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New York Jets defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers made a very good point this week about the state of the Jets’ roster.
When it comes down the cuts at the end of training camp, the Jets’ brass is going to have some very tough decisions.
“It’s going to be some tough decisions,” Rodgers said. “It’s a lot of good football players on the back end.”
What got Rodgers into this topic was a question about Dee Milliner, whose status with team is clearly up in the air
“When you look at Dee coming in, you see a guy still kind of working off of an injury, trying to get himself to 100 percent,” Rodgers said. “But as we looked at him, we expect Dee to compete for a position on the roster like everyone else. This was a top-10 pick, and we think he has a lot of ability and we expect him to compete.”
Aside from the quarterback position, the Jets roster is absolutely loaded.
That last sentence wasn’t meant to be a cheap shot at the Jets’ quarterbacks.
Not at all.
I’m just dealing with reality. They don’t have an established franchise quarterback in the building.
But this roster is so stacked everywhere else, it’s possible they can compensate for the not currently having a franchise quarterback.
Todd Bowles made a great point a couple of months ago.
“With 32 teams in the league, you aren’t going to have 32 franchise quarterbacks,” Bowles said. “That is just a fact. You can name five (franchise quarterbacks), 10 if you want to stretch it into two type of tiers. There are 12 playoff spots. There aren’t going to be 12 franchise quarterbacks in the playoffs.”
Salient thought.
Let’s say there are six true franchise quarterbacks in the NFL. That means six teams are making the playoffs with good, not great quarterbacks.
To me, Joe Flacco is an example of a good, not great quarterback.
The Jets could be like the Ravens this year – have so much talent across the board, they can make the playoffs with a game-manager at quarterback.
Look at the Jets’ cornerback position. Last year, there was a dearth of talent, this year they are so deep, they are going to have to cut some corners who are likely going to get jobs with other teams.
Darrin Walls and Marcus Williams, who started some games last year, will have to battle to make the 2015 Jets.
Who knows how they will handle Dexter McDougle, coming off a knee injury.
If I’m the Jets, I consider putting both Milliner and McDougle on the PUP list. Use the PUP list as a trump card.
Cornerbacks gets hurt all the time. To have these guys ready to roll after six weeks, could be an ace in the hole for the Jets.
They will probably put one, not both on that list. They will see when camps starts which player is closest to 100 percent.
Entering the season, barring summer injuries, the top three spots are set with Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie and Buster Skrine.
I think the new coaches are going to like Walls. He’s smart, tough and will do whatever he’s asked; good role player.
I like Williams, but happen to think he’d be a better fit at safety. He’s a solid player, but he’s not quick-twitchy. He’s a 4.6 guy. He’s very physical, close to 200 pounds, and throws his body around. Make him a safety.
As for the fifth cornerback spot, there is a good chance it’s either Milliner or McDougle, the one that doesn’t go on PUP.
I think there is a good chance a wild-card candidate emerges for the final cornerback spot.
A guy who has been lost in the shuffle a little is Curtis Brown. The former Texas standout, a former third round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, was signed early in the off-season, before free agency started, because he was on the street last season. He arrived before the bumper crop in free agency.
He was out of football last year due to an injury.
A guy like this, or DaShaun Phillips, who looked pretty good in the rookie mini-camp, could be the surprise story of the summer at cornerback. Phillips has very quick feet – breaks on the ball nicely.
Don’t be surprised if a sleeper grabs the sixth spot.
I will get more into the Jets’ great depth in future articles.
But Rodgers makes a very good point – the Jets’ cuts are going to be tough this summer.
May 25, 2015
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