Kenyon Sadiq showing he can handle a bigger role in Jets' offense
The Jets' Kenyon Sadiq catches a pass in front of the Detroit Lions' Roger McCreary during the first half of an NFL game in Detroit on Sunday. Credit: AP/Paul Sancya
The Jets didn’t want to put too much on the plate of rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq after he returned from an injury that kept him out all of the spring and most of the summer. Sadiq has shown he can handle it, though.
“Now is the time we can throw a lot at him,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said. “He's getting every rep possible to be able to do that.”
The Jets lost to the Lions, 31-24, on Sunday, but in his third NFL game, Sadiq showed that he needs to be a focal point of Frank Reich’s offense. It’s certainly not too big for the 21-year-old, who had core muscle surgery after the Jets drafted him in the first round.
They were down their No. 2 receiver in Adonai Mitchell (finger) and their No. 1 tight end Mason Taylor (thumb) — although you can make the case that Sadiq is No. 1 now — and lost No. 1 back Breece Hall (thigh) in the fourth quarter on Sunday. Sadiq stepped up in a big way, catching seven passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.
“It's not ideal to not get those reps in training camps, so it's about just making the most of my mental reps during that time period,” Sadiq said. “So when it did get to my time to go, I just felt like I could hop in and make an impact.”
Sadiq has done that. He’s like a Swiss Army knife the Jets can line up in multiple spots and ask him to do different things. This is what they envisioned when they used the No. 16 pick on the Oregon product. Sadiq’s versatility makes him invaluable.
He scored the Jets’ first touchdown of the season on an end-around against Tennessee two weeks ago. On Sunday, he made a brilliant diving catch in the end zone for his first NFL receiving touchdown on a well-placed throw from Geno Smith.
Sadiq joined some impressive company with his 24-yard TD grab. He is the first rookie tight end to score a rushing and receiving touchdown in his first three NFL games since Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome did it in 1978.
“He is a guy that is athletically on a different level than a lot of tight ends in this league,” Glenn said. “He's extremely intelligent when it comes to just understanding football. So we want to continue to try to get him to grow in that aspect and try to get him the ball because we see what he can do.”
The Jets already have a star receiver who needs touches in Garrett Wilson, and they did a good job getting him the ball against the Lions. Wilson had 10 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown. Sadiq may have leapfrogged all of the other pass-catchers on the depth chart, though.
The injury to Hall could open up opportunities for everyone on offense. The Jets still will try to run the football with Braelon Allen taking over for Hall as the primary back, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Sadiq line up in the backfield sometimes. The Jets just need to make sure he is heavily involved in the offense. He’s proving he can handle it.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
