New York Jets 53-man Week 1 roster projection

Week 3 of the preseason means roster cuts are coming. Here’s what the New York Jets 53-man roster could look like.

FLORHAM PARK, NEW JERSEY—It’s time. It’s done. It’s on. Now that the first three weeks of the preseason are in the rearview mirror, that all-too-important number of 53 shifts into focus.

From 90 to 53—nearly half of the roster vanishes in an instant. They walk away from 1 Jets Drive with heads held high while automatically inserted back into the generic NFL landscape while hoping to make the shortlist of a few teams. (Or hey, perhaps even the practice squad.)

How 53 pertains to the New York Jets is tricky. From the offensive line to the edge presence and even at the quarterback position that showcases its strongest overall talent and depth in probably 45 years, depth is apparent yet few clear-cut answers show face.

Here’s the New York Jets 53-man Week 1 roster projection:

Quarterback (3)

1. Sam Darnold
2. Teddy Bridgewater
3. Josh McCown

It’s Sam Darnold’s team and that’s all that needs to be said. Head coach Todd Bowles continues to make mention that he “has an idea” of who it’s going to be, but fails to name a starter and probably won’t until after Thursday’s preseason finale in Philadelphia.

No matter though. We all know who it’s going to be.

He’s passed every test with flying colors. A 21-year-old quarterback shouldn’t look this comfortable in the pocket behind such a porous offensive line, yet Darnold does.

What makes the kid shine even brighter is his cool, calm demeanor. He remains that perfect teammate and professional, continuing to say and do all the right things.

“I’m not really going about my day any differently than I would,” Darnold said in response to awaiting the starting quarterback announcement. “I’m still continuing in practice to take advantage of every opportunity that I get to play football being able to play this position and continuing to do my thing, try to be as consistent as possible and go about it that way.”

He even remained calm while saying the right things in response to the scenario that either Teddy Bridgewater or Josh McCown pull off the upset by way of Todd Bowles’s looming QB decision.

“No, I wouldn’t be disappointed, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Darnold confirmed. “Throughout my short career playing football, I’ve seen a lot of things. Teddy and Josh are great players, so I wouldn’t be surprised. At the same time, every quarterback wants to play, but that’s not my job to put the best player out there, that is the coaches job. Whether that’s Josh, whether that’s Teddy, whether that’s me, we’re just going to go out there and do the best that we can.”

It’s Sam Darnold’s time. The weak O-line is a worry, but Darnold’s isn’t a regular rookie quarterback. He’s already shown his coaches that he can handle a weak unit in front of him.

As it relates to the other two spots, unless the Jets find the perfect place to ship off Bridgewater, he’ll be that backup. Three will be at the position unless a quick trade is triggered prior to Week 1.

• CUT: John Wolford

Running Back (4)

1. Isaiah Crowell (HB)
2. Bilal Powell (HB)
3. Trenton Cannon (HB)
4. Lawrence Thomas (FB)

Some onlookers believe Trenton Cannon is now suddenly in danger of missing the cut. I don’t buy it.

While it’s true Isaiah Crowell and Bilal Powell will receive the bulk of the workload to get going, Cannon’s abilities bring a nice wild-card-like addition to the backfield. He’s by far the most explosive of the three yet also, by far, the worst in terms of professional vision (which is a huge asset within the one-cut zone scheme).

With Elijah McGuire hurt, Cannon has no worries here.

When young Dimitri Flowers was signed as an undrafted free agent, most in Jets land thought he’d be the fullback on the roster this season.

It simply didn’t happen. He’s failed to beat out veteran Lawrence Thomas.

• CUT: Thomas Rawls (HB)
• PRACTICE SQUAD: George Atkinson, Dimitri Flowers (FB)
• INJURED RESERVE: Elijah McGuire (HB)

Wide Receiver (7)

1. Robby Anderson
2. Quincy Enunwa
3. Jermaine Kearse
4. Terrelle Pryor
5. Tre McBride
6. Chad Hansen
7. Andre Roberts

Charles Johnson or Chad Hansen? This will be the question of the day when the coaches and the front office come together to discuss the final 53.

