For those of you with the subscription, here is the direct link. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/65...n-roster-projection-preseason-opener-packers/ Jets 53-man roster projection: How much room is there for the running backs? What happens in the preseason often stays in the preseason. More often than not, preseason hype doesn’t actually manifest into regular season success. And yet, it would be hard not to be encouraged by what quarterback Justin Fields and the Jets offense showed in Saturday night’s preseason win over the Green Bay Packers. Fields played only one series — and he got in and out of the lineup doing exactly what he needed. He completed passes that were there for him, he scrambled for yards when nobody was open, he didn’t force things and he led a scoring drive, capped by his own 13-yard touchdown run. He completed 3 of 4 passes for 42 yards. The blocking was good, and the running backs — particularly Braelon Allen — ran the ball well. If the offense looks like this when it matters, the Jets might look like a more competent outfit in 2025. Another reason for optimism had to do with some mistakes made on defense. When Micheal Clemons got into a mini-fracas, head coach Aaron Glenn pulled him out of the game. When linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball was flagged for a late hit, Glenn laid into him. That level of accountability will resonate with a fan base — and, hopefully, a roster — that has been seeking it. As for the rest of the roster: Unlike the last couple of years when the Jets loaded up with big-name veteran players and draft picks, there are more roster spots there for a taking in 2025. By my count, there are around 7-10 spots that are up for grabs — and perhaps more depending on the severity of injuries to some on the roster. (Note: The Jets currently have two players on the Physically Unable to Perform List in defensive end Jermaine Johnson and wide receiver Irv Charles; Johnson is expected to be activated while Charles will likely stick on PUP to start the season, thus not taking up a roster spot.) Quarterback (2) In: Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor Out: Brady Cook, Adrian Martinez Taylor is dealing with a knee injury — Glenn called it the result of “wear and tear” earlier in the week — but as long as that’s nothing serious and he’ll be available for Week 1 the Jets will likely roll with two quarterbacks to start the season. If Taylor wasn’t ready for Week 1, perhaps Cook or Martinez could play their way onto the 53 but more likely one (or both) will stick around on the practice squad. Martinez looked like the better quarterback on Saturday overall though he did play against Green Bay’s deeper backups. Cook had his moments too and has had a better camp overall. Running Back (4) In: Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, Isaiah Davis, Kene Nwangwu Out: Donovan Edwards, Lawrance Toafili, Andrew Beck (fullback) If the Jets do wind up playing the trio of Hall, Allen and Davis as much as it seems they will — and in a run-heavy offense — I have concerns about the lack of depth behind them. Edwards hasn’t flashed much during training camp but had a nice 73-yard touchdown run on Saturday (albeit wiped out by a holding penalty) and Glenn raved about him after the game. If he keeps this level of play up, it’ll be harder to keep him off the roster. And while Nwangwu has gotten reps with the backups his role is primarily on special teams and as the team’s primary kick returner. Perhaps someone worth adding will come available on the waiver wire when rosters are reduced. I think Beck will ultimately stick around using some roster gymnastics. The Jets can cut him and, since he’s a vested veteran, he won’t have to pass through waivers. They could initially bring him back on the practice squad and use a couple elevations before eventually signing him back to the active roster. In a run-heavy offense, he’ll have a role as a blocker — maybe as a passer too after the way he played with the first-team offense on Saturday night. He caught two passes for 36 yards.
Wide Receiver (6) In: Garrett Wilson, Josh Reynolds, Allen Lazard, Arian Smith, Tyler Johnson, Jamaal Pritchett Out: Brandon Smith, Malachi Corley, Xavier Gispon, Dymere Miller, Quentin Skinner, Ontaria Wilson Injured: Irv Charles The big names to watch here, all of whom this staff inherited from the past regime: Lazard, Corley and Gipson. Lazard hasn’t shown much of anything in camp but the Jets seem to value his leadership and ability as a blocker in the running game (he was spotted wearing a sling on Saturday; he’ll undergo tests on his shoulder). The Jets have had Corley exclusively running with the backups on offense, likely in an attempt to motivate him to earn his standing with a new coaching staff — so far, it hasn’t worked. Corley has struggled in camp (drops, fumbles and a lack of notable plays made) and the preseason might be his best shot at proving he deserves to stick. It would be a tough look cutting a recent third-round pick, but he wasn’t Darren Mougey’s third-round pick. Corley had one catch for eight yards on Saturday. Gipson is battling Pritchett for the primary punt returner role and it ultimately was Gipson’s job to lose, but Pritchett has outplayed him both on special teams and on offense throughout training camp. Gipson missed Saturday’s game with an injury, while Pritchett had four chances to return punts, with a long return of 13 yards. Brandon Smith was in a battle for the final roster spot in my projection — and he has a chance to fight his way onto the team. But there’s also a decent chance he’d make it through waivers and can stick around anyway. The last wide receiver spots (whether they keep six or seven) will come down to Gipson or Pritchett, and then Smith, Corley and/or undrafted rookie Quentin Skinner — who has good size and has flashed as a deep threat both in camp and on Saturday when he made an impressive jump ball 26-yard catch in the second half. Tight End (3) In: Mason Taylor, Jeremy Ruckert, Stone Smartt Out: Zack Kuntz, Neal Johnson This feels like a position primed to add someone after roster cuts — particularly in