The Jets have shown plenty of promise throughout the first two weeks of training camp, but there is still plenty of work to be done in numerous areas if the team wants to take the next step in 2019.
New York has the talent on its roster to return to contender status as soon as this upcoming season. Before that can happen, though, Adam Gase and his coaching staff have weaknesses they need to address before the team breaks camp. General manager Joe Douglas also has some holes to fill as the regular season nears.
With that being said, let’s take a look at Gang Green’s biggest weaknesses with two weeks of training camp now in the books.
Depth
Due in large part to a rash of injuries that have kept starters sidelined for days at a time, New York’s depth has been exposed as arguably the team’s most glaring weaknesses in the early days of training camp.
The Jets are thin and inexperienced at some of the most important positions on the field thanks to the failures of the old regime. With starters sidelined, Adam Gase and company have been forced to throw players who are more qualified for the practice squad than the active roster into the fire. As a result, the team’s development has been curtailed a bit. Joe Douglas has played his part in adding pieces to the puzzle here and there, but with such a short timeframe between his hiring and the beginning of training camp, there hasn’t been much he could do to address the issue so far.
As Douglas continues to work tirelessly in his search for depth pieces, the situation will rectify itself. Until then, the Jets have a serious problem.
Cornerback
The Jets have been sharp on offense throughout camp so far. The unit’s production could be attributed to Sam Darnold’s development and the additions of Le’Veon Bell and Jamison Crowder, but poor performances in the secondary are certainly part of the reason as well.
New York’s cornerbacks have not been good in the early days of training camp. There have been times where Trumaine Johnson, Darryl Roberts, Brian Poole and others make players, but the production has simply not been there consistently enough for the Jets to feel comfortable with where they’re at with their corners right now.
It doesn’t look like any impactful outside help is coming anytime soon. That means New York’s current crop of corners needs to work out the kinks in practice and get its act together as soon as possible.
The Kicking Game
Considering the way 2018 played out for Chandler Catanzaro, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that he’s off to a rough start in his second stint with the Jets.
Catanzaro has been anything but consistent so far in training camp. He had another rough go of it on Saturday, so rough that it’s hard not to wonder if the organization’s confidence in Catanzaro to bounce back is wavering.
Kicker is arguably the most expendable position in football. If Catanzaro doesn’t get his act together soon, he’ll be shown the door in favor of someone who can get the job done. Regardless, New York’s kicking game isn’t looking too pretty right now.
Consistency
To be clear, the Jets have looked good in the first two weeks of training camp. Adam Gase and his staff have their players locked in and the culture has clearly changed in Florham Park.
While that’s all well and good, there have been days where certain players and/or position units have simply not come to play. Since it’s still early in camp and players are working to either get comfortable with new surroundings or readjust to the speed of the game, some inconsistency can be expected. However, if the Jets want to live up to their own lofty expectations for this upcoming season, everyone needs to be on point each day of practice.
Good football teams bring their A-game every single day. If the Jets want to be as good as they think they can be in 2019, consistency on both sides of the ball is essential.
