The Jets did a lot this offseason.
General manager Joe Douglas surrounded quarterback Aaron Rodgers with more talent on the offense line as well as new pass-catching weapons. He signed offensive tackle Tyron Smith, offensive guard John Simpson and wide receiver Mike Williams. Then, he traded for tackle Morgan Moses. And in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Jets continued to beef up the offense with the selection of Penn State tackle Olu Fashanu in Round 1 and Western Kentucky wideout Malachi Corley in Round 3.
But that doesn't make the Jets' 2024 roster flawless. While the defense is pretty much set — although there is a claim to be made for issues at safety — there is one hole left on the offensive side of the ball: Tight end.
JETS 2024 DRAFT: Jersey numbers | Expert grades | Full class | Superlatives | UDFA tracker
Jets biggest roster hole following 2024 NFL Draft
ESPN NFL analyst Aaron Schatz broke down every remaining need for all 32 teams heading into offseason workouts. For the Jets, Schatz wrote that Gang Green doesn't have a star at the tight end position after the team passed on Brock Bowers in the first round. The only quality tight ends on the Jets roster right now are Tyler Conklin and Jeremy Rucket.
Schatz also suggested Douglas should go out and sign one of Rodgers' ex-Packers teammates to upgrade the unit.
The Jets have a pretty steady and deep roster across the board, with the big issue being the lack of a star at tight end. Tyler Conklin, who signed with New York from the Vikings in 2022, hasn't had a positive receiving DVOA in six NFL seasons and ranked 43rd among qualifying tight ends in the past two seasons. Jeremy Ruckert, a third-round pick in 2022, could take over as the starter after becoming a bigger part of the Jets' passing game in Weeks 10-14 last season. New York should consider bringing in quarterback Aaron Rodgers' former Green Bay target Robert Tonyan, who is still a free agent.
The Tonyan pick is intriguing, but not necessarily a major need for New York. Conklin has been very solid over the past three seasons, including the past two with the Jets. He's caught between 58 and 61 receptions and averaged 588.7 yards since 2021. Tonyan would be a bit redundant with Conklin and Ruckert already on the roster, too. His relationship with Rodgers is nice, but not something the Jets need to shell out money for when other areas of the roster could use more depth support.
Tight end is arguably the Jets' worst position group on a skill basis, but it was always going to be difficult to upgrade unless the team was sold on Bowers or wanted to trade for a bigger name in free agency. It's a hole for New York right now, but one that could be filled by Conklin and/or Rucket. If either fails, the Jets could look elsewhere at the position in 2025 — depending on who's under center and leading the team.
