Make your predictions here, be they the final 53 guys, or just your thoughts on a position group...
Offense:
QB (3) - Wilson, Flacco, Streveler
Cuts [1] - White
PS (1) - Streveler (After Zach is Healthy)
Potential Trade Candidates: Mike White
Explanation: Over the season we will only carry 2 QBs. I think White has played himself out of being a trade candidate. I honestly think that Streveler has actually outplayed White to be QB3, and I also think it's a pretty likely that we don't make the bet that both White and Streveler gets claimed. Even thought I'd like us to just roll with 2 QB on the active roster for week 1, and then just call up Streveler the first week (or two or three) until Wilson is healthy enough to start.
RB (3) - Hall, Carter, Coleman
Cuts [3] - Knight, Johnson, Perine
PS (1) - Knight
Potential Trade Candidates: None likely
Explanation: Hall and Carter are locks. I think they opt for the veteran in Coleman as RB 3. Knight has been solid, but is he even a JAG player right now? I don't think he is, thus he heads to the PS squad. I actually expect us to carry at least 2 and possibly 3 PS RBs that we call up week to week to provide depth or situational play. Sneakily, we might be in the market for a RB cut from another team...
FB (1) - Bawden
Cuts [None]
Potential Trade Candidates: None
Explanation: Jets will use a FB in this offense, and last year Bawden came off the street and beat out Wesco for reps. Why should I expect this won't continue? I think Bawden over Wesco if it's a fight between the 2 for one slot.
WR(5) - Moore, Davis, Wilson, Berrios, Smith
Cuts [3] - Jackson, Charles, Black, Mims
PS (2) - Jackson, Black
Potential Trade Candidates: Mims
Explanation: Mims has requested the trade we all expected to happen. I could see us keeping Mims past the initial cut down day if we don't get the deal we want, and then once we 'prove we aren't going to just cut him' JD gets the offer he's willing to take, and Mims moves on. I expect Chicago or Carolina are the most likely destinations. I personally think Jackson is a better WR than Smith, but until shown otherwise I assume Smith is the better ST player, and that's what we need out of a WR 5. Would I be shocked to see Jackson make it over Smith? No. Either way WR 5 is a spot to watch post cutdown day for an addition.
TE (3) - Conklin, Uzomah, Ruckert
Cuts [3] - Wesco, Cager, Yeboah.
PS (1) - Cager
Potential Trade Candidates: None
Explanation: Wesco has the best chance to make the roster. We have playmakers in the top 3. #4 needs to be a blocker that is consistent and sound and plays ST. That means Cager and Yeboah are out as neither is effective there. I know fans are loving Cager, but all he did was catch and run straight two weeks in a row. Any of our top 3 TE's could do the exact same thing in those situations, and also contribute in so many more ways. Wesco had some bad penalties over his tenure here and got beaten out for the FB role last year by Bawden and I expect that to continue. In an ideal world I think we want 4 TEs, so I wouldn't be shocked if we pick a guy off the wire.
OT (4) - Brown, Fant, Mitchell, Edoga
Cuts [2] - McDermott, Hermanns
PS (1) - Hermanns
Potential Trade Candidates: None
Explanation: I believe Edoga over McDermott for 'health' reasons. However, Edgoa is absolutely a guy I can see being upgraded on cutdown day.
IOL (5) - Tomlinson, McGovern, Vera-Tucker, Feeney, Herbig
Cuts [2] - Pierschbacher, Glaser
PS (1) - Pierschbacher
Potential Trade Candidates: None
Explanation: This feels like the most straight forward unit on the offense to predict. We have 5 NFL players, and all appear locks to make the team.
Offense Total: 24 players (3 QB, 3 RB, 1 FB, 3 TE, 5 WR, 9 OL)
Defense:
Edge (6) - Lawson, Johnson, Martin, Huff, Clemons, Curry
Cuts [2] - Zuniga, Anae, Ward
PS (1) - Anae
Potential Trade Candidates: Curry, Huff, Zuniga
Explanation: One of the deepest units we have had in years at any position on the roster. I fully expect if we cut Zuniga, he gets claimed which is why I don't pass him across to the PS. If we decide that we simply cannot roster over 10 DL in total, I am certain we can get something in a trade for one of the above listed guys, although I expect us to keep those 11 guys to really run the rotation our staff has been discussing.
