After replacing the coaching staff, signing free agents, drafting prospects, replacing the front office and finalizing their 53-man roster, the Jets will finally play meaningful football games in less than a week. The team isn’t perfect, but it at least appears better than it looked at the end of a 2018 season that saw the Jets finish with a 4-12 record.
There are still glaring holes across the roster – primarily on defense and special teams – but Joe Douglas did his best to take a roster shaped by a different general manager and build it to the strengths of his coaching staff. Unfortunately, he won’t know for sure what needs adjusting until after the Jets take the field against the Bills on Sept. 8.
The Jets may be improved, but they’re far from perfect. Here are the team’s five weakest positions as Week 1 nears.
Cornerback
Cornerback continues to be a major issue for the Jets, one that likely won’t be truly resolved all season unless Trumaine Johnson lives up to his contract or another player overperforms.
The Jets only have four other cornerbacks behind Johnson, and none have more than 47 games of NFL experience. Youth at the position is the only positive, but it also comes at the expense of the rest of the secondary. No. 2 corner Darryl Roberts and slot corner Brian Poole could prove to be valuable assets, but neither will have the true ability to lock down opposing team’s passing offenses if Johnson remains injured or plays as poorly as he did last year. The same goes for Arthur Maulet and the newly acquired Nate Hairston.
Outside linebacker
Outside linebacker was another position neglected by both former GM Mike Maccagnan and current GM Joe Douglas. The Jets cut 2018 third-rounder Jachai Polite before Week 1 and Brandon Copeland will miss the first four games with a suspension, leaving Jordan Jenkins as the only truly experienced outside linebacker on the roster.
Jenkins is serviceable but isn’t much of a feared pass rusher. Harvey Langi and Frankie Luvu figure to play a prominent role until Copeland returns, meaning Gregg Williams will need to find pressure elsewhere – likely from his defensive linemen.
Wide receiver
Robby Anderson, Quincy Enunwa and Jamison Crowder are three nice wideouts for the Jets, but they are only a slightly better trio than what Sam Darnold had in 2018. They all serve a different purpose on offense, but all three come with injury risks and none are capable of taking on a sizeable target share or competing with a shutdown corner.
Behind those three, the Jets have only Josh Bellamy and Braxton Berrios – both of whom are primarily special teams players. There isn’t a lot of room for error in an offense that needs a lot of production from its wide receivers.
Kicker
The Jets are on their third kicker since letting Pro Bowler Jason Myers walk after the 2018 season. They’ll open the 2019 season with someone who’s never kicked in a regular-season game in former Ravens and Bears kicker Kaare Vedvik.
Vedvik was hit or miss this preseason. Before he was traded to the Vikings for a fifth-round pick, Vedvik hit all four of his field goals for the Ravens in the preseason. But with the Vikings, Vedvik missed all three of his kicks before Minnesota cut him. Vedvik looked great at times, but his inexperience and inconsistency could frustrate the Jets throughout the season.
Return specialist
The Jets special teams could be a mess after a successful 2018 campaign. After the Jets cut UDFA Greg Dortch and stuck him on the practice squad, it looks like former Patriots sixth-round pick Braxton Berrios will be the Jets punt returner in 2019 with second-year running back Trenton Cannon returning kicks. Between the two of them, they’ve returned one kick in their combined two seasons of NFL experience.
Berrios spent his rookie season in 2018 on injured reserve, but in college, he returned 47 punts for 488 yards and one touchdown in four years at Miami (Fla.). Cannon only returned one kick for 20 yards last season behind Pro Bowl return man Andre Roberts.
