Taking a look at a recent Jets addition on offense
Last week, the New York Jets announced that they are signing tight end/fullback Andrew Beck to a futures deal. This was the first signing of the Darren Mougey era and today we break Beck down in detail.
The 28-year old Beck is listed at 6’3” and 255 pounds. He was undrafted out of Texas in 2019. Beck has played for a handful of NFL teams in his career, primarily Denver and Houston. During that time, he has caught 25 passes in six seasons and scored five touchdowns.
Background
Beck was a three-star inside linebacker prospect coming out of high school, but he was eventually recruited to Texas whereupon he was moved to tight end.
In his freshman year, Beck started one game but mostly contributed on special teams and didn’t register any offensive stats. However, in his sophomore year, he started 10 of 12 games and caught eight passes for 77 yards.
As a junior, he only started three games and caught four passes, but he averaged over 20 yards per catch and scored the first two touchdowns of his career.
Due to a preseason injury, Beck ended up redshirting his senior year but returned in 2018 and started 14 games on his way to all-Big 12 first team recognition. He ended the year with a career-high 28 receptions for 281 yards and two scores.
Although Beck’s stock was rising heading into the draft, following a solid showing at the East-West Shrine Bowl, he was unselected in the 2019 NFL draft and the New England Patriots signed him as an unrestricted free agent.
Beck didn’t make the Patriots roster, but he was claimed off waivers to play fullback for the Denver Broncos. He made his first start in week three and ended the year with nine catches for 90 yards and a score.
In 2020 and 2021, Beck remained with the Broncos, but he didn’t generate any offensive snaps as he played 22 games in a reserve and special teams role.
However, in 2022, Beck signed an extension with the Broncos and saw more action at tight end due to an injury. He had five catches for 69 yards.
The Houston Texans signed Beck as a free agent ahead of the 2023 season and moved him to fullback permanently. He caught 11 passes for 55 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for a score. In addition, he returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
In 2024 Houston released Beck in final cuts and he spent most of the year on the Green Bay Packers practice squad, during which time he made three appearances in a special teams role. By the end of the year, he was back on the Texans’ practice squad and made one more appearance with them.
Subsequent to the 2024 NFL season Beck was without a team until the Jets signed him to a futures deal last week.
Let’s move onto some more in-depth analysis of what Beck brings to the table as a player, based on extensive research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
Beck lacked the ideal size and length to play tight end, so moving into a fullback role made a lot of sense. He has some decent speed and strength numbers with a 4.63 in the 40-yard dash and 23 bench press reps at his pro day.
His explosiveness numbers were below average, and his agility numbers were about average.
Usage
As noted, Beck has contributed both as a fullback and tight end even when he was listed as a tight end in college. Within these roles, he’s motioned into the slot or out wide from time to time and shown that he can be a threat from there at times.
Run Blocking
Beck is a player whose run blocking grades were good in college, but have mostly been below average at the NFL level so he needs to work at his consistency.
In a fullback role, he has shown that he can be an effective lead blocker in short yardage situations.
His athleticism is an asset in the running game as he can make blocks on the move and is able to lock onto a target in space.
When making contact, Beck can bring some power and stay on his block as he knocks or drives his man back.
However, where he needs to be more consistent is in terms of his hand placement, pad level and contact angles.
Beck has had four offensive holding penalties during his career and another for an illegal block below the waist.
Pass Blocking
Beck has some experience of staying in to pass protect at the NFL level and his numbers are pretty good, with a low pressure rate and no sacks allowed.
In college, he again had a good pressure percentage, while being employed both in matchups on the edge and picking up the blitz in the backfield. However, he did give up one sack.
He stayed in to block 136 times in his final season at Texas, which was the sixth most pass block reps for any back or tight end in the power five.
Pass catching
Beck has never been a hugely productive pass catcher, although he did catch 25 passes in his final year in college, during which he showed some abilities to get open and stretch the field.
At the NFL level, he’s mostly just been used as a safety valve and hasn’t had many chances to showcase his route running abilities. However, he did showcase great hands on this grab.
His hands have generally been solid for most of his career and he usually catches the ball cleanly. However, when he was a bigger part of the passing game at Texas in 2018, he dropped seven passes, including some focus drops.
Running ability
Beck hasn’t had much success as a ball carrier, as he’s only been used in short yardage situations and averages less than one yard per carry in the NFL. He did score a one-yard touchdown though.
After the catch, he accelerates well in space, although this hasn’t been a situation he’s been in very often at the pro level. He doesn’t break a lot of tackles but can be a load to bring down.
Special Teams
Beck has been a solid special teams contributor in college and at the pro level. He’s blocked on the punt protection unit, on the placekicking unit and on kickoff returns and also made some contributions as a tackler in kickoff coverage.
He’s primarily notorious for one particular play on special teams, though, as he muffed a kickoff in a 2023 game but then scooped it up and ran it back 85 yards for a score.
Beck had one other kickoff return as an up-back at the NFL level for nine yards and one more for eight yards in college.
He has had five special teams penalties in his career.
Instincts
Beck has good positional versatility and doesn’t seem to blow obvious assignments. As a receiver he is used to leaking out into open areas and sitting down in the soft spot of zone coverage underneath.
He has had two pre-snap penalties in his career. One was a false start and the other was an illegal shift.
Attitude
Beck comes from a military background and even won the NFL Salute to Service Award in 2022. Clearly he has good discipline, character and work ethic. He is also a popular teammate.
His on-field discipline has generally been good, with just 10 penalties in his career. However, he did have an unnecessary roughness penalty.
Injuries
Beck has landed on injured reserve a couple of times during his NFL career, due to a hamstring injury and an elbow injury. He also began training camp on the PUP list one year after failing a physical with a calf issue and missed two preseason games. He’s also had minor ankle and shoulder issues.
The most serious injury of his career was in college when he broke his foot in preseason and had to redshirt the 2020 season following surgery.
Scheme Fit
Whether he’s a tight end that can also play fullback or a fullback that can also play tight end, Beck’s skill set could make him a useful addition to a Jets team that didn’t get a lot of production from their tight ends other than Tyler Conklin last year and which has had poor blocking from their non-linemen for the past few seasons.
He has a connection to Mougey and personnel exec Robbie Paton, who were with the Broncos while he was there.
Conclusions
The Jets were without a fullback last year and, based on their current depth chart at tight end, Beck probably has a good chance to make the roster in a dual role.
For Mougey to bring in a player who spent time with his previous organization might signify that he’s looking to bring in some familiar faces he can trust for culture reasons, or it could be that bringing in a fullback was a statement that the Jets are going to look to be a more hard-nosed team under the new leadership.
More likely, though, is that the Jets were aware that a player they feel can help them was available and therefore didn’t hesitate to make him a low-cost addition.
True fullbacks are essentially a dying breed in the modern NFL, so Beck can legitimately claim to be one of the best, purely because there aren’t many others who could claim to be any better. If the Jets are planning to employ one, though, they could do a lot worse than bringing in someone with a solid track record.