New York Jets: Is tight end rebirth on the horizon?

The New York Jets have struggled getting production from the tight end position the last two seasons. Is there finally some light at the end of a very dark tunnel?

The New York Jets have had the worst tight end production in the entire NFL the last two seasons. It’s not even close. The days of Mickey Shuler are long gone. The numbers are ridiculous and, quite frankly, downright embarrassing for the franchise.

During the 2015-16 seasons, Jet tight ends caught a grand total of 26 passes. In 32 games. That’s less than one per contest. It doesn’t get much worse than that but finally, hopefully, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Jets fans may witness the rebirth of the tight end position and finally join the 2010s — a decade where the tight end has become quite prominent in offensive schemes around the league.

Why the optimism? There are a few reasons. First, New York’s new offensive coordinator, John Morton, comes from New Orleans where he was the wide receivers coach for the Saints the last two years. The Saints threw to their tight ends a great deal and Morton should try to emphasize the same West Coast concepts with the Jets. Former offensive coordinator Chan Gailey never seemed to feel that the tight end was very important in his overall scheme.

Well, times have changed. No doubt, it’s still early. Training camp is still over seven weeks away, but it appears that Gang Green has upgraded their talent level on the tight end depth chart.

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General manager Mike Maccagnan drafted tight end Jordan Leggett in the fifth round (150th overall) of this year’s NFL Draft — Leggett averaged 16 yards per reception and scored seven touchdowns for the Clemson Tigers during their 2016 championship campaign.

Although he needs to improve his blocking a great deal, Leggett (6-5, 258) was considered one of the superior receiving tight ends in this year’s NFL Draft. Mark Dulgerian of NFL.com seemed to like Maccagnan’s selection a great deal:

"New OC John Morton is coming from a Saints team that loved featuring their tight ends in the passing game. Leggett is one of the better run-and-catch receiving TE’s in this class. The tight end position has essentially been non-existent in recent Jets’ offenses so this is a refreshing pick if nothing else."

In addition to that, Austin Seferian-Jenkins looks like a new man. A former second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014, Seferian-Jenkins has lost 25 pounds and, according to Pro Football Talk, has stopped drinking as of Jan. 21.

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The 24-year old tight end is suspended for the first two games of the 2017 season due to his DUI arrest last year while with the Bucs. New York claimed him on waivers after Tampa Bay released him last fall. Seferian-Jenkins caught just 10 passes for 110 yards in seven games for Gang Green last season but looks focused on turning his career around so far during OTA’s.

The Fox Island, WI native also attended rehab four days a week on an outpatient basis and realizes the reason he is a different person now, as he explained to Rich Cimini of ESPN:

"“Even since I stopped drinking, it’s been a transformation,” Seferian-Jenkins said. “It really has changed my life. I just try to win one day at a time."

That’s great news that Seferian-Jenkins seems to be turning his life around. There are finally some positive vibes emanating from Jets camp concerning their tight ends. Leggett has a wealth of potential and Seferian-Jenkins seems bound and determined to turn around what has been a disappointing NFL career to date. It’s still very early but so far, so good.

Next: New York Jets: Calvin Pryor trade a move for the future

The Jets might finally have a pair of productive tight ends in which to work with. How nice does that sound?