With the Jets having just two games remaining this season, the team has a real chance to take a seat and step into self-evaluation mode.
New York has nothing to play for, while its next two opponents, Pittsburgh and Buffalo, have playoff sights with two weeks remaining in the 2019 season. Now is a chance for the Jets’ young players to step up, especially with the injury bug allowing for these opportunities.
The Jets have used 70 players this season, which is the most in the NFL. When Jeff Smith, a UDFA WR out of Boston Collge was placed on injured reserve, he became the 17th Jet to hit IR this season. That high number has enabled some of the Jets’ younger players, including multiple names from the 2019 draft class, to see increased playing time.
With that said, here are six young Jets with a chance to impress over New York’s final two games.
TE Trevon Wesco
The Jets’ fourth-round pick out of West Virginia has seen limited playing time, mostly as a full-back, but Wesco has a chance to see increased opportunities.
New York placed Ryan Griffin on season-ending injured reserve with an ankle injury, while Daniel Brown missed multiple assignments in the Jets’ 42-21 loss to Baltimore.
Wesco has one career catch for 15 yards and one rushing attempt for two yards. Both of his touches came in the Jets’ 34-27 win over the Giants. With Sam Darnold in need of another security blanket, look for Wesco to make an impact in both the passing and blocking game.
WR Vyncint Smith
With Demaryius Thomas (hamstring/knee) sidelined, Vyncint Smith has been featured as the Jets’ outside wide receiver opposite of Robby Anderson.
The second-year receiver out of Limestone College possesses big-play ability, as he’s averaged 16.0 yards per catch for his career, but he doesn’t normally draw a high number of targets. However, that changed with Thomas and Ryan Griffin out of the lineup Thursday in Baltimore.
Smith secured three of five targets for 40 yards and returned three kicks for 86 yards in the loss. He posted a career-high 126 all-purpose yards. In addition, Smith’s lone catch for 37 yards in the Jets’ Week 14 win over the Dolphins set-up Sam Ficken’s game-winning field goal as time expired.
WR Braxton Berrios
With Greg Dortch a surprising camp cut, Braxton Berrios has emerged as the reliable punt returner the Jets were seemingly missing.
Berrios has just five catches for 104 yards on the season. He was a yard short of a touchdown after his 69-yard reception during a career day against the Raiders.
On Thursday, Berrios played five offensive snaps and wasn’t targeted once. It’s hard for him to receive a consistent role on offense when both he and Jamison Crowder are limited to playing the slot.
His inability to see the field with the Jets having such underwhelming depth at receiver suggests that Gang Green would like to keep his role limited as a punt returner. Berrios returned three punts for 48 yards in Baltimore, while on the season he has returned 19 punts for 211 yards.
CB Bless Austin
Bless Austin emerged as the Jets’ top cornerback out of nowhere.
New York’s sixth-round pick out of Rutgers has been a surprise contributor and effectively been the Jets’ best cornerback in 2019. He has held his own in coverage and isn’t exactly afraid to deliver a hit.
Austin has been a nice parting gift from Mike Maccagnan, while the rest of his 2019 draft class has been underwhelming. He has a real chance to stick around and projects to be a future starter opposite of a No. 1 cornerback.
LB James Burgess
James Burgess was a nice story for the Jets in camp, but the team deep at linebacker, they had no room for the former Gregg Williams disciple.
It took an injury bug that found four inside linebackers on injured reserve, but Burgess has taken his chance and run with it. With his seven tackles on Thursday, he has now recorded at least seven tackles in each of the past six games.
Burgess, 25, is an undrafted free agent out of Louisville who just needed an opportunity to stick. He was cut eight times by six different teams, including Gang Green, in just three years. Now, he has a very real chance of becoming a sizeable depth piece for the future.
On the season, Burgess has 63 tackles, 0.5 sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and near pick-six that was wiped away by a phantom penalty.
DL Quinnen Williams
Quinnen Williams easily had the best game of his rookie season in the Jets’ 22-21 win over the Dolphins. Williams recorded a tackle and a quarterback hit before exiting the contest.
The stinger he received in the win has been a thematic element in the Jets’ lost 2019 season. Williams was unable to suit up for the Jets’ No. 2 ranked run defense against Baltimore and they proceeded to give up 218 yards on 34 carries to the NFL’s hottest rushing offense.
Still, Williams has a chance to continue to prove his talent in the Jets’ final two games, if he can prove he is healthy. While Williams needs to step into the spotlight, the bust labels are rather premature. The first-round pick has just 24 total tackles, 1.5 sacks and a pass defended in an injury-riddled rookie campaign.
