The New York Jets have reached a multi-year deal with former Bengals tight end C.J Uzomah.
Last season, as he helped the Bengals advance to the Super Bowl, Uzomah, 29, had career highs with 49 receptions for 493 yards and 5 TDs in his seventh and final campaign in Cincinnati. In his career, he has 163 receptions for 1,591 yards and 13 TDs.
The addition of Uzomah, who is of Nigerian descent and grew up in Suwanee, GA, came on the same day the Jets reached agreement with OL Laken Tomlinson, adding another building block to the Jets' offensive line. Under the wide-zone scheme installed by OC Mike LaFleur, the tight end plays a pivotal role in blocking in the run game while offering the potential for big plays downfield.
At 6-6, 265, Uzomah has shown he can handle the requirements of blocking, as he did this past season in Cincinnati for Joe Mixon. Also, he corralled two receptions of more than 25 yards in the playoffs, and also grabbed a 55-yard TD pass from Joe Burrow.
The free-agent market for tight ends evolved quickly over the past week with Miami applying the franchise tag to Mike Gesicki, Dallas doing the same with Dalton Schultz and Cleveland with David Njoku, and Evan Engram signing with Jacksonville. The Jets could use one of their nine picks in April's NFL Draft for a tight end, though the current depth chart includes Ryan Griffin, Trevon Wesco and Kenny Yeboah.
Uzomah appeared in 16 games in 2021, although he sprained his MCL in the AFC Championship Game before returning for the Super Bowl. Uzomah has appeared in five postseason games including Cinci's four-game run last season in which he totaled 15 catches, 146 yards and 1 TD.
