FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The moment was small enough that most people didn’t notice — or, maybe, care. It was a minute detail toward the end of a miserable New York Jets season, occurring late in another blowout loss. A Jets tight end lined up on the left side of the line of scrimmage. When quarterback Brady Cook took the snap, the tight end blocked a New England Patriots linebacker before leaking across the middle. Cook found him. The tight end caught the ball as he fell to the ground.And then life went on. It registered as a 4-yard reception in the box score. But for Jelani Woods, it was much more.“It was meaningful,” Woods said, his large frame — 6-foot-7, 253 pounds, 83-inch wingspan — crowding a small chair at the Jets facility after a recent practice.Woods went 1,085 days between catches. Injuries robbed him of two full seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, stalling what was an otherwise promising start to his career. His athletic testing leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft was historic — according to one measurement, it was the most impressive testing for any tight end prospect since at least 1987. But despite a 4.61-second 40-yard dash and 37.5-inch vertical leap, Woods couldn’t outrun or out-jump the imbalance in his body. A hamstring strain cost him one season. Turf toe cost him another. Two full seasons, and most of a third, without playing a football game that counted.Woods had to relearn his body. Specialists discovered things he was doing, or not doing, that could have contributed to his injuries. He changed his regimen, his workouts and his approach to fitness. It wasn’t until he walked through the doors at the Jets facility for the first time, after the Colts gave up on him, that he started to feel like himself again.Now, he’s thriving. Last week, he caught a touchdown toward the end of an intrasquad scrimmage. Quarterback Geno Smith recently was asked to name someone on offense who had surprised him. The quarterback’s answer: Jelani Woods.“I like the way he’s been making plays,” Smith said.Jets coach Aaron Glenn lights up when he talks about Woods. He’s played his way into a role in a new Jets offense that is going to emphasize the tight end position. If he was on the bubble to make the team at the start of training camp, he isn’t anymore.“It’s training camp. It seems hard, but just going through the past two, three years makes me appreciate waking up in the morning like, all right, I got another opportunity to just get better,” Woods said. “You appreciate it way more. So, on days like today, when you’re just grinding — you gotta love it. I’ve got a whole different mindset now.”Woods has found his place, and his peace. All it took was his body feeling like it was in one piece.The two early MVPs of Jets training campZack RosenblattWoods returned to the Jets facility in March to re-sign with the team that claimed him off waivers last summer. As he walked through to the coaches offices, he saw Glenn first. The coach saw him and smiled; the two have developed a bond. Woods kept walking, heading to meet new tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts for the first time. But Frank Reich’s office comes first in the hallway.Woods and Reich locked eyes. They both smiled. Reich “shot up” out of his seat, Woods said, and yelled: “JELANI!”They hugged “for a good little minute”, Woods said, and then Frank, jubilant, told him: “Man, I’m so glad to have you back!”