The New York Jets dropped their fifth consecutive contest on Sunday, losing 37-22 to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5. They're now the NFL's lone 0-5 team. If there was a positive development, it was rookie tight end Mason Taylor enjoying a breakout performance.
Taylor recorded a team-high nine receptions for 67 receiving yards. He saw more targets (12) than Garrett Wilson (10) did. With the Jets trailing by multiple scores, Taylor became Justin Fields’ go-to target throughout the second half. He technically had a 10th catch that doesn’t get recorded, by having caught a two-point conversion.
Mason Taylor finds the end zone for a 2-point conversion
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 5, 2025
📺: #DALvsNYJ on FOX pic.twitter.com/Z8uuAfyrEk
Taylor first teased a breakout in last week’s primetime loss to the Miami Dolphins. The former LSU standout registered five receptions for 65 yards in Week 4. Taylor built on that showing and carried the momentum over to the following contest.
Taylor's target share has increased every single week throughout 2025. From 5-10% in Weeks 1 and 2, Taylor's target share expanded to 26% and 27% across the previous two contests. His 12 targets on Sunday were more than any single-game appearance during his LSU career, per CBS Sports.
Taylor saw a 22.08% target share of the Jets' air yards. Entering Monday Night Football, his 12 targets are tied for a league-leading amount with Puka Nacua and Stefon Diggs in Week 5. The Jets' offense was efficient and dangerous when Taylor was on the field. His EPA (Expected Points Added) per play was a positive 0.30, with an overall EPA of 3.9, per RBSDM.
Jets TE Mason Taylor in his last two games:
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) October 6, 2025
7 TAR + 5 REC + 65 Yards
12 TAR + 9 REC + 67 Yards
Quickly becoming the No. 2 option in the Jets passing attack. pic.twitter.com/iSIAw9QMlt
Taylor also created considerable separation on his targets. He was a QB-friendly option for Fields, creating an average of 3.2 yards of separation on his targets, according to Next Gen Stats. That was second-most on the Jets, and surpasses the league-average mark of 2.98 yards.
The Jets entered the season with no clear-cut No. 2 passing-game option behind Wilson. It turns out Taylor has seized that role in recent weeks without much pushback from veteran options like Allen Lazard or Josh Reynolds.
It's worth acknowledging that the majority of Taylor's production occurred in garbage time. Five of his nine receptions arrived on the Jets' final two offensive possessions of the fourth quarter when they were trailing 30-6 and 37-14. However, the Jets are a woeful, winless team, so garbage-time opportunities should be present for Taylor all campaign long.
The rebuilding Jets are 0-5. They currently own the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and are likely to select a quarterback next April. Head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey are using this season to identify long-term solutions. Taylor is emerging as a building block.
The Jets are predictably miserable, but Taylor is emerging as a bright spot in a lost campaign. The rookie playmaker is the second-most reliable target on the offense behind Wilson. Expect Fields to continue peppering him with targets. Taylor appears capable of taking full advantage of those opportunities.
