The hot days of training camp continue.
The Jets have two weeks of camp remaining, with two more joint practices with the Panthers and Giants, plus preseason games against both teams.
Now seems like a great time to make some 53-man roster predictions.
Here we go:
QB (2): Aaron Rodgers, Tyrod Taylor
Jordan Travis still seems a long way from making an impact, as he will likely spend this season on injured reserve and this will be a true redshirt year as he recovers from a foot injury that ended his college career.
Andrew Peaslee and Adrian Martinez both looked strong against the Commanders on Saturday, but I don’t see the Jets sticking with three quarterbacks, and I expect one of them to end up on the practice squad.
RB (3): Breece Hall, Braylon Allen, Isaiah Davis
The preseason opener on Saturday gave everyone a glimpse of what Allen can do, and the fourth-round pick looks like he’d be a nice addition to Breece Hall. Davis has potential, too.
The big question here is whether Israel Abani-Kanda will stay with the team. I don’t think so. Abani-Kanda has barely practiced in camp and the coaching staff seems to have given up on him already. There’s a chance the Jets will acquire the running back off waivers.
WR (7): Garrett Wilson, Mike Williams, Allen Lazard, Xavier Gipson, Malachi Corey, Irv Charles, Jason Brownlee
Seven seems like a lot, but I wouldn’t leave anyone off this list. Wilson, Williams and Gipson are the starting wide receivers. Lazard isn’t going anywhere with this deal and it acts as insurance in case Williams doesn’t get off to a good start.
Corey may take some time to break into the mix, but he’s clearly a part of the team. Charles is a valuable special teams player. Brownlee has shown a lot of potential and I can’t imagine the Jets will waive him.
TE (4): Tyler Conklin, Jeremy Rueckert, Kenny Yeboah, Zach Kuntz
I was wondering whether to keep just the three, but I think I can keep Yeboah. and Kuntz: Yeboah is a good special teams player and capable of playing fullback, and his versatility became even more important after the team released Nick Bowden. Kuntz showed flashes of talent in practice and had good chemistry with Rodgers on the scout team late last season.
OL (9): Tyron Smith, John Simpson, Joe Tippmann, Aliyah Vera-Tucker, Morgan Moses, Olu Fashanu, Wes Schweitzer, Max Mitchell, Carter Warren
Joe Douglas may want to stick with 12 offensive linemen after last year’s disastrous start, and I’ve selected these nine: Fashanu will likely end up as a swing tackle, but Mitchell and Warren are also capable of playing both positions.
Mitchell can also play guard, while Schweitzer is the primary backup at center and guard.
DL (9): Jermaine Johnson, Quinnen Williams, Javon Kinlaw, Haason Reddick, Will McDonald, Michael Clemons, Solomon Thomas, Leki Fotu, Jalyn Holmes.
They struggled at the end here, but you could expect the Jets to definitely hold onto 10 points in this position.
Takk McKinley is a former first-round draft pick who was coached by Jeff Ulbrich and showed some talent early in camp before being sidelined with an injury. He has a chance. Another player to watch is undrafted free agent Leonard Taylor. He has loads of potential. On a team with less talent, it would make sense to keep him, but this group is loaded with talent and no one is going to cut anyone to keep Taylor.
A Redick holdout could change that, but I still think the Jets and Redick will resolve their differences by Week 1, even after Monday’s trade request.
LB (5): CJ Mosley, Quincy Williams, Jamien Sherwood, Zaire Barnes, Chazz Surratt
This group was truly impressive in camp due to the depth of the players, and if anyone from this squad were to be cut, they would likely make a place on another team, with both Barnes and Surratt making a strong case for staying, leaving us with five in the final list.
Sam Eguavoen has also had a good camp, it just doesn’t suit him.
CB (6): Sauce Gardner, DJ Reed, Michael Carter, Brandyn Echols, Quantez Stigers, Jarick Bernard-Converse
Another group with depth. The top three have been decided.
Echols is a valuable special teams player who can back up at nickel or outside, Stiggers has been bouncing around all camp, and Bernard Converse might be the most improved player on the team.
S (5): Chuck Clark, Tony Adams, Ashtyn Davis, Isaiah Oliver, Jalen Key
This seems like too much, but I can’t imagine Douglas would give up a draft pick, even the last one selected in the draft.
ST (3): Greg Zuerlein, Thomas Morstead, Thomas Hennessey
The Jets are finally a solid team thanks to their specialists. It’s a miracle.
Statistics
In last week’s newsletter we looked at the best running backs in Jets history over their first three seasons, now let’s take a look at the pass catchers.
Garrett Wilson will likely top this list after this season, as he already has the most receiving yards through his first two seasons in Jets history.
A good start for a rookie
Not much came out of Saturday’s preseason opener against the Commanders, with Joe Tippmann serving as the lone starter but playing just seven snaps.
What stood out was the excellent play of the new players.
Fashanu, a first-round draft pick, played the entire first half and did not allow any pressure on 14 passing snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
Coley showed off his tackle-breaking ability with a freakish play when he caught a Kuntz dropped ball, running backs Allen and Davis both made big plays, and undrafted defensive tackle Taylor had a sack and a big tackle for loss.
Preseason games don’t mean much, but the Jets had a lot of rookies playing well, so it was a positive for them. It was clear this game wasn’t too big for them.
