Predicting Gang’s roster after cuts
The Jets’ roster is about to undergo even more changes. The team must be down to 53 players by 4 p.m. on Saturday. Then, on Sunday, they can add players cut by other teams.
You can expect the Jets to be very active on the waiver wire, as they try to upgrade their roster.
As for the cuts, the Jets are a very young team that had competition all over the roster in training camp. Coach Todd Bowles said Thursday night there would be some difficult decisions.
Here is a final crack at what the roster could look like Saturday night after general manager Mike Maccagnan makes his cuts:
QUARTERBACKS (3)
Josh McCown, Bryce Petty, Christian Hackenberg
The great quarterback competition of 2017 is over. Petty might have been in some roster danger before training camp began, but he outperformed Hackenberg and should be the No. 2 quarterback.
RUNNING BACKS (5)
Matt Forte, Bilal Powell, Elijah McGuire, Marcus Murphy, Anthony Firkser
Forte and Powell will be huge pieces of the offense this season. Don’t pay attention to Forte trade rumors. McGuire is a draft pick who did some promising things in the preseason. Murphy penciled in as the kickoff and punt returner right now, but he could be replaced by someone off the waiver wire by Sunday night. Firkser wins the fullback competition over Julian Howsare.
WIDE RECEIVERS (6)
Jermaine Kearse, Robby Anderson, Charone Peake, ArDarius Stewart, Chad Hansen, Kenbrell Thompkins
The Jets upgraded this position before the weekend even got started with the trade for Kearse. Thompkins could be cut if they find another wide receiver on the waiver wire.
TIGHT ENDS (3)
Eric Tomlinson, Jordan Leggett, Jason Vander Laan
The Jets definitely will pick a tight end up this weekend. The position is a total disaster right now. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, their best tight end, is suspended for two games. Tomlinson can block, but is not a good receiver. Leggett is a good receiver, but can’t block. Vander Laan is banged up and he probably will be cut by Monday.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9)
Kelvin Beachum, James Carpenter, Wes Johnson, Brian Winters, Brandon Shell, Ben Ijalana, Dakota Dozier, Brent Qvale, Jonotthan Harrison
After a training camp competition, it looks like Shell, Beachum and Johnson will be starters. The Jets feel like they have good depth on the line. Dozier could be the only member of the “Idzik 12” draft class to make the active roster.
DEFENSIVE LINE (6)
Muhammad Wilkerson, Leonard Williams, Steve McLendon, Deon Simon, Claude Pelon, Kony Ealy
The most talented group on the roster (even without Sheldon Richardson) has some interesting competition for backup jobs. Simon gets the edge over Mike Pennel. Pelon had a really nice training camp and he edges out Lawrence Thomas. Ealy did enough in Thursday’s preseason finale to stick.
LINEBACKERS (9)
Darron Lee, Demario Davis, Jordan Jenkins, Josh Martin, Julian Stanford, Bruce Carter, Dylan Donahue, Freddie Bishop, Frank Beltre The most interesting name not on here is Lorenzo Mauldin. He suffered a back injury in training camp that appears to be serious. The Jets could put him on IR, hoping he is one of the two IR players they can bring back after eight weeks.
DEFENSIVE BACKS (9)
Morris Claiborne, Buster Skrine, Juston Burris, Jamal Adams, Marcus Maye, Darryl Roberts, Derrick Jones, Terrence Brooks, Rontez Miles Marcus Williams is the most difficult decision on the roster. He has showed he can be a valuable extra cornerback, but he could lose out in the numbers game. Miles has missed two weeks with an eye laceration. His medical status could change things here.
SPECIALISTS (3)
Chandler Catanzaro, Lachlan Edwards, Tanner Purdum Ross Martin and Chandler Catanzaro had a good kicking competition in camp. The Jets surprisingly cut Martin on Friday, sticking with the veteran Catanzaro. The Jets traded for a long snapper this week to compete with Purdum, but expect Purdum to win the job.