Veteran Andre Roberts has to make the team. With Lucky Whitehead now gone, only Roberts and Cannon remain to return kicks. Roberts might be the only legit punt return man with Cannon experiencing catching issues.

Though Charles Johnson has outplayed Hansen and remains ahead of him on the depth chart, we’ll go with the semi-upset that is the Mike Maccagnan fourth-round choice beating out the 29-year-old veteran—for that reason (age) alone.

• CUT: Charles Johnson
• PRACTICE SQUAD: Charone Peake
• RESERVE/SUSPENDED: ArDarius Stewart

Tight End (3)

1. Eric Tomlinson
2. Jordan Leggett
3. Chris Herndon

Why only three tight ends? Wel, it comes down to Quincy Enunwa actually representing a tight end on the majority of spread looks. Placing Enunwa at the Y provides greater matchup opportunities, thus playing an actual tight end will come more natural in base, two tight and goalline looks.

• CUT: Neal Sterling, Clive Walford

Offensive Line (8)

1. Kelvin Beachum (T)
2. James Carpenter (G)
3. Spencer Long (C)
4. Brian Winters (G)
5. Brandon Shell (T)
6. Brent Qvale (T/G)
7. Jonotthan Harrison (C/G)
8. Dakota Dozier (G)

A year ago, the Jets kept nine offensive linemen to begin the year. This season, we’ll hedge our bets on eight.

Jonotthan Harrison beats out Travis Swanson while Dakota Dozier snags the last slot over the up-and-coming Dakoda Shepley.

• CUT: Antonio Garcia (T), Alex Balducci (G), Travis Swanson (C), Gino Gradkowski (G), Darius James (T)
• PRACTICE SQUAD: Ben Braden (T), Dakoda Shepley (G)
• INJURED RESERVE: Ben Ijalana (T)

Interior Defensive Line (6)

1. Leonard Williams (DL)
2. Steve McLendon (NT)
3. Nathan Shepherd (DL)
4. Henry Anderson (DL)
5. Mike Pennel (NT)
6. Folorunso Fatukasi (DL)

Defenses that run the 3-4 base have kept five defensive linemen. Hell, Rex Ryan did it at least once during his Jets tenure. But five is living on the wild side.

Folorunso Fatukasi is the only borderline body of the six who make the final 53 listed above.

• CUT: Xavier Cooper (DL), Mych Thomas (DL), Kendall Reyes (DL)
• PRACTICE SQUAD: Deon Simon (NT)

Edge/Outside Linebacker (5)

1. Jordan Jenkins
2. Josh Martin
3. Frankie Luvu
4. David Bass
5. Dylan Donahue

Five players should be kept at the edge position considering there isn’t one legit one-on-one pass rusher of the bunch. Dylan Donahue can easily find himself on the outside looking in, or even perhaps the practice squad if Bowles elects to just keep four.

• CUT: Lorenzo Mauldin, Brandon Copeland, Obam Gwacham

Inside Linebacker (4)

1. Darron Lee
2. Avery Williamson
3. Kevin Minter
4. Neville Hewitt

The inside backer spot depends a lot on the injured Kevin Pierre-Louis, but assuming he begins the year inactive, Neville Hewitt may snag that final big-time special teams roster spot.

• PRACTICE SQUAD: Anthony Wint
• INJURED RESERVE: Kevin Pierre-Louis

Cornerback (6)

1. Trumaine Johnson
2. Morris Claiborne
3. Buster Skrine
4. Darryl Roberts
5. Parry Nickerson
6. Derrick Jones

Bowles, as that former defensive back, likes to keep 11 individuals in the secondary (if he can). This season, he should add that extra player to the edge while rolling into Week 1 with just 10.

Rashard Robinson’s four-game suspension allows for Derrick Jones to make the cut as his summer has been impressive.

• CUT: Juston Burris, Jeremy Clark, Xavier Coleman
• PRACTICE SQUAD: Terrell Sinkfield
• RESERVE/SUSPENDED: Rashard Robinson

Safety (4)

1. Jamal Adams (SS)
2. Marcus Maye (FS)
3. J.J. Wilcox (SS)
4. Terrence Brooks (FS)

Doug Middleton cut in this situation to tough to swallow. But hey, he’s still eligible for the practice squad.

