Jets trade TE Chris Herndon and 2022 6th-round pick to Vikings

In an abrupt and sudden move, the Minnesota Vikings found their insurance policy for second-year TE Irv Smith Jr. The Alabama product was lost to a season-ending torn meniscus and GM Rick Spielman needed to quickly find his plug-and-play.

That’s where the New York Jets came into play. The Jets traded TE Chris Herndon and a 2022 6th-round pick to the Vikings in exchange for a 2022 4th-round pick.

Why the trade was made:

TE Kyle Rudolph is no longer with the Vikings as he was viewed as a cap casualty, thus making him a UFA before signing with the New York Giants on a one-year prove-it deal. Ultimately, that paved the way for Irv Smith, but that's all for not, thus the immediate trade for Herndon.

The Jets traded Herndon, who has struggled both on and off the football field. Since entering the league in 2018 as a fourth-round pick (No. 107), he has dealt with a DUI, hamstring injury, and numerous dropped passes.

On the flip side, the Jets have high hopes for TE Tyler Kroft, who they signed from the Buffalo Bills on a one-year deal. Kroft is a player who will be a nice fantasy football red zone target simply due to his large frame.

I'm told the guy is hovering around 260 pounds this year, up from 240-245 in 2020, and should be a nice fantasy football find in the later rounds (depending on the number of teams in your league).

Kroft injury history/system-fit:

Kroft does come with a warning label. He is injury-prone. Since entering the league in 2015 as a third-round pick (No. 85), Kroft has had trouble staying on the field. In 2018 he broke his left foot. In 2019 suffered a re-brake of the foot and a high ankle sprain. In 2020, Kroft was then underutilized in Bills OC Brian Daboll's system, which often used spread formations, empty sets, and 5-wides, diminishing Kroft's ability to be a receiving threat down the seams. But that should change in New York.

Jets OC Mike LaFleur:

LaFleur loves incorporating TEs into the passing game. I should know, I covered him as a beat writer for the 49ers during his tenure. Don't be shocked if Kroft is used as a second to the third option from inside the 10-yard line. I think Kroft is poised for 6-9 TDs in 2021 with 75% of those TDs coming inside the red zone. He’s proven to be a nice target when given the opportunity, evident by scoring multiple red-zone touchdowns in the Week 2 preseason game.

Bottom line:

While I do like the move for Kroft over TE Ryan Griffin, don't expect him to put up TE George Kittle numbers. He's a 500-600 yard TE at best who will see his fair share of security-blanket targets from rookie first-round pick QB Zach Wilson down the seams.

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