A long-awaited return.
New York Jets tight end Kenyon Sadiq underwent surgery earlier this offseason that knocked him out for the final week of OTAs and all of mandatory minicamp. He was expected to make his return for training camp, and he delivered on that expectation.
“The Jets are easing Sadiq back in after he missed the spring. He’s a unique-looking player, not especially tall compared to other tight ends (6-foot-3), but he’s jacked, strong, and extremely fast. He had a nice block on Will McDonald during team drills, and it will be fun to watch him get more reps as camp progresses,” Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic wrote.
A Sigh of Relief
Over the last 10 years, the track record of Jets coaches providing accurate medical updates has been wishy-washy at best.
Head coach Aaron Glenn seemed extremely confident that both Sadiq and rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik would be ready to go for camp.
Klubnik had a back issue come up that forced him to miss mandatory minicamp.
This time, it was an accurate prediction by Glenn because both Klubnik and Sadiq were on the field for the Jets on the first practice of training camp on Wednesday, July 29.
“Rookie Cade Klubnik was up next in team drills, and he completed his first two passes to undrafted rookie tight end Chase Curtis and [Isaiah] Davis. During seven-on-seven, he completed passes to Jamaal Pritchett, Curtis, tight end Kenyon Sadiq and fullback Andrew Beck. His one incompletion could’ve been special: wide receiver Arian Smith was streaking wide open on a post route, Klubnik fired it to him in rhythm in a perfect spot, and… Smith dropped it. Smith also dropped a pass in drills earlier in the day, repeating a problem he’s had since his college days,” Rosenblatt wrote.
“In Klubnik’s final run, he threw a pass behind [Isaiah] Williams and had another lightly tipped at the line of scrimmage; Sadiq attempted a sliding catch, but it bounced off him and into the arms of linebacker Mykal Walker for a pick,” Rosenblatt said. “All told, Klubnik went 2 of 4 in 11-on-11 with an interception and 3 of 4 in seven-on-seven.”
An Exciting Quote
After practice, coach Glenn was asked about Sadiq.
“Obviously, he’s big, man, he’s big. He’s 250 pounds, and we know he runs a 4.3, he has really good hands. To be able to utilize him in a number of different ways, and again, I don’t want to sit there and talk about how we’re going to use him, it’s really exciting. To match him up with the other tight ends that we have, I think that room it’s really improving, I really do. It’s good to have him out there. We’re going to take it slow with him to make sure he can catch up on everything he needs to catch up with, but he’s going to be a huge weapon for us, and I’m looking forward to how we’re going to utilize him,” Glenn told the media.
Rosenblatt said Sadiq is “expected to play a role right away” for the Jets offense.
The green and white have multiple options at the tight end position. That should provide a floor versus a ceiling for the Jets’ offense. If no one else is open, Sadiq and the other tight ends can be a security blanket. However, he can also challenge the defense vertically.
Sadiq should be a fun chess piece for offensive coordinator Frank Reich in 2026.
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