With Chris Herndon sidelined due to suspension, the Jets were in need of a tight end. That is why they signed former Houston Texan Ryan Griffin on Monday.
Griffin gives the Jets a red zone threat and someone who is both a capable receiver and blocker with Herndon missing the first four games of the season. Ironically enough, Griffin was a free agent due to legal trouble of his own.
In Griffin, the Jets add someone who can start in place of Herndon while adding to a depth chart that was lacking. With that said, here are four things to know about New York’s newest tight end.
What he brings to the table
In Ryan Griffin, the Jets are getting a quality red zone threat who could do some damage in the passing game while Chris Herndon is sidelined.
For his career, Griffin has 136 receptions for 1,491 yards and seven touchdowns. The Houston Texans have not primarily used a tight end effectively in the passing game since Owen Daniels wore the red and blue. However, Griffin has been someone who has thrived in the red zone, somewhere the Jets have lacked capable scoring ability in past years.
All of Griffin’s seven career touchdowns have come in the red zone, which bodes well for an offense that doesn’t want to miss a beat with Herndon out of the lineup.
Legal Trouble
An episode during the 2019 NFL draft in Nashville cost Ryan Griffin his job with the Texans.
On April 27, Griffin was arrested for public intoxication and vandalism. Griffin was allegedly drunk and punched a window inside his hotel room. He was released from jail on a $1,750 bond the next morning. The incident reportedly happened in response to the Texans selecting Kahale Warring, a tight end out of San Diego State, in the third round.
The league office is not expected to take disciplinary action at this time, as the charges were dropped.
College Standout
As a junior at the University of Connecticut, Griffin was one of 25 tight ends to be named to the John Mackey Award Midseason Watch List. The John Mackey Award is awarded annually to college football’s most outstanding tight end.
He finished his college career at UConn with 10 touchdowns and 116 receptions, second all-time by a tight end. His six touchdowns in 2012 tied for second-most by a Husky in a single season; he was subsequently named the team’s offensive player of the year.
Can he handle a starting role?
Last season was the first time that Ryan Griffin had starting expectations in his career.
He was the Texans de facto tight end following the retirement of C.J. Fiedorowicz, who retired due to a history of concussions. For most of his career, Griffin had been buried on the depth chart by Fiedorowicz, Owen Daniels and Garrett Graham.
Bill O’Brien named Griffin the outright starter in 2018, but he failed to really make his mark on the position. He started 11 of 14 games, recording 24 receptions for 305 yards and no touchdowns. Griffin competed with rookie tight end Jordan Adkins for playing time and had a sharp decrease in production from his career year in 2016.
The Jets only need to have Griffin handle the bulk of tight end targets for four weeks, but beyond that, he probably won’t be relied on as a starter.
