The day all NFL fringe players fear is finally here and for the New York Jets, their final 53-man roster is official and complete for 2016.
It’s over. It’s here. Playtime can now be considered final and complete.
The New York Jets have their 53 men in tow and ready for the 2016 NFL season.
Like every season and all other 31 NFL teams, Gang Green suffered through some surprises in cutting down to 53. Surprises such as Tommy Bohanon, Dee Milliner and Jace Amaro come to mind.
RELATED: Predicting The Jets 53-Man Roster (Early July)
Additionally, surprises on the other end have popped up. Robby Anderson (our cover boy for this story) is the man of the hour. The undrafted free agent from Temple caught 13 balls for 264 yards and three touchdowns this August. His clear chemistry with second-year QB Bryce Petty was a treat for all fans.
It doesn’t just end there, however. Putting together an NFL roster could be compared to a Rubik’s Cube. One move here can effect three moves down the line. It’s Mike Maccagnan’s job to limit the damage of these so-called moves.
Here’s how your 2016 New York Jets shake out:
Begin Slideshow
Quarterbacks (4)
- Ryan Fitzpatrick
- Geno Smith
- Bryce Petty
- Christian Hackenberg
No surprises here. Even with Bryce Petty going down with a bruised shoulder, the Jets were going to retain all four quarterbacks. We’ve been on this bandwagon since early July.
NEXT: Weapons
Weapons (13)
RB (5)
- Matt Forte
- Bilal Powell
- Khiry Robinson
- Dominique Williams
- Julian Howsare (FB)
WR (6)
- Brandon Marshall
- Eric Decker
- Quincy Enunwa
- Jalin Marshall
- Robby Anderson
- Charone Peake
- Devin Smith (PUP)
TE (2)
The top surprise of the roster cut season came down to Tommy Bohanon being let go in favor of Julian Howsare. Nobody saw this one coming. Moreover, the Jets retaining Dominique Williams and five total running backs instead of four is also a bit of a shocker.
As previously mentioned, Robby Anderson‘s stellar August allowed him to make the cut. Jace Amaro‘s waiving paved the way for Brandon Bostick as the only other tight-end to veteran Kellen Davis.
NEXT: O-Line
Offensive Line (9)
C (2)
G (3)
T (4)
- Ryan Clady
- Ben Ijalana
- Brent Qvale
- Brandon Shell
- Breno Giacomini (PUP)
The last move on Saturday came when the Jets placed Breno Giacomini on the PUP list, thus not having him count towards the final 53. Other than that move, there are no surprises along the offensive line. Eight could have easily been kept instead of nine.
NEXT: D-Line
Defensive Line (6)
DE/DT (4)
- Muhammad Wilkerson
- Leonard Williams
- Jarvis Jenkins
- Lawrence Thomas
- Sheldon Richardson (Suspension)
NT (2)
- Steve McLendon
- Deon Simon
The Lawrence Thomas retention came as a slight surprise to some, but could be a simple one-week fill-in for Sheldon Richardson who’s suspended for Week 1.
NEXT: Linebackers
Linebackers (9)
ILB (4)
- David Harris
- Erin Henderson
- Darron Lee
- Bruce Carter
- Julian Stanford
OLB (4)
- Jordan Jenkins
- Lorenzo Mauldin
- Mike Catapano
- Josh Martin
Keeping nine linebackers is a heavy chore. While it helps special teams to a terrific degree, it usually hurts the number of players that can be kept in the secondary.
Perhaps the injury to David Harris is the reason five inside guys were kept. Trevor Reilly and Freddie Bishop were the tough cuts along the edge.
NEXT: Secondary
Secondary (9)
CB (5)
- Darrelle Revis
- Buster Skrine
- Marcus Williams
- Juston Burris
- Dexter McDougle
S (4)
Only nine players in the secondary and five at the cornerback spot is pretty thin. Ronald Martin making the cut, considering Marcus Williams can play safety, was the surprise on the defensive side.
NEXT: Special Teams
Special Teams (3)
- Nick Folk (K)
- Lachlan Edwards (P)
- Tanner Purdum (LS)
No surprises here. We’ve none these three to be the trio for at least a couple of weeks now.