Friday night, New York Jets tight end Jace Amaro showed the team what it was hoping to see when it took him in the second round of this year's draft.
Amaro's 6-foot-5 presence was felt in the middle of the field, as the rookie hauled in four catches for 37 yards and a touchdown against the New York Giants.
He's faced a pretty steep learning curve entering the pro game but looked the part of an NFL starter running routes in the Jets' third preseason game.
“The kid gets better and better and better," Jets coach Rex Ryan said, via the NY Post. "That’s the thing you love about this guy. His blocking when he first got here, I was like, ‘ohh,’ but now he’s competing. He’s doing all that kind of stuff.
"The kid works. He works his tail off. That’s why I think we all see the improvement that he’s making. I’m excited about it. That’s a big, old target to throw to."
Amaro has seen a bulk of the tight end work for most of the preseason with returner Jeff Cumberland sidelined to an ailment. That extra work has been just what Amaro needed.
“The first couple of weeks I had those struggles in training camp but I really felt comfortable today," Amaro said, via NewYorkJets.com. "With Jeff [Cumberland] being out these last two weeks, it really has helped me, playing 50-plus snaps in these games.
"It's just really helped me out a lot to really feel the offense and just get real comfortable. Today I felt a lot better than I did last week and a step ahead from the first preseason game."
Amaro is undoubtedly the Jets' most intriguing passing target heading into this year given his size and upside, and he'll be given every chance to succeed both mid-drive and in the red zone. If his blocking continues to improve, he'll challenge Jeff Cumberland for the 1a position.
Amaro is undoubtedly the Jets' most intriguing passing target heading into this year given his size and upside, and he'll be given every chance to succeed both mid-drive and in the red zone. If his blocking continues to improve, he'll challenge Jeff Cumberland for the 1a position.
