Second-year tight end Mike Gesicki is looking a little thicker these days. After a frustrating rookie campaign, Gesicki has been on a mission this off-season, hoping to exhaust all options as he looks to gain the needed edge. The first place he looked was at his number. That changed from 86 to 88.
And now we know he’s been hard at work in the weight room, too. Gesicki met with the media yesterday and, when asked, announced that he has put approximately 13 pounds onto his frame.
It’s an encouraging development for Gesicki, who clearly has the needed athleticism to be an effective receiver in the pros but was overwhelmed and overmatched at times in 2018. Getting extra muscle onto his frame figures to be an essential boost for Gesicki.
“I played last year at probably 240. Now I’m like 253. I feel good,” said Gesicki.
It’s actually a pretty stunning revelation. At 240 pounds, Gesicki was still used in pass protection for 20% of his snaps as a rookie. A bad offensive line can force you to make some concessions with your game planning, sure. But to put a rookie flex tight end — especially one weighing 240 pounds — and ask him to be a key figure in pass protection is a pretty baffling decision for former coach Adam Gase to justify. Thankfully, that’s now the problem of the New York Jets.
Gesicki is just ready to prove the added weight can help him take the next step. Or at least give his pads a little extra juice.
“Yeah…that’s the goal.”
