New York Jets Roster Breakdown: It's Officially Week 1 Of The Regular Season
Give yourselves a pat on the back, Jets fans. We made it to the regular season. Sam Darnold has officially been named the starting QB and we’re less than a week away from a Week 1 matchup against the Detroit Lions. We’ve got more to be excited about than we’ve had in a long, long time. Buckle up, because no matter what happens this season, it’s gonna be fun.
With the passing weekend, the Jets finally cut down the roster to 53 guys. I took a stab at a projection towards the end of last week, and other than a few confusing personnel decisions by the Jets’ front office, I’m pretty proud of how accurate my projection was.
Here’s a quick look at the places I was wrong:
Tre McBride, WR: (Cut)
I got the rest of the WR group right, with Charone Peake and Andre Roberts staying on due to their special teams roles. But McBride was one of the guys I’d been raving about all summer and thought he was a sure thing to make the team after an impressive preseason. Even worse, the Jets didn’t even sign him to the practice squad which was an outcome I suggested should he not make the final 53. Best of luck to McBride wherever he ends up.
Lawrence Thomas, FB: (Starting FB)
I didn’t think the Jets would carry a FB at all to start the season. I thought the extra TE would be far more valuable given that neither of the FB candidates had really asserted themselves in the preseason. Turns out I was wrong. The Jets kept Thomas as well as a 4th TE. I’m not mad about it in the slightest. Lawrence Thomas, the former DL, is an awesome story.
Kevin Minter and Frankie Luvu, LB: (Cut, with Frankie Luvu to Practice Squad)
I thought Minter had done enough to lock down one of the backup spots at ILB, but it seems the Jets are comfortable with Neville Hewitt alone until Kevin Pierre-Louis returns from his Week 1 suspension.
As for Frankie Luvu, this one stung the most. Luvu had been all over the field, often making plays in the backfield throughout the entire preseason. Given our lack of a dominant pass rusher, I was certain Luvu had done more than enough to make this team and was expecting him to get plenty of regular season opportunities early on. Obviously, the Jets think they can do better with someone else recently made available by another team. More on that later…
Juston Burris, CB: (Made the team as 7th CB)
Derrick “Bones” Jones made the team as well, one of the less-heralded players who gets to stick around. I predicted that, no big deal.
I didn’t think Juston Burris had a shot. He just hasn’t been consistent enough. I guess Bowles and the front office weren’t ready to give up on the former 2016 4th rounder just yet.
Taylor Bertolet, K: (Cut)
This wasn’t a shocker after Jason Myers’ impressive performance in the preseason finale. Bertolet is only a rookie, and I doubt we’ve heard the last of him as an NFL kicker.
The kicking job belongs to Jason Myers, at least for now…
New Roster Additions:
Jeremiah Attaochu, DE/OLB
Attaochu, the former 2014 2nd round draft pick of the Chargers, was cut over the weekend by the San Francisco 49ers after signing a 1-year deal in the offseason.
He recorded a career high 6.0 sacks in 2015, his last season with full health. Since then, his numbers and playing time have been trending downwards, resulting in him bouncing around the league a little bit.
I don’t know what type of role Todd Bowles and the defensive coaching staff see for him, but if he can get back to anything near his 2015 production, I suppose it’s an upgrade on the edge. I’m not getting my hopes up just yet.
Davis Webb, QB (Signed to the Practice Squad, John Wolford released)
The former 2017 3rd-round pick of the New York Giants was cut over the weekend and immediately snatched up by the Jets. Webb, who many expected to be groomed to replace Eli Manning, will be added to the Practice Squad in hopes of saving some of the potential that once made him one of the best QB prospects in the entire 2017 NFL Draft.
He will serve as insurance for Darnold and McCown should one of them get hurt, and maybe down the road if we can save some of his value be used as a bargaining chip to add some extra draft picks.
Other Roster Notes:
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The Jets are kicking the tires on a few different veteran options at kicker. Dan Bailey, the former Dallas Cowboy and 2nd most accurate kicker in NFL history (88.2%), was worked out yesterday, while former Cardinal Matt McCrane is expected at the facility tomorrow. This is all good news, unless your name is Jason Myers. May the best man win.
Stay tuned for more New York Jets content as we enter Week 1 of the regular season. If you’re not excited yet, maybe you should try watching some soccer and see how that makes you feel.