The Jets invested heavily in D’Angelo Ponds and Kenyon Sadiq, using two of their first four draft selections on players they believed could contribute right away.
Those early expectations have been tempered after both rookies were sidelined for nearly all of training camp. Still, with the regular-season opener against the Titans approaching, there are encouraging signs for each.
Sadiq got back on the practice field last week, while Ponds took part in Tuesday’s session for the first time in more than a month, giving the Jets a welcome boost as Week 1 draws closer.
Of the two, Sadiq appears more likely to be available Sunday against Tennessee. The athletic tight end from Oregon is ahead of Ponds, the former Indiana cornerback, in his return.
“I feel really good,” Sadiq told The Post. “I think I’ll be involved for sure [Sunday].”
The 16th overall pick in April’s draft, Sadiq took part in the first three practices of training camp.
He then missed nearly a month due to a setback from a spring hernia operation.
Last year at Oregon, he caught 51 passes for 560 yards and eight touchdowns.
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During the first practice of training camp July 29, Ponds suffered a calf strain.
He felt it grab while running sprints. It wasn’t thought to be serious at the time — coach Aaron Glenn said he would be “just fine” that day — but Ponds missed the rest of camp.
“It’s been tough, I can’t lie to you on that,” said Ponds, a second-round pick (50th overall). “The longest I’ve ever been out. … I didn’t think it was going to be this long. But I’m ready now, ready to get back to it.”
It hasn’t diminished his self-belief, though. He’s just eager to get up to speed.
“I’m a confident guy,” he said. “Playing that position, you have to be confident.”
One positive is that the two had each other to lean on, as highly drafted players missing most of training camp. They went through rehab together, and now they are back on the practice field.
“Obviously we’re behind, but there’s no pressure,” Sadiq said. “We’re trying to go out there and do what we’ve done our whole lives, which has gotten us to this point.”