New York Jets tight end Jeremy Ruckert (89) gestures to the crowd in the second half. The Jets defeat the Bills in overtime, 22-16, in the home opener at MetLife Stadium on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023, in East Rutherford.
One can only imagine what a frustrating couple of years the past two seasons have been for Jets tight end Jeremy Ruckert.
A Long Island native from Lindenhurst who grew up a New York Jets fan. Being selected by his childhood team was a dream come true. But since being drafted, Ruckert has been an afterthought on offense through his first two seasons.
After landing with the Jets in the 2022 draft, Ruckert had what essentially amounted to a redshirt season as a rookie. Despite appearing in nine contests, he managed just 1 reception for 8 yards on two targets for the season.
With hopes of getting more involved in 2023, things didn’t go much better. Poor quarterback play paired with poor play calling meant Ruckert would manage just 16 receptions for 151 yards in year two. It’s time to stop allowing Ruckert to play the role of invisible man on offense.
If all goes according to plan and Aaron Rodgers manages to play a full season, it would push offensive coordinator Nate Hackett into the background while Rodgers runs the offense and hopefully sees what Ruckert can bring.
The 6′ 5” 250 Ruckert has the size and hands to be, at the very least, an excellent red zone threat. Should the Jets choose to maximize what Ruckert brings, they’d give him all of the fullback reps that currently go to Nick Bawden and sprinkle in a few targets out of the backfield.
Whether or not the Jets make an effort to get Jeremy Ruckert the ball remains to be seen, but the more weapons they utilize on offense, the more opposing defenses will have to prepare for.