Mason Taylor putting in the work with expectations raised for second Jets season

Mason Taylor and Geno Smith may have immediate chemistry this season and that won’t be by accident. The two spent hours working out together in the offseason in South Florida.They would meet around noon three or four days a week and spend 60-90 minutes on a scorching hot turf field getting to know each other.  Text with Brian Costello all season as he brings Sports+ subscribers the latest Jets intel from on the field and off.

“We put a lot of work in the offseason, he was always willing to get out there, it was super hot, but he didn’t mind it,” Smith said.“South Florida kid, seemed to be that way.

But he’s a guy who I think is going to be a great player in this league for a long time.” Taylor said it was beneficial for him to get “on the same page” with Smith and get to know what he likes from his tight ends.This is a huge season for the 22-year-old from LSU.

Taylor was a second-round pick by the Jets last year, but his rookie season was hindered by a dismal offense with awful quarterback play. How bad was it? In what could be a trivia question someday, Taylor’s only touchdown catch as a rookie was thrown by running back Breece Hall. There are bigger expectations for Taylor this season with Smith at quarterback and Frank Reich at offensive coordinator.The team drafted tight end Kenyon Sadiq in the first round this year, which raised questions about Taylor’s role, but he has been everywhere this summer.

While Sadiq has missed almost the entire training camp with a setback from hernia surgery, Taylor has been making highlight-reel catches. “I thought he did a really good job, and I think you guys saw some of the plays he made out there,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said.“I would say in general, one of the things that he really improved on that we talked about in the exit meetings is his ability to catch and be able to get yards after the catch.

I thought he did a really good job with that.He made some unbelievable catches in thi...