New York Jets Jace Amaro ‘looked lost’ in minicamp

New York Jets rookie tight end Jace Amaro has plenty of upside, and he was a solid value for the Jets in the second round of the draft after once being tabbed as a first-round pick. The Texas Tech product has a great size/speed combination, though his lateral agility has been criticized by some. Amaro has the upside to be a quality blocker due to his size and strength, but he’s clearly raw in that regard. He’s pretty raw in general, since he comes from a no-huddle attack that did a great job of utilizing his skills as a “joker” TE but barely helped him as an in-line TE, and it didn’t allow him to refine his route-running either.

According to Rich Cimini of ESPN New York, Amaro “looked lost” during minicamp, and he believes the rookie could have a difficult time transitioning to the NFL as a rookie. While Amaro is talented and has Pro Bowl-caliber upside in this league, nobody should expect him to have the kind of impact Jordan Reed did last year for the Washington Redskins as their move tight end.

The Jets re-signed Jeff Cumberland this offseason, and he’s as steady as they come, which is exactly what they need to counter the exciting, uncertain Amaro. Cumberland will start and play a key role in the running game as an in-line TE, and the Jets look set to be a running team with Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory supporting second-year QB Geno Smith. Rookie receiver Jalen Saunders, steady veteran Jeremy Kerley, and talented offseason signing Eric Decker should lead the Jets passing attack, so all they need Amaro to do is create some mis-matches as a joker and show some positive growth throughout his rookie year- anything more than that will likely be viewed as a bonus.