Buffalo Bills: Ranking the tight ends of the AFC East
By Rob Spehar
3) New York Jets
Projected Starter – Ryan Griffin
When NFL fans watched the New York Jets 2019 season, there really wasn’t much to be very excited about. The offense was unimpressive and finished near the bottom of the league in many statistical categories. A lot was done in the offseason to improve the offense, but the tight end position is what could make this offense take off.
The Jets have a couple of decent tight ends on their roster in Ryan Griffin and Chris Herndon. Individually their names don’t jump out at you like George Kittle or Travis Kelce. But when you combine their skills, they can be a pretty impressive duo.
Selected out of Miami in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Chris Herndon had a pretty impressive rookie season where he had 39 receptions for 502 yards and 4 touchdowns. He had the makings of a good tight end. But then problems arose where his sophomore year was plagued with injuries and a PED suspension halted his progress. Those issues eventually opened the door for Ryan Griffin.
Ryan Griffin was originally selected by the Houston Texans back in 2013 out of Connecticut. Due to some off the field issues, his time in Houston was cut short and was eventually released by the Texans. Signed by the Jets during the 2019 offseason, he ended up having his best season since 2016 having caught 34 passes for 320 yards and 5 touchdowns.
In a well run offense, the tight end position is key for it to be successful. Chris Herndon and Ryan Griffin can be a solid duo when given the opportunity. If head coach Adam Gase can figure out how to include these guys in the offense more and if they can both stay healthy, the Jets can make some noise in the AFC in 2020.