Special teams was one of the few silver linings of the Jets’ 2018 season. Of the three players the Jets sent to the Pro Bowl, two came from special teams – kicker Jason Myers and return specialist Andre Roberts. The Jets let both players walk in free agency, though, opting to replace them with either former players or inexperienced ones.
Brant Boyer returns for his fourth season in New York and could have a hard time replicating the Jets’ success with a partially new group of players. The kicker and long snapper jobs are likely locked up, but punter and return specialist remain undecided.
Here’s a breakdown of the Jets’ special teams unit as the team begins training camp.
QB RB WR TE OL DL CB S
The Starters
Punter Lachlan Edwards and long snapper Thomas Hennessey will likely start for the Jets for a third consecutive season, while Chandler Catanzaro returns as the kicker after spending last season with the Tampa Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers.
Sophomore running back Trenton Cannon appeared to have the inside track for the open return man role, but after offseason workouts, it looks like undrafted free agent wide receiver Greg Dortch is in the pole position to take the job, at least on punt returns.
Dortch returned 81 kicks during his time at Wake Forest, finishing with 1,211 total yards and two punt return touchdowns over two seasons. The 5-foot-7 wide receiver ran the 40-yard dash in 4.49 seconds and 4.52 seconds at his pro day in March and has been turning heads all summer.
The Backups
Matt Darr was brought in to compete with Edwards for the starting punter role. Darr was one of the first moves Adam Gase made as interim general manager before the Jets hired Joe Douglas. He spent two seasons as the Dolphins kicker, including Gase’s first season as head coach. In 2018, Darr averaged 40.5 yards per punt in five games for the Bills.
There is still a question as to the Jets’ starting return specialist, but there a lot of potential players in the mix. Greg Dortch and Trenton Cannon are the likely front-runners for one or both of the return jobs, but a few other candidates will have the opportunity to compete this summer.
Fighting For A Spot
Basically, anyone not already locked up for a roster spot across the team is fighting for a chance to play on special teams, especially when it comes to camp bodies. While the Jets won’t keep more than one punter or kicker, there is an opportunity to make the roster as a return specialist.
J.J. Jones has the best chance at a spot after playing for the Chargers early in the 2018 season. He returned a 72-yard punt for a touchdown in a preseason game and returned two kicks for a 36-yard net in the Chargers’ season opener against the Chiefs before being cut on Oct. 11.
Tim White and Quadree Henderson are both longshots.
Final Analysis
A year after they fielded arguably the best special teams unit in the league, the Jets head into 2019 with one of the more questionable units in the NFL.
It will be hard to replicate Jason Myers’ franchise record-setting season, but Catanzaro is a capable and veteran kicker who should be just enough to deliver what the Jets offense needs. Edwards could lose the punting job to Darr, though neither is particularly better than the other.
The biggest question mark is at return specialist, where the competition between Dortch, Cannon and a few other players will last throughout the rest of the summer. It’s anyone’s guess who will come out on top, but Dortch and Cannon appear to be the frontrunners. Cannon is technically the incumbent, but his turnover tendencies wouldn’t go over well with the new coaching staff. If Dortch continues to impress, he could lock up the job before Week 1.
