The Jets have just one week of training camp and preseason left. They’ll face the New York Giants Saturday in what will also be a bit of a dress rehearsal and final tune-up for the regular season as Aaron Rodgers will play in his first preseason game since 2018.
Entering this final week, there are still a few questions at some positions left to be answered before the Jets make their cuts down to 53 players and truly begin preparing for the season opener against the Buffalo Bills on September 11. Let’s run through some of those questions here, starting with the quarterback position.
Quarterback: Will the Jets keep Tim Boyle as the No. 3 quarterback?
Tim Boyle threw an interception and had an overall down day against the Buccaneers on Saturday while Zach Wilson continued to show progress and maturity. That started raising some questions about whether the Jets will keep three quarterbacks on the active roster heading into the season. Will Boyle stick around as QB3? Will the Jets look to add a different player and stash him on the practice squad? With the talent all throughout the roster, it’s not impossible that the Jets roll with just two quarterbacks on the 53.
Running Back: How will the Jets handle the crowded room? Is Bam Knight the odd man out?
The Jets brought in Dalvin Cook to what was already a loaded running back room that included Breece Hall, Michael Carter, Zonovan Knight and Israel Abanikanda. Hall and Cook were already locks and Carter not playing Saturday against the Buccaneers signals he is likely in good shape as well.
The Jets also really like fullback Nick Bawden. So that leaves sophomore Zonovan Knight and rookie Israel Abanikanda. Chances are, with the way he has been flashing his preseason, the Jets aren’t letting go of Abanikanda anytime soon. So what do the Jets do with Knight?
Knight filled in towards the end of the last season due to injuries at the position and showed some flashes. But are the Jets going to keep five tailbacks plus a fullback? New York will have a tough decision to make but the end result may see Knight be simply a victim of the numbers game.
Wide Receiver: Who gets the No. 6 wide receiver spot...if there is one?
At this point, it goes without saying that the Jets are keeping at least five wide receivers — Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, Mecole Hardman, Corey Davis and Randall Cobb. The decision the Jets have to make is who will be No. 6…if there even will be a No. 6.
There seems to be three contenders for the spot: undrafted rookies Jason Brownlee and Xavier Gipson along with Malik Taylor. Brownlee entered camp as the favorite after building momentum throughout the spring phase but cooled off after camp started and into the preseason games.
Taylor then took over as the favorite for a little bit after a good showing in the Hall of Fame Game, but he dipped off while Brownlee bounced back against the Buccaneers.
In the meantime, Gipson has worked his way into consideration by flashing in the return game, including a 31-yard punt return against the Buccaneers. So if we’re guessing right now, the Jets will keep six receivers and Gipson will be the WR6 and the primary punt returner and maybe return kicks as well.
Tight End: Has Zack Kuntz done enough to crack the 53?
Tyler Conklin, C.J. Uzomah and Jeremy Ruckert are locks at this point to be the tight ends for the Jets this season. The Jets are especially high on Ruckert and believe he can take a step forward in his second season. In this final week, all eyes will be on rookie Zack Kuntz.
The Jets drafted Kuntz in the 7th round in April out of Old Dominion. The Penn State transfer has incredible size and athleticism. But concerns about his route running, lack of explosive plays in college and age (already 24) led to a player with that kind of athletic ability still being available that late in the draft.
So far, Kuntz has seen six targets and caught all six for 41 yards and a touchdown. But it still feels like he’s behind the eight ball a bit and the Jets could keep fullback Nick Bawden as essentially their 4th tight end.
Kuntz will be a great practice squad candidate, but he’s currently looking like one of the last players out.
Offensive Line: Will Mekhi Becton be the starting right tackle?
Mekhi Becton has been gaining confidence in his knee, playing about 25 snaps in each of the last two preseason games. He has shown he can return to the form that made him the 11th pick of the 2020 draft and flashed the potential the Jets have been hoping for. The next step is to see what Becton can do against a group of starters. The Jets need to give him that opportunity because the other options — namely Billy Turner and Max Mitchell — haven’t worked out this summer.
If Becton does earn the starting right tackle spot, could the Jets cut either Turner or Mitchell? Rookie Carter Warren isn’t going anywhere, so the Jets would have to decide if they want to keep five true offensive tackles. However, with the injury concerns of Duane Brown and even Becton, they may have to keep both. At the very least, expect them to track the waiver wire for potential help.
Defensive Line: With 10 on the active roster, how many will the Jets keep on the practice squad?
The Jets should have 10 defensive linemen when they cut down to 53 next week and those 10 have been known for a while. It’s Quinnen Williams, Al Woods, Quinton Jefferson and Solomon Thomas at tackle and Carl Lawson, John Franklin-Myers, Jermaine Johnson, Micheal Clemons, Will McDonald and Bryce Huff as the ends.
Even after those 10, the Jets have some talent on the defensive line that they can stash on the practice squad. Tanzel Smart has flashed at times and saw time on the active roster last season. He’s a prime practice squad candidate. Marquiss Spencer and Deslin Alexandre could also be candidates.
Jalyn Holmes is also an intriguing player. The recently-signed lineman has already notched two sacks this preseason, second to only Huff’s 2.5. With 16 players on the practice squad, there is plenty of room for Holmes with the Jets to add more depth on the edge.
Linebacker: Who wins the battle for the No. 4 spot?
Rookie Zaire Barnes and Chazz Surratt are in a good battle to be the 4th linebacker behind C.J. Mosley, Quincy Williams and Jamien Sherwood. It’s not impossible the Jets keep five linebackers, but the likelihood is they will stick with four off-ball players and Barnes has been running ahead of Surratt throughout the summer.
Surratt should at least return to the Jets’ practice squad if that’s the case, but Barnes has played well on defense and can add special teams value as well. Also, look for Claudin Cherelus to be on the practice squad as well.
Cornerback: Who will Brandin Echols knock out when he returns from suspension?
This isn’t necessarily a question for this week but for the near future. Brandin Echols is suspended for Week 1 for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. As such, he will not count against the 53-man roster to start the season. He will when he returns following the Bills game, meaning the Jets will have to release a player to make room for Echols. He’s the top backup behind the big three, so he’s not going anywhere. So who will?
Could it be one of Billy Turner or Max Mitchell at offensive tackle, especially if Mekhi Becton secures the right tackle spot? Could it be the No. 3 quarterback if the Jets start off with three but also add one to the practice squad? The cutdown to 53 is already hard enough with the talent the Jets currently have. To have to cut one of those players after the fact to make room for Echols will be just as tough.
Also, don’t rule out the possibility of the Jets even cutting to 52 and simply saving that extra spot for Echols. There’s a lot of ways the Jets can go about this and it will be interesting to see what they end up doing.
Safety: Is there room for Trey Dean on the 53?
Jordan Whitehead and Tony Adams are the starters and Adrian Amos should see work in three-safety packages. Ashtyn Davis still gives the Jets value on special teams, which could give him the current edge to be the 4th safety. 6th-round rookie Jarrick Bernard-Converse has been on the physically unable to perform list all camp, but his versatility may still help him stick around on the 53.
That leaves Trey Dean squarely on the bubble, but the undrafted rookie out of Florida has done all he can to earn a spot on the 53. He’s currently the leader in the clubhouse with 22 tackles this preseason, including 19 solo tackles. He also has three tackles for a loss.
One roster move that could work in Dean’s favor is the Jets keeping just two quarterbacks on the active roster. There’s always surprises on cutdown day as well.
Dean has done well enough to warrant a spot. Will there be a spot? We’ll find out next week.
