Jets Plan To Work Kenyon Sadiq In Slowly

By the Editorial Team · Wednesday, August 26, 2026

The New York Jets will slowly incorporate rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq into their offense due to a lingering injury that limited his early training camp participation. This cautious approach aims to protect Sadiq’s long-term health while leveraging his promising college performance as the team prepares for the regular season.

The New York Jets plan to gradually integrate rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq into their offense following a limited start to training camp caused by a lingering injury. Sadiq, the team’s first-round pick (16th overall) in April’s NFL draft, participated in only the first three practices before a setback related to a spring hernia operation sidelined him. He has been inactive since then.

Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich acknowledged on Tuesday that Sadiq’s early absence will require a cautious approach to his playing time. “There’s no doubt we’ll scale it back. We’ll have to work him in slowly,” Reich said. “Can’t rush it, as much as we would like to. The good thing is he’s very smart and we’ve said it all before. He’ll be as ready as you can be, but there’s nothing like practice.”

The team initially described Sadiq’s missed practice on August 3 as a “maintenance” day, but head coach Aaron Glenn later referred to it as a “little setback.” Since then, Sadiq has been working on the sidelines with trainers. Despite the delay, the Jets remain optimistic about the 6-foot-3, 241-pound tight end’s potential contributions. During his final collegiate season at Oregon, Sadiq recorded 51 receptions for 560 yards and eight touchdowns.

In other roster developments, the Jets have reportedly settled their preseason competition for the kicking position. Jason Sanders, who missed the entire previous season and was released by the New York Giants earlier this year, has secured the job over Cade York, according to special teams coordinator Chris Banjo. The Jets subsequently waived York.

“We feel really, really good about what Jason is and where we are with him right now,” Banjo said, highlighting Sanders’s familiarity with kicking in the division. With NFL teams required to cut rosters down to 53 players by Sunday, the Jets may still explore additional options if necessary, despite Sanders’ current standing.

As the regular season approaches, the Jets face key decisions regarding player availability and integration, particularly with young talents like Sadiq recovering from injury setbacks.

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