Justin Fields' College Teammate Tabbed 'Player To Watch' For Jets

The New York Jets signed Justin Fields this offseason and reunited him with a duo of pass catchers from his days at Ohio State. Garrett Wilson is the obvious connection from Fields' time in college, but tight end Jeremy Ruckert played a few seasons with the Buckeyes as a teammate of Fields', too.

Craig Moffett of USA Today recently listed Ruckert as one of the Jets' players to watch during the team's minicamp.

"It's unlikely that Ruckert's spot is in any serious jeopardy, but it's no secret that he's been disappointing since being drafted in the third round of the 2022 draft," Moffett wrote. "He didn't get much time to shine in the offense under Robert Saleh, but Aaron Glenn likes his potential saying, 'There's a lot of meat on the bone with that player.' The Jets drafted Mason Taylor in the second round and he's the favorite to be the starting tight end.

"They've also been linked as a potential landing spot for Atlanta's Kyle Pitts and Baltimore's Mark Andrews should either become available in a trade. Ruckert has the ability. It's time for him to start showing it."

Ruckert was never a huge weapon with Fields at Ohio State. He never posted more than a few hundred receiving yards in a season, though a lot of that could be attributed to all the weapons Ohio State had. But the tight end was a monster in the red zone for the Buckeyes.

Fields routinely targeted Ruckert near the goal line and that kind of trust could carry over to the NFL. While Ruckert will battle with 2025 NFL Draft pick Mason Taylor for playing time, it wouldn't be a shock to see the Ohio State product bring in more than a handful of touchdowns this year.