Some Who Survive Tuesday’s Jets Cuts Are Still On Thin Ice
Last week, I submitted my predictions for who should make the cut for the Jets mandatory 53-man roster that will be divulged on Tuesday. Looking back, other than realizing that I was slightly cheating by omitting linebacker Jarrad Davis from the initial list because he will immediately head to injured reserve so he can be eligible to return when his ankle heals in approximately two months, and Sunday’s trade for edge rusher Shaq Lawson (sayonara, Jabari Zuniga) to help fill the void left by the devastating Achilles rupture to namesake Carl Lawson, nothing has happened since to make me materially alter my configuration.
That includes the wild James Morgan-to-Kenny Yeboah Hail Mary that gave Gang Green a 31-31 tie in the preseason finale versus visiting Philadelphia on Friday night. While that surely was a feel-good moment for the two young players, it shouldn’t shield both from the axe on Tuesday, after which they can be stashed on the Jets’ practice squad should they go unclaimed by the rest of the league.
The other hitch with my premise is that there will undoubtedly be a few Jets players who will receive good news on Tuesday but shouldn’t necessarily unpack their bags for the season. New York is second among NFL teams in terms of waiver claim priority, and there are several positions where General Manager Joe Douglas should be able to identify upgrades among the nearly 850 newly-unemployed players from around the league.
They are:
QB2:
Why didn’t the Jets just re-sign Joe Flacco, who will be languishing in Philly now that the Eagles just traded for Gardner Minshew? It’s insane that they still don’t have a legitimate experienced backup (no one believes Josh Johnson will survive Tuesday’s cuts) to step up in case something happens to 2021 No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson. Mike White, who has never taken a regular season snap, is the heavy favorite to win the job over Morgan in the near term, but it would be shocking if Douglas doesn’t make a move for a vet prior to the opener in Carolina on September 12.
If Douglas is steadfast in not offering low-round draft capital to pry away a Flacco or a Nick Foles (Chicago’s third-string), then he must grab one off the garbage heap, even if it’s Nick Mullens, whom the Eagles just released following the Minshew trade and has a baseline knowledge of the Jets’ offense from his three seasons in San Francisco.
Guard:
With first-round pick Alijah-Vera Tucker out for all three preseason contests with a pectoral injury (though he’s been ramping up in recent practices) and the sudden retirement of Alex Lewis, the Jets have been hurting at guard. They gave Dan Feeney $3 million guaranteed to be the main backup despite his substandard four-season tenure with the Chargers, as measured by grades from ProFootballFocus.com. so he’ll probably be safe on Tuesday. Speaking of PFF, I don’t know what game they were watching that they gave Feeney decent grades for Friday’s performance, but I saw the same matador who whiffed on blocks in key situations. In any event, I believe Douglas would be risking prized asset Wilson’s health entrusting Feeney in pass protection should Vera-Tucker or Greg Van Roten be unable to go in a particular game.
A familiar name, Dakota Dozier, who was part of the dreadful John Idzik 12 in the Jets’ ruinous 2014 Draft, is stinking it up in Minnesota and could very well become available after Tuesday, but Douglas will probably opt to find someone younger to add depth at this spot.
Linebacker:
Converting rookie safeties to linebackers isn’t as easy as Head Coach Robert Saleh made it out to be. Hamsah Nasirildeen and Jamien Sherwood will go through many bumps in the road this season, first learning how to get untangled from blocks and then bringing down NFL ballcarriers. Sherwood in particular looked amateurish in the preseason finale, with two inexcusable missed tackles.
Saleh seems to focus more on speed when evaluating linebackers, but this position does require a certain amount of pop as well. C.J. Mosley, who played three healthy quarters in his two seasons in New York following his massive free agency acquisition, is the only player on the depth chart with such a pedigree.
On the outside, Arizona’s Jordan Hicks seems to be the biggest name on the rumored chopping block, barring a trade, though he might prove to be too expensive for Douglas’ taste. The Lawson deal was more up Douglas’ alley, as he was pried away from Houston for a sixth-round pick acquired from the 49ers last October in exchange for barely-used linebacker Patrick Willis. In addition, Lawson will only cost New York $990,000 this season, since the Texans had already prepaid Lawson’s $7 million bonus.
The Jets run defense had been one of the team’s few bright spots recently, finishing in the league’s top 10 in yards allowed per carry the last two seasons, but this group could use better depth to avoid turning a strength into a concern. That’s the last thing New York needs because…
AP/Adam Hunger
Cornerback:
Saleh’s vision for Gang Green’s defense was to load up on his front four to generate pass rush pressure, thereby lessening the exposure on his young cornerbacks. The Shaq-for-Carl swap doesn’t do much to unblur the landscape, as there’s a reason other than “It’s the Texans” why a 27-year old former first-round pick was available so cheap. Though he did get credit for 15 QB hits, tied for the fourth-most in the league at his position, Shaq’s 6.5% pressure percentage was only slightly better than the Jets Jordan Jenkins last season, per PFF.
Ergo, the Jets, who plan to trot out Bryce Hall and Bless Austin on the outside with either Javelin Guidry or Michael Carter II in the slot, are in a heap of trouble.
Richard Sherman, an unlikely free agent prospect even before his July arrest following a domestic violence incident, is not coming to the rescue. Neither will anyone with dependable NFL coverage skills.
That doesn’t mean that Douglas won’t try. He’ll be parsing the waiver wire in search of a neglected cut gem, hoping for a miracle that it can be shaped into a diamond in the rough.