• CUT: Brandon Bryant (SS)
• PRACTICE SQUAD: Doug Middleton (FS), Kacy Rodgers II (SS)
• INJURED RESERVE: Rontez Miles (SS)

Special Teams (3)

1. Taylor Bertolet (K)
2. Lachlan Edwards (P)
3. Thomas Hennessy (LS)

Week 4 in Philly may reveal the winner of the starting kicking job. As long as young Taylor Bertolet doesn’t melt, he should come away with the job.

• CUT: Jason Myers (K)

Practice Squad (10)

1. George Atkinson (RB)
2. Dimitri Flowers (FB)
3. Charone Peake (WR)
4. Ben Braden (T)
5. Dakoda Shepley (G)
6. Deon Simon (NT)
7. Anthony Wint (ILB)
8. Terrell Sinkfield (CB)
9. Doug Middleton (FS)
10. Kacy Rodgers II (SS)

These 10 individuals will not be the Jets practice squad. In fact, I’d be surprised if more than four are on the squad once the final 53 is announced.

There are so many other cuts that occur in which find themselves in the mix. Since we don’t know what Mike Maccagnan’s (free agent) short list looks like, we simply won’t know what the practice squad will look like until it happens.

The 10 above are all cut players who remain eligible for the practice squad. Though a player like Charone Peake might be signed by another team, he’s an example of showing up on the practice squad here purely due to a “best-case scenario” situation.

53 At A Glance

• QB (3): Sam Darnold, Teddy Bridgewater, Josh McCown
• RB (4): Isaiah Crowell, Bilal Powell, Trenton Cannon, Lawrence Thomas (FB)
• WR (7): Robby Anderson, Quincy Enunwa, Jermaine Kearse, Terrelle Pryor, Tre McBride, Charles Johnson, Andre Roberts
• TE (3): Eric Tomlinson, Jordan Leggett, Chris Herndon
• OL (8): Kelvin Beachum (T), Brandon Shell (T), James Carpenter (G), Brian Winters (G), Spencer Long (C), Brent Qvale (T/G), Jonotthan Harrison (C/G), Dakota Dozier (G)
• DL (6): Leonard Williams (DL), Steve McLendon (NT), Nathan Shepherd (DL), Henry Anderson (DL), Mike Pennel (NT), Folorunso Fatukasi (DL)
• EDGE (5): Jordan Jenkins, Josh Martin, Frankie Luvu, David Bass, Dylan Donahue
• ILB (4): Darron Lee, Avery Williamson, Kevin Minter, Neville Hewitt
• CB (6): Trumaine Johnson, Morris Claiborne, Buster Skrine, Darryl Roberts, Parry Nickerson, Derrick Jones
• S (4): Jamal Adams (SS), Marcus Maye (FS), J.J. Wilcox (SS), Terrence Brooks (FS)
• ST (3): Taylor Bertolet (K), Lachlan Edwards (P), Thomas Hennessy (LS)
• RESERVE/SUSPENDED: Rashard Robinson (CB), ArDarius Stewart (WR)
• INJURED RESERVE: Rontez Miles (SS), Elijah McGuire (RB), Kevin Pierre-Louis (ILB), Ben Ijalana (T)
• PRACTICE SQUAD: George Atkinson (RB), Dimitri Flowers (FB), Charone Peake (WR), Ben Braden (T), Dakoda Shepley (G), Deon Simon (NT), Anthony Wint (ILB), Terrell Sinkfield (CB), Doug Middleton (FS), Kacy Rodgers II (SS)

It’s painfully obvious the areas in which the Jets fall short. What’s worse is that two of the three championship positions (quarterback, offensive line and edge pass rusher) fall extremely short of even NFL average. Now that Teddy and Sam are in-house, quarterback is the exception.

On the plus side, depth is pretty solid across the board.

Though things change on a dime once Week 4 of the NFL preseason comes to a close, this projection best resembles the depth chart, what happened in camp and what’s currently going on in Florham Park, New Jersey.