Tight end Jeremy Ruckert did not catch a pass in the Jets' preseason opener against Tampa Bay. He played 14 snaps on offense (8 on special teams), which isn't surprising since most of the team's veterans saw limited action in the 24-16 loss.

But his one highlight-worthy play came with a little more than 2 minutes left in the first quarter when Ruckert's block on the Bucs' outside linebacker Chris Braswell opened a gaping hole on the right side for RB Braelon Allen to blast through en route to a 31-yard TD run. The Allen dash to paydirt was the second-longest touchdown run by a Jet in the preseason since 2016.

"Yeah, obviously, super happy for him, but not a surprise for us," Ruckert said, speaking about Allen on Saturday morning. "We get to see everything he does behind closed doors, how much work he puts in, how much he takes care of his body. But yeah, I think it was good for the world to see his hard work paid off, and he's still building in the right direction, and he's going to be huge for us this year, and happy for him."

The game was Allen's first action since Week 4 last season at Miami when he sustained a season-ending knee injury. The Wisconsin native mostly stayed around the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center during the offseason dutifully rehabbing, making an impressive body even bigger and stronger.

For Ruckert, a Long Island native and lifelong Jets fan preparing for his fifth year in the NFL, the coming season presents a challenge and an opportunity. He's part of a formidable tight ends room that now includes a pair of high draft picks -- Kenyon Sadiq this year, Mason Taylor last year and highly regarded Jelani Woods. Offenses overseen by coordinator Frank Reich are known to feature the TEs in multiple formations, which should provide opportunities for all the men in the room.

"I think it was good to get back out there," Ruckert said. "You know, be in the huddle again in a live scenario here, play again on the field when the bullets are flying for real. I thought that our group did a pretty good job early on in the game moving the ball down the field. It was just good to be out there, go through a pregame routine, and you know, get into the stadium and start feeling like it was for real again."

Allen (4-44) and Breece Hall (4-16), each of whom played only in the first quarter, combined for 60 of the Jets' 91 rush yards in the game from 8 carriers against a Tampa Bay defense that has in recent seasons been stout against opposing offenses -- it was No. 5 in the league in rush yards allowed last season.

"I think it was good to go against another team," Ruckert said. "It was physical. It was competitive. That's a defense that's really hard to run the ball against. And I thought we had some really good dirty runs and being able to showcase what we want to be this year. There are things that we need to clean up, obviously, but like I said, being able to go against another team and against a defense that's schematically good was good for us, and it'll be good to get us ready to go."

Looking ahead to the regular season, which begins at Tennessee on Sept. 13, Ruckert said that the tight ends are ready to contribute in myriad ways.

"I think the same mission every year, same goal is just to show this coaching staff that they can trust me to do whatever to lead the room and do any part of the position," he said. "I think that our room is so well-rounded. We obviously have people with special skills in our room that can do certain things in a really good way. But this part of the season is about gaining the confidence to be on the field all three downs for all of us, be able to do anything that they ask of us, and also be the group that the quarterbacks, the coaching staff, the rest of the team can lean on when things get tough and just be that competitive unit."