With the NFL expected to adopt a smaller offseason roster in the coming days, numerous Jets players on the roster bubble entering training camp are in danger of being cut before they even make it to One Jets Drive.
In an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19, offseason rosters could be reduced from 90 players to 80 or less for training camp. The NFL and NFLPA have already agreed to cancel the preseason, indicating that a smaller offseason roster could be the next measure the league takes in an effort to reduce the risk of players contracting coronavirus.
Smaller offseason rosters would mean pink slips being handed out before the beginning of camp. Jets rookies have already reported to Florham Park, but the rest of the team is scheduled to arrive on Thursday. That gives New York five days to cut its roster down by 10 or more players.
So, which Jets players could be in danger of being cut before the beginning of training camp? Here are 10 that could be shown the door before Thursday.
Avery Williamson
Avery Williamson was already facing an uphill battle for his roster spot entering training camp. Now, his departure out of the Big Apple could be expedited.
Williamson missed all of 2019 due to a torn ACL, putting his future with the Jets in flux. Blake Cashman shined as a rookie in Williamson’s place, while New York added C.J. Mosley’s former running mate, Patrick Onwuasor, in free agency this offseason. That does not necessarily mean Williamson is on his way out, but it puts him behind the eight ball when it comes to making the 53-man roster.
Considering Williamson’s already-slim chances of breaking camp with the Jets, Joe Douglas and company could do him and the organization a favor by releasing him before Thursday. The Jets said that Williamson would get a chance to compete for a job in the preseason, but that can’t happen now that there won’t be one.
Brian Winters
Like Avery Williamson, Brian Winters finds himself more likely than not to be cut by the Jets at some point this offseason.
Winters does not figure to fit into New York’s plans on the offensive line after Joe Douglas spent all offseason revamping the unit. Alex Lewis signed a new contract with the team, while Greg Van Roten agreed to terms on a three-year deal in free agency. The additions of Josh Andrews and Cameron Clark also bolster Gang Green’s interior offensive line depth and make Winters expendable.
There is no sense in prolonging the inevitable here. The Jets need to get down to the roster limit and Winters is no longer a vital piece for the offense. That makes him a prime candidate to be cut before the beginning of training camp.
Mike White
With Sam Darnold, Joe Flacco, David Fales and James Morgan on the roster, Mike White never had a chance of breaking camp with the Jets in 2020.
White’s primary purpose on New York’s roster is to function as a training camp body who plays late in preseason games in an effort to preserve the signal-callers set to make the 53-man roster. With the preseason scrapped, White is no longer needed in that capacity. There is no reason for him to take any snaps in training camp, either, as Morgan needs as many reps as possible to get up to speed in his first NFL camp.
Kenneth Dixon
It’s tough to see Kenneth Dixon breaking camp with the Jets considering the current state of the running back room.
Le’Veon Bell, Frank Gore, rookie La’Mical Perine and Trenton Cannon are all ahead of the 26-year-old Dixon on New York’s depth chart. That is a lot of ground to make up for any running back, especially one who has spent his career as a backup.
Dixon could look like a world-beater in training camp and it still wouldn’t be enough to make the 53-man roster. The Jets should do him a favor and cut him before the beginning of camp so he can catch on elsewhere.
Josh Adams
Josh Adams finds himself in the exact same position as Kenneth Dixon entering training camp.
Adams has little to no chance of breaking camp with New York considering the state of its running back depth chart. With no preseason, four running backs are more than capable of accounting for all of the reps in training camp. That deems Adams expendable, as he is the fifth or sixth rusher in the pecking order.
James Burgess
The Jets have a surplus of talent at middle linebacker, but they are not going to carry more than four inside linebackers once the regular season begins. That places James Burgess in danger of being cut at some point.
Burgess is not the most likely candidate to be cut before the beginning of training camp, but it is possible that happens considering New York’s entire defensive coaching staff returns in 2020 and already has an evaluation of him.
Remember, the Jets did not bring Burgess back until late in the second wave of free agency. New York would probably like to see some more of him in training camp, but it would not come as too much of a surprise if he is shown the door in the coming days.
Neville Hewitt
Neville Hewitt is in the same boat as James Burgess entering training camp. He has the talent to be a contributor at inside linebacker, but with a logjam at the position, he could be on his way out sooner rather than later.
Hewitt probably has a better chance of sticking around than Burgess. The Jets re-signed him relatively early in free agency and he had a better overall 2019 season than Burgess. However, Hewitt was not good in pass coverage a year ago, which could be a deciding factor in his future with New York.
Like Burgess, the Jets already have a thorough evaluation of Hewitt’s game. If they want to make a snap decision on cutting a middle linebacker before training camp begins, Hewitt could be the one who goes.
Matthias Farley
The Jets need a fourth safety to go along with Jamal Adams, Marcus Maye and Ashtyn Davis. Will Matthias Farley or Bennett Jackson be the one to land the job? That answer could come sooner than expected.
With no preseason, neither Farley nor Jackson will be able to fight for the spot against opposing competition. That could lead New York to make an early decision on who its fourth safety will be in 2020.
If the Jets elect to pick between Farley and Jackson before the beginning of training camp, the 28-year-old Farley has a 50-50 chance of making the team. Farley has familiarity working in his favor, but that does not always equate to a roster spot.
Bennett Jackson
Matthias Farley’s spot on New York’s roster is in jeopardy and he produced for the Jets last season. That places Bennett Jackson on red alert in the coming days.
Jackson has bounced around the NFL since being drafted by the Giants in 2014. He signed with the Jets last December and figured to factor into New York’s plans at safety in training camp and the preseason, but with the preseason canceled, the Notre Dame product is at a serious disadvantage moving forward.
Jackson needed the preseason to impress the Jets’ coaching staff. He has the talent to be New York’s fourth safety, but he will not have the chance to prove it without the preseason. Farley has more experience working in Gregg Williams’ defense, which could be the deciding factor in which safety is cut before camp begins.
Nate Hairston
Will Nate Hairston be cut prior to the beginning of training camp? Probably not considering New York’s lack of depth at cornerback. However, there is an outside chance Hairston gets released before Thursday, which lands him on this list.
Hairston was a disappointment in his first season with the Jets. New York also had plenty of talented undrafted free agent corners on its roster entering training camp. Combine those two factors and you have a player who could be on the verge of becoming an unexpected cut.
Joe Douglas traded for Hairston last offseason for a reason, but his patience could be running thin with the Temple product after how poorly he performed last season. If Douglas decides he has seen enough and wants to give a younger player a shot in camp, Hairston will be out.
