The Jets enter Thursday’s preseason finale with most of their roster set. There may be a few players who can change the minds of general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Adam Gase, but for the most part the roster decisions have been made.
The players who face the Eagles on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium who are not going to be Jets will be trying to get on the radar of other teams in this game.
“There’s a lot of guys that are going to be playing for their job here, but they’re also putting on film for the rest of the league,” Gase said. “There’s a lot of guys that are going to get released here over the next five days or so and other teams might have interest in somebody so it’s just about putting out the right film.”
Here is my crack at what the Jets’ 53-man roster could look like on Saturday at 4 p.m. when all cuts must be made:
Quarterbacks (2): Sam Darnold, Trevor Siemian
It is tempting to go with three quarterbacks here. Gase kept four in Miami last year. But I just have not seen enough from Luke Falk or Davis Webb to think the Jets are going to use a roster spot on them. If I had to pick one, it would be Falk. I would expect a third quarterback to land on the practice squad.
Running backs (4): Le’Veon Bell, Ty Montgomery, Bilal Powell, Trenton Cannon
This is one of the toughest positions to predict on the roster. Powell, Cannon and Elijah McGuire are fighting for two spots. I think it will be Powell and Cannon. Powell can do everything – run, catch and block. If the Jets really liked McGuire (a draft pick of the former regime) why sign Powell in June? Cannon is a valuable special teams player.
Wide receivers (7): Robby Anderson, Quincy Enunwa, Jamison Crowder, Josh Bellamy, Deontay Burnett, Greg Dortch, Charone Peake
This position could look different by Monday after waiver claims. The Jets have very little depth here after the top three. Bellamy, Dortch and Peake are all choices because of their special teams value, not their receiving ability. Dortch looks like he will be the punt returner, but I would not be shocked if he gets cut because he does not contribute in any other area.
Tight ends (3): Ryan Griffin, Trevon Wesco, Eric Tomlinson
The Jets will be without Chris Herndon for the first four games as he serves his suspension. Tomlinson gets the nod over Daniel Brown here, but it would not be a shocker if they kept all four tight ends.
Offensive line (8): Ryan Kalil, Kelechi Osemele, Brian Winters, Kelvin Beachum, Brandon Shell, Jonotthan Harrison, Alex Lewis, Chuma Edoga
Douglas has done a good job of improving this unit in camp with the signing of Kalil and the trade for Lewis. Edoga has shown enough to get the nod at backup tackle. Brent Qvale, who has a knee injury, might make the roster initially and then be placed on injured reserve with the hope he can return this season.
Defensive line (6): Leonard Williams, Quinnen Williams, Henry Anderson, Steve McLendon, Bronson Kaufusi, Folorunso Fatukasi
Kaufusi has had a very strong camp and Fatukasi came on late. The hardest decision here is Nathan Shepherd, last year’s third-round pick. He has not done much in camp and I think they may move on.
Outside linebacker (5): Jordan Jenkins, Harvey Langi, Frankie Luvu, Tarell Basham, Jachai Polite
The Jets have been searching at this position and they lost Brandon Copeland to a four-game PED suspension to start the year. I don’t expect Polite to see much time this season. He is raw and needs work.
Inside linebacker (5): C.J. Mosley, Neville Hewitt, Blake Cashman, Anthony Wint, Albert McClellan
The Jets will miss Avery Williamson, but Hewitt has shown some promise. Cashman has shown potential and plays special teams. I included McClellan as a special teams player.
Cornerback (6): Trumaine Johnson, Darryl Roberts, Brian Poole, Nate Hairston, Kyron Brown, Arthur Maulet
The Jets made a move on Wednesday to get Hairston. There will be more moves made at this position over the weekend.
Safety (4): Jamal Adams, Marcus Maye, Rontez Miles, Brandon Bryant
Bryant suffered a concussion in the third preseason game. This is assuming it is not too serious. Doug Middleton is in the mix here, too.
Special teams (3): Taylor Bertolet, Lachlan Edwards, Thomas Hennessy
Bertolet needs to have a good game Thursday to secure the job. Otherwise, they will be searching for someone to bring in next week.