The practice squad is a lot more important in 2020.
Because of the uncertain ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic, any player could be knocked out for a considerable amount of time, meaning teams would have to scramble to find replacements. Typically, teams look to free agency or trades to fill gaps, but they can also sign players off another team’s practice squad if they deem him talented enough for their roster.
But with the uncertainty of how, when or whom the virus will affect, the NFL and NFLPA agreed that teams can protect up to four practice squad players each week from poaching, according to The Washington Post’s Mark Maske. Not only that, but teams can also now add 16 players to the practice squad – up from 10 this past season – and six players can have an unlimited number of accrued seasons, according to The Athletic’s Lindsay Jones.
So when the Jets look at their protected players, they’ll need to identify two attributes: Which players are the most talented/have the most potential and which players play a position the Jets may need a contingency plan for injuries strike. Ideally, all four players would accomplish both goals for the Jets, but that’s a tall order to fill with a limited number of protected spots.
With these new rules in mind, let’s take a look at six candidates for the protected practice squad status.
QB David Fales
We’ve already talked about how Fales is the Jets’ best quarantine quarterback option, so it only makes sense he should be considered for the protected player slot. If anything happens to Sam Darnold this season, the Jets need an immediate quarterback available to play. Currently, they don’t have that behind Darnold. Joe Flacco won’t be ready for the start of the season as he recovers from injury and rookie James Morgan is still a work in progress.
While Fales isn’t a great option as an emergency quarterback, he does have experience in Adam Gase’s system and would be able to start in a pinch if the Jets lose Darnold for whatever reason. It wouldn’t be pretty, but it would be better than nothing.
DE John Franklin-Myers
Gregg Williams employed a lot of different fronts with a lot of different personnel in 2019 and that should continue in 2020. Franklin-Myers didn’t play last season while on injured reserve, but the Jets liked him enough to keep him a year after claiming the 23-year-old off waivers from the Rams.
Franklin-Myers is a versatile defender with the ability to rush the passer – something the Jets need this season. If he doesn’t make the 53-man roster, he’d be one of the better options for that protected status.
WR George Campbell
The odds Campbell makes the roster as slim. He’s at least sixth on the depth chart on a Jets team that only carried five wide receivers to open the season in 2019. But, his skill set fits what Gase likes to run with his wide receivers, which makes Campbell a player the Jets will want to keep in their pocket if they need him down the stretch in 2020.
With a limited offseason and training camp, the Jets will likely want to wait and see if Campbell is worth a roster spot. He’s got great speed (4.35 40-yard dash) and length (6-4, 205 pounds) but doesn’t have the production to warrant making the team. The Jets should keep him close, though.
CB Lamar Jackson
Jackson, like Campbell, is an undrafted rookie teeming with potential but unlikely to make the team given the number of experienced players ahead of him on the depth chart. There’s a chance he ekes out a spot, though, if injuries befall the secondary again or if another player falls out of favor. The more likely scenario is a trip to the practice squad.
The Jets would be wise to protect Jackson to ensure their secondary remains intact throughout the season. Besides Pierre Desir and Brian Poole, the entire cornerback group is inexperienced and all could disappoint this season. Arthur Maulet and Bless Austin proved this past season that Gregg Williams can coach up young players quickly, and Jackson would be an easier beneficiary of that if the Jets make sure no other team can scoop him up.
S Anthony Cioffi
The safety position looks different for New York after the Jamal Adams trade. Marcus Maye is still here, Bradley McDougald is a solid replacement and Ashtyn Davis is a dynamic rookie, but it’s impossible to know how this unit will perform this season. Right now, Mattias Farley is primed to be the fourth safety behind Maye, McDougald and Davis, but Cioffi should be locked in on the practice squad as an emergency option.
Cioffi can play both safety positions as well as cornerback, so his versatility means he’s immensely more valuable as a protected player on the practice squad.
T Connor McDermott
The Jets can never have too many linemen, and McDermott would be the likely practice squad call-up if the Jets needed an extra tackle. McDermott backed up both tackle spots in the late stretches of 2019, but his status on the depth chart isn’t too promising after Joe Douglas signed and drafted a bunch of linemen this offseason.
Keeping McDermott from other teams, though, would be a solid contingency plan in case the Jets needed another backup tackle.