IDL (5) - Williams, Franklin-Myers, Thomas, Rankins, Marshall
Cuts [2] - Shepherd, Smart
PS (1) - Smart
Potential Trade Candidates: Shepherd
Explanation: I think Marshall has outplayed Shepherd, and Smart is a great story, but I don't think he is consistent enough to be an NFL player on the active roster, or at least not so much so it's worth giving up Marshall for. I wouldn't be shocked if Shepherd sticks over Marshall, as the staff loves the guy and his 'strain,' but I just haven't seen him develop as a player. Also don't rule out Rankins as a surprise trade candidate. I don't think we would cut him, but he hasn't lived up to what we paid to bring him in, and if we really like the young guys, he might be a guy we try and move.
LB (4) - Mosely, Alexander, Williams, Sherwood
Cuts [3] - Nasirildeen, Phillips, Thomas
PS (2) - Nasirildeen, Thomas
Potential Trade Candidates: None
Explanation: The Jets are banking on their young guys developing in either Sherwood or Hamsah. I don't see it in either guy, but it seems Sherwood is ahead. Ideally they would have 5 LB's, but I suspect LB 5 is a pickup from elsewhere. DQ Thomas is a guy I expect us to keep on the PS this season, we paid him a lot as a UDFA. Honestly in my opinion this is the weakest unit on the team, and I can easily see us bringing in someone on waiver claim day.
CB (7) - Gardener, Reed, Hall, Echols, Carter II, Guidry, Hardee
Cuts [2] - Dunn, Wildgoose
PS (2) - Dunn, Wildgoose
Potential Trade Candidates: Echols, Hall, Dunn
Explanation: This is a deep group. Can we really justify carrying 7 here? If not I suspect we can find a deal for Echols or Hall around the league, whichever guy we feel better about stays. Hall had a tough week last week, but in my eyes he's still the better player. Somebody out there would give us something of value for Echols after what he did as a rookie starter last year. The question is would we want to take that? Hardee offers nothing as a secondary player. It's also questionable how good a ST player he actually was last year. Wouldn't be shocked if he was a surprise cut.
S (4) - Joyner, Whitehead, Pinnock, Davis
Cuts [2] - Parks, Adams
PS (1) - Adams
Potential Trade Candidates: Parks, Davis
Explanation: This group is going to be a net negative for us. It's going to become glaringly obvious it's a weak point if our CBs are as good as I think, teams are going to be picking on LBs and S as much as they can. Ultimately Pinnock isn't really ready to play, but the team is hoping like hell he will be next year. Davis hasn't been good, but he's an elite athlete that brings ST play that Parks does not, and that's why he gets the nod from me. Parks may be the better S today, but he's so conservative and athletically limited in comparison to Davis and he's already the best he could be. I think ideally the Jets wish they had a 5th S spot to give Parks and still stash Pinnock while allowing Davis to be a ST demon and continue learning to take the right angles on defense.
Total Defense: 26 players (6 Edge, 5 IDL, 4 LB, 7 CB, 4 S)
Specialists
K (1) - Zuerlein
P (1) - Mann
LS (1) - Hennessy
Total
Offense: 24 players
Defense: 26 players
Special Teams: 3 players
Positions I suspect we will be scouring the waiver wire to improve the bottom of the roster, in order of importance:
OT, LB, S, RB, WR, TE
Practice Squad (14):
QB - Streveler
RB - Knight
TE - Cager
WR - Jackson, Black
OL - Hermanns, Pierschbacher
DL - Anae, Smart
LB - Nasirildeen, Thomas
CB - Dunn, Wildgoose
S - Adams
Practice Squad has room for 2 more. I wouldn't be surprised to see us get rid of both the OL, and I think the most likely players to be claimed from this list are Hamsah and Isaiah Dunn. As I mentioned above I fully expect to bring in another RB, and possibly use both spots on RBs so we can elevate them up to the active roster on game day several times this season.
