Through the spring and summer, we will be counting down the Jets roster player by player. We continue the series by discussing Jeremy Ruckert.
Name: Jeremy Ruckert
Number: 91
Year With Jets: 2nd
Projected Role: Number three tight end
His 2025: After the departure of Tyler Conklin, Ruckert had every opportunity to establish himself as the starting tight end for the Jets. He ended up providing little production, however, registering just 23 catches for 179 yards.
It’s probably tempting to blame Ruckert’s
struggles on the Jets’ dismal quarterback situation. You would be well-advised to ignore that temptation. Eight receivers on the roster with the same quarterback play recorded more receiving yards.
Among them were Adonai Mitchell and John Metchie, who were acquired halfway through the season. Rookie tight end Mason Taylor more than doubled Ruckert’s yardage. At some point you are who you are as a player. After four years we can safely say that Ruckert isn’t much of a receiving option in the NFL.
That would be one thing if Ruckert could block consistently. Unfortunately, despite throwing the occasional dominant blocking rep on film, he also frequently misses his assignments.
For these reasons it was as surprise to see the Jets reward Ruckert with a contract extension before the end of the season. That seemed like a sign he was part of the team’s future plans. The selection of Kenyon Sadiq in the first round has perhaps changed that.
2026 will be a success if: Ruckert flashes enough to convince the Jets coaching staff to give him playing time. What can I say? I’m grasping at straws here. With the selection of Sadiq, Ruckert has become a wealthy number three tight end. Sadiq and Taylor will be on the field when the Jets go double tight end. Even though we have started to see some offensive trends in the NFL of teams going with bigger personnel groupings, we just aren’t likely to see many three tight end sets outside of short yardage and goal line situations. Ruckert’s best bet might be to work on his fullback blocking skills and try to win that role from Andrew Beck.
Odds of making the roster: Lock (>99%)
