The New York Jets needed weapons for Justin Fields, and the first one to walk through the doors was second-round pick Mason Taylor.
The LSU tight end will come to the Big Apple and will look to establish himself as a key component of Tanner Engstrand’s offense.
With Tyler Conklin, who was a solid and consistent contributor in his time with the Jets, now out, a spot has opened up for Taylor to take the starting role from Day 1.
And for John Butchko, when talking on the Locked On Jets podcast, that says more about the state of the Jets’ tight end room than it does Taylor.
“Taylor is probably going to be the number one tight end on this team,” Butchko said. “I think that says as much about the Jets’ tight end room as it does about Mason Taylor. Not to say Mason Taylor was an outrageous pick at 42, I don’t think the Jets reached for him, but I think that he’s a guy who’s not a finished product right now.
“I think the Jets are just kind of gonna throw him out there and hope that they get good results.”
With Jeremy Ruckert and Stone Smart, the Jets don’t have a player who has shown they can handle the starting role or is capable of it.
Enter Taylor, who might take the position simply because he’s a second-round pick.
Now, we know that Aaron Glenn won’t be giving the starting role away, but if we are being truthful, the tight end “battle,” if you want to call it that, that might ensue at training camp, should be won by Taylor.
The Jets clearly see something in Mason and have big hopes for him down the line, and who knows, maybe throwing him in the deep end in his rookie season will see favorable results.
Yes, Mason might be the Jets starting tight end in 2025, but it might be out of necessity more than anything, however, you can bet that Taylor will be determined to prove he’s worthy of the role.
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