With Mike Maccagnan out as Jets general manager and Adam Gase in as the interim GM, New York’s roster looks a bit different now than it did at the end of the 2019 NFL draft.
Gone are 2016 first-round pick Darron Lee and 2017 fifth-round tight end Jordan Leggett, both of whom were Maccagnan guys. Gase has also added some depth by signing players he is familiar with, giving the Jets’ roster a different look heading into OTAs.
With the changes in mind, here’s our best guess at how New York’s depth chart stands right now.
Quarterbacks (4)
Sam Darnold, Trevor Siemian, Davis Webb, Luke Falk
With Darnold and Siemian entrenched as New York’s No. 1 and No. 2 quarterbacks, the only thing to keep an eye on here is the battle for the third spot on the depth chart between Webb and Falk.
Falk spent 2018 with Adam Gase in Miami, so he has the upper hand over Webb in terms of familiarity with the offensive scheme. However, Webb has the arm talent to beat out Falk and hold onto the job.
Running Back (7)
Le’Veon Bell, Ty Montgomery, Elijah McGuire, Trenton Cannon, De’Angelo Henderson, Valentine Holmes, Jalin Moore
Nothing has changed for the Jets at running back since signing undrafted free agent Jalin Moore out of Appalachian State.
At this point, New York’s running back depth chart is pretty much set in stone. Bell will be the workhorse with Montgomery, McGuire and Cannon all factoring in. Henderson, Holmes and Moore will spend training camp fighting for a practice squad or to catch the eye of another NFL team.
Wide Receiver (12)
Robby Anderson, Quincy Enunwa, Jamison Crowder, Deontay Burnett, Charone Peake, Josh Bellamy, Deonte Thompson, Quadree Henderson, J.J. Jones, Tim White, Greg Dortch, Jeff Smith
New York’s wide receiver core underwent some turnover at the end of the Maccagnan era and at the beginning of Gase’s tenure as interim general manager.
Earlier in the week, Gase signed veteran Deonte Thompson, who he coached with the Chicago Bears in 2015. As a corresponding move, the Jets released Xavier Ubosi. Prior to that, Stacey Coley and De’Angelo Yancey were both released.
Tight End (5)
Chris Herndon, Neal Sterling, Eric Tomlinson, Trevon Wesco, Daniel Brown
With Jordan Leggett off to Tampa Bay, the Jets are down to five tight ends.
New York could opt to go through the offseason with five, but odds are they will add a sixth for training camp and preseason purposes. Of the group, keep an eye on the battle between Tomlinson and Wesco, who both serve predominantly as blocking tight ends.
Offensive Line (15)
Kelvin Beachum, Kelechi Osemele, Jonotthan Harrison, Brian Winters, Brandon Shell, Brent Qvale, Tom Compton, Chuma Edoga, Ben Braden, Jordan Morgan, Jon Toth, Wyatt Miller, Toa Lobendahn, Tyler Jones, Calvin Anderson
There’s nothing new to see with New York’s offensive line, as Gase has yet to tinker with the personnel in the trenches.
Eventually, a handful of offensive linemen will be let go, as 14 is only a sustainable number for the early stages of the offseason. Out of the linemen fighting for a spot, undrafted free agent Wyatt Miller out of UCF is a name to keep an eye on as a player who has a legitimate chance to stick with a solid offseason.
Defensive Line (16)
Leonard Williams, Quinnen Williams, Henry Anderson, Steve McLendon, Jachai Polite Nathan Shepherd, Foley Fatukasi, Tarell Basham, Bronson Kaufusi, Charles Tapper, Trevon Sanders, Justin Alexandre, Jabril Frazier, Fred Jones, Kyle Phillips, MyQuon Scout
The Jets are listing third-round draft pick Jachai Polite as a defensive end, so for depth chart purposes, he will be grouped with the defensive linemen despite his obvious role as an EDGE.
Other than the technicality of adding Polite to this group, there’s not much doing with New York’s defensive linemen. Like the offensive line, Gase has yet to do anything with the personnel here. However, some moves could be coming after OTAs.
Linebacker (11)
C.J. Mosley, Avery Williamson, Jordan Jenkins, Brandon Copeland, Frankie Luvu, Neville Hewitt, Anthony Wint, Harvey Langi, Blake Cashman, Jamey Mosley, Jeff Allison
Now that Darron Lee is gone, fifth-round pick Blake Cashman is now all but a lock to make New York’s 53-man roster as his replacement.
Harvey Langi, Jamey Mosley and Jeff Allison will have a chance to beat Cashman out, but the odds are slim. As it stands right now, the only way Cashman does not open the season on the Jets’ active roster is if he succumbs to injury in the summer.
Defensive Backs (18)
Jamal Adams, Marcus Maye, Trumaine Johnson, Brian Poole, Darryl Roberts, Parry Nickerson, Rashard Robinson, Derrick Jones, Jeremy Clark, Rontez Miles, Doug Middleton, Bless Austin Arthur Maulet, Tevaughn Campbell, Brandon Bryant, John Battle, Santos Ramirez, Kyron Brown
With 18 defensive backs currently in the mix, New York’s coaching staff will have a lot of evaluating to do at the end of OTAs.
Since so many players are in play for a spot with OTAs underway, this number is all but certain to drop significantly before training camp kicks off in late July.
Special Teams (4)
Kicker (1): Chandler Catanzaro
Punter (2): Lachlan Edwards, Matt Darr
Long Snapper (1): Thomas Hennessey
Normally, there’s nothing new to report on with New York’s specialists. However, with the arrival of Matt Darr, that is no longer the case.
Darr is familiar with Adam Gase from his time with the Miami Dolphins. However, Darr was never anything more than mediocre for Gase and should be viewed as nothing more as a training camp body to get the most out of incumbent Lachlan Edwards.
With Edwards coming on so strong the past two seasons working with special teams coach Brant Boyer, it’s hard to see Darr overtaking him for the starting job.
