Four Bubble Jets To Watch In Preseason Opener
NFL Preseason affairs carry about the same weight as a penny. Jets fans don’t have enough fingers and toes to count the number of times where players’ stellar performances in these exhibitions never translated to games that mattered.
However, any rep on film will be a factor in coaches’ decisions when it comes to determining the final 53 roster spots and then managing the depth chart. So, if you must watch Gang Green’s preseason opener in Philadelphia on Friday, ignore what you see from the locked-in players like quarterback Zach Wilson—if these guys come out of the preseason healthy, it’s a win.
Instead, here are four players who deserve your focus:
1) Denzel Mims, wide receiver
The most obvious player on the list, the 2020 second-round pick has B-U-S in the game of B-U-S-T after two seasons of injury and underachievement. Though there have been anecdotal reports that Mims has shown some improvement this training camp, he is clearly on the bubble. At best, he is considered to be sixth on the Jets’ receiver depth chart, somehow behind stone-handed Jeff Smith (5 drops in 54 targets over the last two seasons, per ProFootballFocus.com—and as for Smith’s so-called special teams prowess, he was credited with one tackle with three whiffs in 60 special teams snaps last season). Many analysts expect the Jets to trade Mims before preseason’s end, but folks, NFL teams aren’t in the habit of expending draft capital on a player who they could conceivably get for free on the waiver wire. If New York receives a seventh-round pick, they’ll be lucky. No, the best outcome for the Jets this preseason is for Mims to prove to General Manager Joe Douglas that his high selection wasn’t a mistake.
2) Mike White, quarterback
If the Jets are forced into trading a player to help with their numbers crunch, it should be White, who achieved semi-cult status after throwing for 405 yards in 34-31 upset victory over Super Bowl bound Cincinnati in Week 8. The issue is that New York is heavily invested in seeing what Wilson has in Year 2 and Joe Flacco is a very capable backup. Hard to believe given that they’re coming off a 4-13 season, but the Jets have too many tough choices at other positions to roster a player who would only play in the gravest of emergencies (Flacco had just been traded to New York the week of the Bengals game). Ergo, the third QB should be someone in more of a developmental phase who could be stashed on the practice squad. White is 27 and lacks arm strength (he was 0-for-2 on passes that travelled at least 20 yards last season, per PFF)—he is no longer a worthy candidate for the Jets QB of the future. The good news is that there could be teams in search of a No. 2 and White will receive plenty of snaps this preseason to ramp up his trade value.
3) Jonathan Marshall, defensive tackle
The Jets are loaded up front—in terms of quantity of NFL-caliber players, not necessarily the highest quality. What they don’t have in abundance, however, is old-school run-stuffers in the interior of their 4-3 base. Their best one in the last few seasons, Folorunso Fatukasi, bolted as a free agent. He was replaced by former Raider Solomon Thomas, who posted PFF’s worst grade (28!!!) among the league’s 92 interior linemen with at least 170 snaps defending the run last season. Jets DT Sheldon Rankins graded out as the NFL’s third-worst. Quinnen Williams was New York’s most disruptive force in the middle of the line, but he too can also run himself out of plays. In other words, there is room on the roster for a player who can be effective against certain run-heavy opponents, like Baltimore, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh early in the season. Marshall, Douglas’ sixth-round selection in the 2021 Draft, didn’t receive many opportunities last season—just 76 defensive snaps in four games. He also didn’t distinguish himself when he was on the field, which isn’t great when you’re an older rookie (he’ll turn 25 in September). Despite all his nutty penalties in his Jets tenure, Nathan Shepherd will start the preseason ahead of Marshall on the depth chart. Some believe that the Jets will be able to sneak Marshall onto the practice squad should he become the odd man out—I’d rather see him win the roster slot outright this preseason.
4) Jason Pinnock, safety
Injuries ravaged Saleh’s plan for his defensive backfield last season, affording the way for a player like Pinnock, who was drafted ostensibly to be a cornerback in the fifth round of the 2021 Draft, to gain a unique opportunity. Starting the final three games, Pinnock was around the ball a ton, thereby grading out as the league’s sixth-best safety in that stretch (minimum 100 snaps), per PFF. Playing mostly in the box, Will Parks, a six-year veteran, also finished out the year strong after his December waiver claim. As such, the two are said to be in a battle for the backup safety slot. Um, what about Ashtyn Davis, who has had availability and performance issues in his two seasons in New York? Could it be that Douglas doesn’t want to erase another high (third-round) 2020 draft gaffe? Nah.