light of the rookie Taylor’s high ankle sprain, which should knock him out for a couple more weeks, at least. If that injury lingers into the season, the Jets are in trouble; without Taylor, this looks like the weakest position group on the roster. Ruckert has had a rough camp — two recent targets have bounced off his hands and were picked off. Smartt has flashed some pass-catching skills (and caught a 24-yard touchdown from Martinez against the Packers) but is limited as a blocker. Taylor was playing well before he got hurt. Offensive Line (9) In: OT Olu Fashanu, OT Armand Membou, G Alijah Vera-Tucker, G John Simpson, C/G Joe Tippmann, C Josh Myers, OT Chukwuma Okorafor, OT/G Max Mitchell, G/C Xavier Newman Out: OT Carter Warren, G Kohl Levao, OL Leander Wiegand, OT Samuel Jackson This group feels fairly locked in unless the Jets add someone new on the waiver wire after camp. Warren has struggled since the Jets drafted him in the fourth round a couple years ago and he’s been running mostly as a third-team tackle throughout camp, so it feels as if he’s fallen behind Mitchell (who at least brings the versatility to play guard too). Simpson is currently injured, which has complicated the center competition a bit, moving Tippmann over to left guard for the time being. Defensive Tackle (5) In: Quinnen Williams, Byron Cowart, Jay Tufele, Phidarian Mathis, Leonard Taylor III Out: Derrick Nnadi, Payton Page, Fatorma Mulbah Injuries have complicated things for this group. Depth already was a concern outside of Williams — and now both Williams (calf) and Cowart (ankle) are sidelined. Nnadi has been invisible for most of camp; if everyone is healthy I’m curious to see how secure his roster spot is (his veteran experience likely helps him). Though it also makes it a real possibility that the Jets do some roster gymnastics by cutting him initially and then bringing him back on the practice squad or otherwise, which is what I projected here. Page has flashed during camp and there’s a decent chance either he or Taylor would be claimed on waivers if they’re cut. Taylor has the edge right now for his experience — and it didn’t hurt that Taylor had a strip-sack that led to a touchdown on Saturday. Defensive End (6) In: Will McDonald, Jermaine Johnson, Micheal Clemons, Rashad Weaver, Tyler Baron, Ja’Markis Weston Out: Eric Watts, Braiden McGregor, Kingsley Jonathan, Michael Fletcher Weston is an undrafted rookie who has flown under the radar, but the Jets view him as a special-teams player with significant potential in that area, and he flashed that on Saturday when he recovered a fumble on a Mecole Hardman muffed punt. Watts was one of my last cuts, though I don’t feel necessarily great about it. His physical and athletic tools are intriguing and he has a year of significant experience from his undrafted rookie year (231 defense, 132 special teams), which has served him well — he just didn’t do anything with those snaps last year. He has made some plays in team drills and has gotten his share of first-team reps with Johnson (and, briefly, McDonald) missing time, but it mostly comes down to how much rotating Steve Wilks plans on doing on the defensive line — and thus justifying whether they’d roll with 11 defensive linemen. McDonald, Johnson, Clemons and Weaver all feel locked into roles, while Baron appears to be more of a project at the moment. Will the Jets prioritize interior defensive linemen like Page and Mathis or someone like Watts on the edge? That might depend on the health of players like Williams, Cowart and Johnson — and how Watts performs in the preseason. Linebacker (5) In: Jamien Sherwood, Quincy Williams, Marcelino McCrary-Ball, Francis Mauigoa, Jamin Davis Out: Zaire Barnes Last year, the Lions kept six linebackers on their initial 53-man roster. This isn’t the exact same defense as the one Glenn ran in Detroit, especially since Wilks is the one running it, but the Jets are severely lacking for proven depth at this position and they’ll need their backup linebackers to play on special teams. McCrary-Ball has been the third-best linebacker during camp, though he had a bad penalty on Saturday on a late hit and Glenn wasn’t happy. Mauigoa probably needs some development — while Davis (a former first-round pick) has gotten some reps with the starters too (including against Green Bay, where he had a sack) and perhaps has some untapped potential. Cornerback (5) In: Sauce Gardner, Brandon Stephens, Michael Carter II, Azareye’h Thomas, Qwan’Tez Stiggers Out: Jarrick Bernard-Converse, Jordan Clark, Mario Goodrich Injured: Kris Boyd This is arguably the strongest position group on the roster — as it was for most of the last three seasons. Stephens has had a stellar camp and could be in for a breakout campaign opposite Gardner if he keeps this up when the games matter. Thomas was showing some flashes, though he has been injured recently, while Stiggers has had a really nice camp and feels safe at this point. Bernard-Converse has failed to standout. The former draft pick has the athletic tools but hasn’t been able to put it together yet. Boyd was signed to be key member of the special teams unit but suffered a shoulder injury in camp and, based on his emotional posts on Instagram recently, it seems likely it’s a long-term injury, though that hasn’t been confirmed yet. If he’s healthy enough to play this season, he’ll either stick around and/or get put on the injured reserve list after roster cuts. Safety (5) In: Andre Cisco, Tony Adams, Malachi Moore, Isaiah Oliver, Jarius Monroe Out: Tanner McCalister, Dean Clark Monroe has had a really nice camp and even got an unprompted shoutout from Glenn at one point. He was a favorite of the previous staff. McCalister has made some plays in camp as well and is a dark horse if he can keep that up in the preseason. Special Teams (3) In: K Nick Folk, P Austin McNamara, LS Thomas Hennessy Out: Harrison Mevis Folk is the clear winner of this kicking competition both based on performance and on contract (Folk signed a deal above the minimum, with $755,000 guaranteed) but Mevis could still stick on the practice squad potentially — particularly because he’s a better option on kickoffs.
