Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-17 · by Dennis Waszak Jr. The Associated Press
In an NFL game between the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans, Jets head coach Frank Reich used a rare offensive formation with five tight ends on the field simultaneously during the third quarter. This 05 personnel package hasn't been observed in at least two decades according to NFL analytics research. The move reflects Reich's innovative play-calling strategy and leverages the versatility of the Jets' deep tight end roster, which includes rookie Kenyon Sadiq and others with diverse skills like blocking and receiving.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Frank Reich added an eyebrow-raising wrinkle to the New York Jets’ offense last Sunday that had even the most keen-eyed observers wondering if they were seeing things.
asserted
they → add → things
That’s right, five.
On the same play.
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That → ’ → play
“I don’t think I’ve ever been on the field with five tight ends at one time,” said a smiling quarterback Geno Smith, who’s in his 14th NFL season.
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who → think → season
Rookie Kenyon Sadiq was set up to Smith’s right in the backfield.
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Sadiq → set → backfield
Mason Taylor was lined up wide right.
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Taylor → line → ?
“Split out, get out, let’s go!” Beck said with a laugh.
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Beck → split → laugh
Oh, and while Beck is listed on the roster as a fullback, that’s a label only.
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that → list → fullback
“Yeah, he’s a tight end, for sure,” Smith insisted.
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Smith → ’ → ?
Added Reich: “Beck has not been in a running back meeting the whole year, just to set the record straight on that.
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Beck → add → that
He’s always in the tight end room.
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He → ’ → room
But what does Beck consider his official position?
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Beck → consider → ?
“He’s the boss,” a smiling Beck said.
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Beck → ’ → ?
“So, I’m a tight end, man.”
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I → ’m → ?
There you have it: Five tight ends, one play.
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you → have → ends
Or, for the technical football types, it was a rarely used “05 personnel” package.
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it → use → types
“I had one of our analytics guys see, ‘Has this happened before?’” Reich said.
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Reich → have → guys
“I was thinking maybe there wasn’t.
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I → think → ?
That’s not why we did it.
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we → ’ → it
It was just that we have five good tight ends.
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we → have → ends
So, he went back 20 years and he couldn’t find any evidence of 05 personnel.
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he → go → personnel
While the numbers fluctuate each week, most NFL teams only carry three tight ends on their active rosters, let alone four.
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teams → fluctuate → rosters
And forget five, if you count Beck in the group, as the Jets do.
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Jets → forget → group
“I think that room is a weapon for us,” coach Aaron Glenn said.
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Glenn → think → us
And that package apparently worked against the Titans, who gave up a 7-yard run to Smith with the five tight ends on the field — and then were called for too many men on the field on Breece Hall’s touchdown run on the next play with just two tight ends lined up.
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ends → work → play
“We’re laughing and joking about the five tight ends stuff, but really, it speaks more to his creativity as a play caller, man,” Beck said of Reich.
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Beck → laugh → Reich
“And I think that’s what makes us so dangerous is we can do a lot of different things out of a lot of different personnel groups.”
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we → think → groups
Smith and the coaches have raved about the tight ends group since training camp, saying it’s a key to the revamped offense under Reich.
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it → rave → Reich
While blocking is the strength for Ruckert and Beck, Taylor — the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor — was a second-round pick last year out of LSU who caught 44 passes in 13 games as a rookie.
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who → catch → rookie
Woods is a 6-foot-7 tight end who can create mismatches, especially in the red zone.
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who → create → zone
Then there’s Sadiq, a first-round pick in April out of Oregon whose speed and athleticism make him one of the team’s most versatile playmakers.
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him → ’ → playmakers
He showed it last Sunday by joining Cleveland’s Ozzie Newsome (1978) as the only NFL tight ends to score on touchdown runs in their debuts.
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He → show → debuts
Sadiq did so on a 3-yard scamper during which he outraced a few Titans defenders to end end zone.
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he → do → zone
They all certainly give Reich options on offense, and a package of three tight ends, one running back and one wide receiver — also called 13 personnel, a growing trend in the NFL — could be a common sight for the Jets.
uncertain
package → give → Jets
“They’re a well-rounded group, very talented group,” Smith said.
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Smith → ’re → ?
“They work extremely hard — kind of the glue guys.
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They → work → ?
They bring everything together on the offense.
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They → bring → offense
And so it’s great to see all five of them out there on the field at once and we’ll try and get the ball to each one of them when we can.
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we → ’ → them
“I like it for those tight ends,” Reich said.
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Reich → like → ends
“It’s something funny.
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It → ’ → ?
You’ve got to have those little things in this league.
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You → get → league
…and 3 more, not listed.
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