The Jets are about to open training camp, and for a few players, the next few weeks could decide everything.
Veterans are set to report on July 28, while the rookie class arrives in Florham Park on July 25. With Aaron Glenn preparing to run a competitive camp, the roster battles figure to be intense as New York tries to get its rebuild moving in the right direction.
That pressure lands hardest on three players who are running out of room.
Arian Smith is one of them. The Jets spent a fourth-round pick on the wide receiver last offseason, but his rookie year barely got off the ground: seven catches, 52 yards and no touchdowns.
Things have only gotten tougher from there, with first-round rookie Omar Cooper Jr. pushing him further down the depth chart. Smith enters camp on shaky ground.
Jelani Woods also has a lot to prove. He stood out during OTAs and minicamp, but the tight end room is crowded and the Jets have plenty tied up in Kenyon Sadiq and Mason Taylor. Jeremy Ruckert is still in the mix too, which leaves Woods battling just to keep his place on the roster.
Then there’s Mazi Smith, whose margin for error may be the smallest of all. The Jets traded for the former first-round bust last November in an effort to give him another chance, but he didn’t make much of it.
Since then, the team has added T'Vondre Smith and David Onyemata, making the defensive tackle group even more crowded. At this point, Smith looks like a long shot to survive cutdown day.
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Jets Fans Will Have Strong Opinions On This In-State Receiver Gamble
The Jets have spent the offseason trying to deepen their receiver room, and any conversation about adding another pass catcher is going to draw attention from a fan base that has seen enough thin depth charts. One name that has surfaced in that discussion is a young Giants wideout whose draft profile once suggested real upside, even if his early pro production has not matched the pre-draft buzz.
What makes the idea intriguing is the combination of circumstance and cost. The Giants have crowded their receiver group with veteran additions, which could make a move more realistic, and the player is entering the final year of his rookie deal. For the Jets, the appeal would be a low-risk swing on a speed piece with room to grow, but the question is whether the price and the fit line up well enough to turn a local rumor into an actual transaction. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Fans Wont Like Where This Offense Just Got Ranked
The latest quarterback-wideout-running back rankings from CBS Sports did not do much to brighten the mood around the Jets offense. Jared Dubin stacked all 32 teams based on the combined outlook of the starting quarterback, top pass-catcher and primary running back, and New Yorks trio of Geno Smith, Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson landed near the bottom of the list.
Smiths rough season in Las Vegas weighed heavily in the evaluation, with the piece even wondering whether he is on the downslope of his career. Wilsons injury-shortened year also dragged down the group, even though his production has been far more encouraging when healthy, while Halls talent remains obvious after a 1,000-yard season that still felt like only a glimpse of what he can be behind better blocking. [Read more 🡒]