With Week 3 of the preseason in the books, it’s do or die time for those on the Jets’ roster bubble.
There’s only one week of the preseason left for bubble players to make an impact and prove that they belong. Injuries have afforded players an opportunity to make the team, but Adam Gase and his coaching staff don’t have much evaluating left to do. Before long, key decisions will be made and players will be shown the door.
Here, Jets Wire will take a stab at predicting what Gang Green’s active roster will look like when the Jets host the Buffalo Bills in Week 1. Here is version 5.0 of our roster prediction series.
Quarterback (2)
Starter: Sam Darnold
Backup: Trevor Siemian
Notable Cuts: Luke Falk, Davis Webb
There’s not much to watch at quarterback other than who starts for the Jets in Week 4 in the preseason against the Eagles.
Luke Falk has seemingly entrenched himself as the No. 3 quarterback, leaving Davis Webb on the outside looking in. Regardless, the Jets will not carry three quarterbacks once the regular season kicks off. That leaves Falk either on the practice squad or in free agency.
Running Back (4)
Starter: Le’Veon Bell
Backups: Ty Montgomery, Bilal Powell, Trenton Cannon
Notable Cuts: Elijah McGuire, Valentine Holmes
Week 3 of the preseason solidified Trenton Cannon’s spot on New York’s roster, as the second-year tailback exploded for a standout performance.
With Cannon locking up his spot, Elijah McGuire’s time with the Jets might be coming to an end. Bilal Powell did next to nothing against the Saints, but in the event of an injury to Le’Veon Bell or Ty Montgomery during the regular season, Powell is a player who has a proven three-down skill set that can contribute. McGuire has shown flashes, but it might not be enough for the new regime to keep him around.
Week 4 will be telling when it comes to deciding whether or not the Jets roll with Powell or McGuire entering the regular season. Right now, it seems like Powell has a sizeable lead.
Wide Receiver (6)
Starters: Robby Anderson, Quincy Enunwa, Jamison Crowder
Backups: Deontay Burnett, Josh Bellamy, Greg Dortch
Notable Cuts: Deonte Thompson, Tim White, Charone Peake, J.J. Jones, Jeff Smith
Nothing new to see here in terms of additions and subtractions. However, there has become a distinct possibility the Jets carry seven wide receivers at the beginning of the regular season.
Throughout training camp and the preseason, Charone Peake has factored heavily into New York’s special teams packages. Is enough for him to make the team? It’s possible, but we’re going to say he remains on the cut list right now.
Tight End (3)
Starter: Ryan Griffin
Backups: Eric Tomlinson, Trevon Wesco
Notable Cuts: Daniel Brown
Other than Chris Herndon, the Jets have gotten almost nothing out of their tight ends in the preseason. With Herndon suspended for the first four games of the regular season, there’s reason to be concerned about the current personnel at the position.
Ryan Griffin hasn’t seen a lot of balls thrown his way throughout the preseason. This could be because he has worked almost exclusively with Trevor Siemian under center, while Sam Darnold has been throwing to Herndon despite his suspension looming. The two have been on the same page in practice, meaning an uptick in Griffin’s production and targets could be nearing.
Offensive Line (9)
Starters: Kelvin Beachum, Kelechi Osemele, Ryan Kalil, Brian Winters, Brandon Shell
Backups: Jonotthan Harrison, Tom Compton, Alex Lewis, Chuma Edoga
Notable Cuts: Brent Qvale, Wyatt Miller, Tyler Jones, Jon Toth, Jordan Morgan, Ben Braden, Ryan Anderson, Calvin Anderson, Eric Smith
Week 4 of the preseason will allow the Jets to get healthy on the offensive line. With the unit resting up, the hope is that all five starters will be ready to go for Week 1 of the regular season.
To be blunt, the Jets need their starters to be ready for the Bills. Sam Darnold got beat up playing behind a makeshift offensive line against the Saints in Week 3 of the preseason and it was not pretty.
Defensive Line (6)
Starters: Henry Anderson, Quinnen Williams, Leonard Williams
Backups: Steve McLendon, Foley Fatukasi, Bronson Kaufusi
Notable Cuts: Nathan Shepherd, Justin Alexandre, Kyle Phillips, Trevon Sanders, MyQuon Stout
It’s tough to get a read on who has the edge between Bronson Kaufusi and Nathan Shepherd. Both played similar amounts of snaps against the Saints and have been rotating in nearly an equal amount throughout the preseason.
Week 4 will be a meaningful one for both Kaufusi and Shepherd, as it will go a long way in determining who makes the team.
Linebacker (8)
Starters: Jordan Jenkins, C.J. Mosley, Neville Hewitt, Frankie Luvu
Backups: Tarell Basham, Jachai Polite, Blake Cashman, Albert McClellan
Notable Cuts: Harvey Langi, Jamey Mosley, Anthony Wint, James Burgess, Stephone Anthony
Week 3 of the preseason provided a closer look at where the Jets are at with Avery Williamson out for the season and Brandon Copeland suspended for the first four games.
Neville Hewitt got the start next to C.J. Mosley and played fairly well. Odds are, he will remain the starter moving forward. Frankie Luvu also slid into the starting lineup with Copeland out. However, with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams mixing up his fronts frequently, there will be no true starter opposite Jordan Jenkins at outside linebacker. Luvu, Tarell Basham and Jachai Polite will all factor into the rotation and see ample playing time until Copeland returns.
Cornerback (7)
Starters: Trumaine Johnson, Darryl Roberts, Brian Poole
Backups: Kyron Brown, Arthur Maulet, Marcus Cooper, Tevaughn Campbell
Notable Cuts: Parry Nickerson, Mark Myers, Alex Brown, Dee Delaney
Was Alex Brown’s standout performance against the Saints enough to make the team?
Tevaughn Campbell was solid, but not good enough against New Orleans. It’s hard to do much of anything when Drew Brees drops a dime to Michael Thomas despite his tight coverage, but Campbell’s job is to make plays — not almost make plays. Brown, meanwhile, stood out throughout the evening and batted down two passes playing with New York’s first-team defense.
One good game usually isn’t enough to make a team. However, with the Jets in a dire situation at cornerback, Brown’s showing against the Saints might be enough to do the job. For right now, we’re going to say Campbell still has the edge and makes the team. Brown is hot on his heels, though, and can make the squad with another solid performance against the Eagles this upcoming week.
Safety (4)
Starters: Jamal Adams, Marcus Maye
Backups: Doug Middleton, Rontez Miles
Notable Cuts: Brandon Bryant, Santos Ramirez, Godwin Igwebuike, Derrick Kindred
Nothing new doing at safety, although the addition of Derrick Kindred does add some intrigue to the position.
Kindred likely joined the Jets too late to overtake anyone for a starting spot. Either way, it never hurts to have a little extra competition in the building.
Specialists (4)
Kicker: Taylor Bertolet
Punter: Lachlan Edwards
Long Snapper: Thomas Hennessy
Notable Cuts: Matt Darr
After a shaky return to the Jets, Taylor Bertolet bounced back and all but secured his spot as the team’s starting kicker by making 48 and 56-yard field goals against the Saints.
Lachlan Edwards also handled first-team punting duties, meaning Adam Gase was just giving Matt Darr a look in Week 2 against the Falcons.
