With the offseason nearing, the Jets are going to have to make some important roster decisions with their veteran players.
There’s going to be a lot of turnover with Joe Douglas in his first season as general manager. Most of the players currently on the roster were not brought in by Douglas, but by Mike Maccagnan. So it won’t be hard for him to move on from some of them since they aren’t his guys. The Jets are projected to have about $60 million in cap space to begin, but they could get close to $80 million with some significant cuts.
With that being said, let’s take a look at a few potential veteran cuts for the Jets this offseason. The first one is a no-doubter…
Trumaine Johnson
Trumaine Johnson has made the decision for the Jets to move on from him an easy one with his efforts over the last two seasons.
Johnson was signed to a mega five-year, $72.5 million deal in 2018 by Mike Maccagnan and has been a waste ever since. Johnson’s play on the field has been dismal, as opposing wide receivers burn him constantly. He can’t defend the deep ball, nor can he stick with anyone on a crossing route. In two seasons, Johnson had 57 total tackles, seven pass defenses, five interceptions and a touchdown.
When the Jets do cut him, they’ll take a dead cap hit of $12 million but will also save $3 million. At this point, the dead cap hit is worth not having Johnson around any longer.
Brian Winters
Douglas is more than likely going to overhaul the entire offensive line, so Brian Winters is probably done in New York.
Winters’ season was cut short this year due to a shoulder injury and he only played in nine games. He hasn’t quite panned out like the Jets expected him too. Winters has his moments of blowing up defenders, but he allows a lot of sacks and is not the best run blocker.
If the Jets cut him, they’ll save $7.3 million in cap space with no dead money.
Avery Williamson
With the Jets having a lot of depth at linebacker, Avery Williamson could be let go too with minimal harm.
Williamson tore his ACL in a preseason game against the Falcons and missed the entire 2019 season. He had a strong 2018 season with 80 total tackles and six pass defenses, but you don’t know if he’ll be the same coming back from the injury. The Jets liked what they saw from Neville Hewitt, Blake Cashman and James Burgess, who are all cheaper options than bringing back Williamson.
The Jets would save $6.5 million in cap space if he were to be cut, but also would be charged with a dead cap hit of $2 million. Williamson is a good player, but the Jets have other needs to fill.
Darryl Roberts
Just like Trumaine Johnson, Darryl Roberts’ play hasn’t warranted a return.
Roberts was the No. 2 cornerback entering the year but did not play like one. His coverage on receivers is actually decent, but he has no ball awareness. Roberts can stick with receivers, but he can never get his head around to find the ball and knock it away. He battled an injury late in the season and later returned to fill the spot of Jamal Adams. However, once Adams came back, Roberts never got his cornerback position back. In 13 games, Roberts had 58 total tackles, six pass defenses and an interception.
The Jets would save $6 million in cap space and would take no dead money if they cut Roberts. Although given how young the Jets’ cornerbacks are, they might keep Roberts just to have some veteran presence at the position.
Quincy Enunwa
Quincy Enunwa’s career has been defined by injuries and because of that, it might be time to move on from him.
Enunwa had another season-ending neck injury this year and it was determined that he has spinal stenosis. He isn’t planning on getting surgery, otherwise, it would likely end his career. So Enunwa expects to play again next season, but is he worth bringing back given his injury history?
If the Jets were to cut him, they’d save $2.4 million in cap space and would take a dead cap hit of $5.4 million. Enunwa is a good player on the field, but the injury history is a big concern.
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