By Darryl Slater | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

As the Jets prepare to begin training camp, we are previewing their positions. So far, we have done the wide receivers and running backs. Now, on to the tight ends. Will Chris Herndon or Jordan Leggett be the starter? Let's take a look at our preview.

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Aaron Doster | USA TODAY Sports

The Jets drafted Herndon in Round 4 this year.

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HOW DID THIS GROUP PERFORM LAST YEAR?

The Jets drafted Leggett in Round 5, but weren't able to get anything from him. He missed the entire season with a knee injury. Austin Seferian-Jenkins wound up being the Jets' unquestioned tight end. And he was fine, but not a star. He caught 50 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns. Eric Tomlinson was the Jets' second-most productive tight end in the passing game — eight catches, 121 yards, one touchdown.

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WHO IS THE STAR FOR 2018?

Seferian-Jenkins left for the Jaguars in free agency. Tomlinson is more of a blocking tight end. So Leggett (essentially a rookie) and Herndon (a true rookie) will battle for the starting job in training camp. There is no single star in this tight end room yet. And the Leggett-Herndon situation might wind up being a fairly equitable workload split, rather than one guy handling the bulk of things.

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WHAT DOES SUPPORTING CAST LOOK LIKE?

Expect the Jets to retain three tight ends. Leggett and Herndon are locks to make the roster. Tomlinson probably is, since he is a strong blocking tight end. He can do some things in the passing game, in terms of catching the ball, but that isn't his speciality. The Jets will rely heavily on him to block, though.

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Darryl Slater | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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WHO IS ON ROSTER BUBBLE?

Right now, it looks like every tight end besides Leggett, Herndon, and Tomlinson is either a roster bubble or roster long-shot player. Those guys are Bucky Hodges, Clive Walford, and Neal Sterling. Can one of them perhaps unseat Tomlinson as the No. 3 tight end?

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ONE BIG STORYLINE

Seferian-Jenkins was a productive player for the Jets last season, even though he isn't a elite tight end. How will the Jets go about replacing his production? Can the combination of Herndon and Leggett get it done? It'll probably be more of a combo job than either Herndon or Leggett solely replacing Seferian-Jenkins' stats.

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ANOTHER BIG STORYLINE

Obviously, the battle for the No. 1 tight end job between Herndon and Leggett is the biggest storyline. But one storyline that sometimes gets overlooked with tight ends is blocking. We know Tomlinson can do it. But if Herndon and Leggett are going to play a lot of snaps, they'll have to prove they're more than just pass-catching tight ends. They'll both need to demonstrate that they are capable blockers.

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POSSIBLE RISING STAR

Well, since neither Leggett nor Herndon has played a single NFL regular season snap, both guys would qualify as potential rising stars. Neither guy was a high draft pick, though, so how much can the Jets really expect, in terms of one of them turning into a top-line tight end? We shall see.

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Darryl Slater | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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POTENTIAL SURPRISE

It would qualify as something of a surprise if Hodges, Walford, or Sterling is able to unseat Tomlinson as the Jets' No. 3 tight end. The Jets' coaches know what they have in Tomlinson, from last year. They feel good about his blocking. So Hodges, Walford, or Sterling would have to make a big move in training camp.

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ANY INJURY CONCERNS?

Leggett missed all of last season with a knee injury, and Herndon tore his MCL in December. But by the end of spring practices, both players appeared to be full speed. Expect both to be full-go on Day 1 of training camp, but it'll be worth monitoring how their knees hold up during the course of training camp.

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IS POSITION BETTER OR WORSE THAN LAST YEAR?

Hard to say it is better. Seferian-Jenkins was a solid option for the Jets, though not a star. They could count on him for something, at least. They now have two relative unknowns in Herndon and Leggett, because the Jets opted to not sign a proven free agent tight end to replace Seferian-Jenkins. So maybe the position is a bit worse, at this point, but it's really impossible to say for sure until things really unfold.

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WHAT JETS NEED FROM THIS GROUP IN 2018

It would be unreasonable to expect Herndon or Leggett to go out and be a star immediately in 2018. The Jets have some other offensive options, though not a ton of them. So they do need something from their tight end group. Let's see Herndon and Leggett actually play an NFL snap first, though. On the flip side, the Jets' lack of offensive weapons means there is a possible opening for Herndon and Leggett to contribute.

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Darryl Slater | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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PREVIOUS POSITION PREVIEWS

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Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DarrylSlater. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.