Through the spring and summer, we will be counting down the Jets roster player by player. We continue the series by discussing Jelani Woods.
Name: Jelani Woods
Number: 86
Year With Jets: 2nd
Projected Role: Possible third or fourth tight end
His 2025: Woods got caught in a numbers game with the Colts. He was waived on cutdown day as Indianapolis had a deep tight end group. The Jets immediately claimed him off waivers.
From there, not much happened. He only dressed in 4 games and had a single catch for
4 yards. Despite the Jets having little other than rookie Mason Taylor and the uninspiring Jeremy Ruckert at tight end, Woods didn’t get much of a look.
2026 will be a success if: Woods makes the roster and provides the Jets with reliable depth.
It would be fair to say that Woods’ career arc has been unusual. He posted a solid rookie season in 2022 then missed two full seasons due to injury. His 2025 campaign was another lost season. Some players just peak as rookies. Jets fans are somewhat familiar with this concept after players like Jace Amaro and Denzel Mims followed semi-promising rookie seasons with virtually no production after. In Woods’ case it seems likely that injuries have taken a toll.
I honestly thought Woods had a shot to see playing time in 2025 after he got up to speed with the offense, but it never really happened. There isn’t a clear path to much playing time after the team selected Kenyon Sadiq in the first round of the NFL Draft along with Taylor returning for year two. Even Ruckert got a nice contract extension for the Jets at the end of the season.
But maybe Woods can recapture his rookie form and at least provide depth. It is worth noting Frank Reich was his head coach for that sold rookie season. If we are talking about depth, you could do worse than somebody who at least has a functional season on his resume even if it was four years ago. For whatever little its worth, Woods did receive some positive buzz during the offseason program.
Perhaps Woods can beat out Ruckert for the third spot. The Jets might just keep four tight ends anyway. It wouldn’t be the most shocking thing in the world for him to give the Jets functional depth. It also wouldn’t be shocking to see him fail to make the 53.
Odds of making the roster: 50/50
