Mason Taylor has a lot to be excited about: getting his first true offseason since high school, learning a new offensive scheme and the chance to improve.

"I put a lot of pressure on myself to be a really good football player and I think there's some things I can look at to be better," Taylor said. "Just being honest with myself."

That honesty more than impressed head coach Aaron Glenn: in In March, he said the tight end is "going to have a hell of a year."

"That was a real conversation and he was very adamant about the things he wanted to get better at," Glenn said of their interview. "Again, another player with a chip on his shoulder and I feel like he understands what he has to get better at and how he's going to go about doing it."

As a rookie, Taylor led the Jets in targets (65) and receptions (44), but Taylor wants to be more of an explosive player. In the run game that means moving guys off the ball and in the pass game it's running after the catch.

"Some of it was being schemed, a little bit of schematics being schemed open in those areas, but also being that dude where no one's going to tackle me and having that mentality for that run after catch, kind of that explosive play mentality, is something I'm looking forward to this year,"

An Offense of Opportunity
In Frank Reich's offensive scheme, the Jets spent OTAs and mandatory minicamp learning, Taylor sees "endless opportunities," especially for the tight ends.

"[Reich] likes to use us," Taylor said about the scheme. "The more we can go out and practice and prove ourselves, we make plays and we can be versatile … [and] dictate what the defenses have to do instead of them dictating what we do, it gives us that advantage that we need."

Reich's system resonates well with players because he trusts their instincts and strengths.

"Everyone's going to have their role and I just think it's going to be really exciting because we're going to be unstoppable actually because there's so many options and if you want to shut down the tight ends, then there's Garrett [Wilson] and the receivers."

In April, the Jets drafted Kenyon Sadiq, the playmaking tight end from Oregon, and Taylor said he's been a great addition to the room. While Sadiq didn't participate in OTAs or minicamp because of a hernia procedure, he will be ready to go by training camp.

"Explosiveness, right out the get-go," said Taylor on what the Jets are getting with the rookie. "The more we can show coach that we can be in 12 personnel sets, 13 personnel sets all game … and Sadiq will partake in that."

Making the Adjustment
Adjusting to the NFL isn't always the easiest. Taylor only played in 13 games after a nagging neck injury resulted in him being placed on injured reserve before the end of the season. But regardless of the injury, Taylor said he felt better physically by the end of the season than he did mentally.

"The mental stuff was just so much pressure, a lot of things week and week out with playbooks, new defenses," Taylor explained. "You're taking on a lot being in the building for that long and you know, watching tape, going over more and more installs that took more of a toll on me than physically."

Taylor used the offseason as a reset, taking a few weeks to himself to spend time with friends and family away from football before easing back into physical training with running and hot yoga.

"Stretching is really important, those things before you start to build your body back up and power lift and hit the field," Taylor said.

The pads will come on soon enough, and Taylor and the TE group can start making its case to Reich. While Taylor's had a lot to be excited for this offseason, it's the "selfless mentality" of the group that has him eager for what's next.

"We're all here for the Jets, we're not here for ourselves," Taylor said. "We're trying to be the best team we can possibly be, and as a tight end group we're going to display our talent on the field and let the coaches handle the rest."