Jelani Woods

Jelani Woods enters his second year with the Jets, aiming to secure a depth role at tight end after a quiet 2025 season where he had minimal involvement. Facing competition from Kenyon Sadiq, Mason Taylor, and Jeremy Ruckert, Woods' path to playing time is unclear, but he hopes to recapture his rookie form and provide reliable depth for the team

Chase Curtis

TE · NYJ

Kenyon Sadiq

TE · NYJ

+3 players

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Chase Curtis will try to earn a practice squad spot

Yahoo Sports NFLJun 15, 2026, 9:00 PMSource ↗

Chase Curtis Kenyon Sadiq Mason Taylor

Through the spring and summer, we will be counting down the Jets roster player by player. We continue the series by discussing Chase Curtis. Name: Chase Curtis Number: 87 Year With Jets: 1st Projected Role: Tight end practice squad contender His 2025: Curtis’ final season at TCU saw him register 13 catches for 167 yards, and 2 touchdowns. The Jets signed him as a free agent after he went unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft. 2026 will be a success if: Curtis shows enough potential in training camp and the exhibition games to earn a practice squad slot. He is the longest of long shots to make the 53 man roster. He has a lot of development to do as a wide receiver. It would be tough to count on him to do much blocking. At a listed weight of 235 pounds, he would be one of the smallest tight ends in the league. There also aren’t many open roster spots at the position. Kenyon Sadiq , Mason Taylor , and Jeremy Ruckert are locks to be on the roster. There is no guarantee the Jets will keep a fourth. If they do, veteran Jelani Woods likely has the inside track. Curtis would do well by merely snagging a practice squad spot and giving himself a chance to continue developing. Odds of making the roster: Longshot (<25%)

Alec Pierce

WR · IND

Jelani Woods

TE · NYJ

+1 players

general

Reviewing the Chris Ballard era: The 2022 draft class

Yahoo Sports NFLJun 5, 2026, 4:00 PM+4 stories · 30dSource ↗

Alec Pierce Jelani Woods Drew Ogletree

With the 2017 through 2021 classes already reviewed, the next stop in the Chris Ballard draft review series is 2022. This was a pretty solid class, especially considering the Colts did not have a first-round pick. The strength of the class is obvious. Alec Pierce developed into a high-level receiver, Bernhard Raimann became a quality starting left tackle, and Rodney Thomas gave the Colts good value from the seventh round. Nick Cross also became a useful starter, even if his departure after the 2025 season hurts the overall evaluation. The issue is that the class thins out quickly after the top names. Jelani Woods never became the player the Colts hoped for, Eric Johnson was only a rotational piece, Andrew Ogletree has been fine as a depth tight end, and Curtis Brooks never made it to the regular season. Pierce has become a very good player for the Colts. It took him some time to get there, and that slow start does affect the grade a bit, but his 2025 season changed the way he should be viewed. Pierce emerged as one of the Colts’ most important offensive players and became a legitimate high-end receiving option. He may not be a true No. 1 in the traditional all-around sense, but he is about as good a No. 2 as you can find, and his ability to stretch the field gives the offense something every team needs. Pierce can take over games vertically. He changes how defenses align, forces safeties to respect the deep ball, and opens space underneath for other players. That type of role has real value, especially in an offense that needs explosive plays. The big contract confirms that the Colts see him as a major piece moving forward. He developed, produced, and earned a second deal with the team. It is hard to give an A or A+ based mostly on one great season, but Pierce has clearly turned into a strong pick. Grade: A- Woods is a frustrating miss. His rookie season showed real promise. He had the size, athleticism, and receiving upside to become the kind of tight end the Colts had been searching for. At a position that was wide open for years before Tyler Warren arrived, Woods had every opportunity to take control of the job. It just never happened as injuries destroyed the next few seasons, and he never became a meaningful piece of the offense. The flashes from 2022 were not enough to overcome the lack of availability and production after that. For a third-round pick, especially at a position of need, the Colts needed much much more. He eventually left for the Jets , and the Colts moved on without ever getting the payoff they hoped for. The rookie season keeps this from being a complete failure, but overall, it was a miss. Grade: D+ Raimann is the best pick of this class. Finding a quality starting left tackle in the third round is excellent value. Raimann has developed into a high-level player on the left side and has become one of the most reliable pieces on the Colts’ offensive line. He rarely misses time, rarely has truly bad games, and has given the team stability at one of the most important positions in football. He is not quite in the top three-to-five range at his position, which keeps this from being an A+, but he has emerged as a top-10 level left tackle. For a third-round pick, that is about as good as it gets. Raimann is still on the team, still playing at a high level, and still one of the better examples of Ballard finding great value outside the first round. Grade: A Cross was a good player for the Colts, but the ending hurts the grade. He brought a physical presence to the defense and gave the secondary a different type of edge. There were some rough moments, especially earlier in his career, but overall he became a net positive on the back end. His final two seasons with the Colts were quality starting seasons, and he looked like the type of player who could have remained part of the defense moving forward. That is what makes his departure so frustrating. Cross left for the Washington Commanders t [... truncated ...]

Jelani Woods

TE · NYJ

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