The final week of the preseason is upon us and the New York Jets will square off against the New York Giants on Saturday. This will be the final tune-up game for the Jets as they embark on a season filled with lofty expectations upon the addition of four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.
As one of the teams that participated in the Hall of Fame Game this year, the Jets have produced a 1-2 record in their first three preseason matchups. Just last week, New York lost 13-6 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
With the Jets playing more starters on Saturday against the Giants, here are six players to keep tabs on in the preseason finale.
QB Aaron Rodgers
Robert Saleh announced that the Jets will have Rodgers make his preseason debut with the team on Saturday versus the Giants. The experienced signal-caller has yet to take a snap this preseason, but Saleh wants to see the first-team offense get some run before they prepare to face the Buffalo Bills in Week 1.
Rodgers shouldn’t be expected to get a ton of snaps as the Jets don’t want to have their franchise signal-caller suffer an avoidable injury before the regular season kicks off. That being said, fans and Saleh are hoping for an efficient outing from Rodgers in his limited playing time this weekend.
RB Zonovan Knight
When the Jets signed Dalvin Cook, it made the running back depth chart a bit murkier ahead of Week 1. And with rookie Israel Abanikanda dealing with a thigh contusion, the outlook of guys like Michael Carter and Zonovan Knight remains unknown.
Knight has combined for 46 rushing yards on 12 attempts, and four receptions for 23 yards in the preseason, while he lost a fumble in last week’s game against the Buccaneers. On top of that, Carter didn’t play versus the Buccaneers and there’s a chance the Jets only keep four running backs on the 53-man roster, putting Knight firmly on the roster bubble.
OT Mekhi Becton
The Jets have continued to ramp up Mekhi Becton’s workload in practice, and he’s been getting more snaps at right tackle. Assuming the Jets deploy their entire starting offense on Saturday, Becton will see the field to begin the game.
New York needs to figure out its starting offensive line in the coming weeks and Becton is certainly someone that could earn a starting role. A productive performance from the young offensive tackle against the Giants could secure a starting spot at right tackle to begin the upcoming season.
CB Bryce Hall
One area of the Jets’ roster that still needs to be figured out is the secondary. At the cornerback position, Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed, and Michael Carter II are the locked-in starters, while Bryce Hall, Jimmy Moreland, and Brandin Echols are all competing for spots behind them.
Hall, who started in 24 games from 2020 to 2021 with the Jets, doesn’t seem to have a firm hold on a definitive role in the secondary. Echols being suspended certainly aids Hall’s chances of making the roster, but a strong outing from the fourth-year cornerback would be beneficial against the Giants.
CB Jimmy Moreland
Another cornerback that has a case of earning a roster spot is Moreland. Moreland has experience as a starter in the NFL and he’s shown he isn’t afraid to get involved in stopping the run, evidenced by his 15 total tackles and two tackles for loss in the preseason thus far.
Saleh wants physical players on defense and Moreland has looked better than Hall throughout training camp and the preseason. There’s a reality where both Hall and Moreland make the roster with Echols suspended, but Saturday’s contest could be a pivotal one for both cornerbacks.
S Trey Dean
Trey Dean has made the list of players to watch nearly every week because he’s put together a strong training camp and preseason. The undrafted rookie has led the Jets in tackles in two of the team’s first three preseason games, racking up 22 combined tackles and three tackles for loss.
Ashtyn Davis appears to have the inside track to earning the No. 4 spot at safety behind Jordan Whitehead, Tony Adams, and Adrian Amos due to his special teams production. But Dean is going to make it tough on the Jets when they have to decide on who is going to make the 53-man roster for Week 1.
