to-back seasons since the Mickey Shuler era when the Green & White tights caught 90 passes in 1985 and followed with 84 catches in '86. Shuler's 76 receptions in '85 is the most by a Jets TE in a season, but Conklin, with 58 and 61 grabs in his two 17-game Jets seasons, is within hailing distance of the top four spots in Jets history, all held by Shuler.
