Catch & release

Vets WRs could bump draft flops from sticking on 53-man roster

Wide receiver has been a position of weakness for the Jets for much of this decade. There were a few years of Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards or Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, but for the most part, it has been a position of need.

But in 2018, the Jets actually have some depth at wide receiver and it could be where general manager Mike Maccagnan faces his toughest decisions this weekend as the team cuts its roster from 90 to 53 players.

An interesting wrinkle developed during training camp with veteran journeymen Charles Johnson and Tre McBride outperforming 2017 draft picks Chad Hansen and ArDarius Stewart. It sets up an interesting debate between production and draft status. Under Maccagnan, the Jets have been reluctant to cut draft picks. Only one of his picks has been sent packing on cutdown weekend. But that could change this weekend.

Wide receiver is the top roster battle to watch, but tight end, cornerback and outside linebacker also feature some hard decisions.

The Jets play their final preseason game Thursday night against the Eagles. It will be the final chance for the players on the bubble to make their cases for roster spots.

Here is The Post’s prediction entering the final preseason game for what the Jets’ 53-man roster will look like after Saturday’s cuts:

Quarterbacks (2)

Sa m Dar nold, Josh McCown: The only question at this position was whether Teddy Br i dgewater would make it or get traded. We got the answer Wednesday when they shipped him to New Orleans. It is now the Darnold show.

Running backs (4)

Bilal Powell, Isaiah Crowell, Eli

McGuire, Trenton Cannon: McGuire is recovering from a broken foot and is a candidate for short-term IR, but it looks like he will be healthy soon and the Jets could carry him on the roster for a few weeks. There was a battle at fullback in camp between Lawrence Thomas and Dimitri Flowers. The guess here is the Jets will cut both of them to give them flexibility elsewhere.

Wide receivers (7)

Rob by Anderson, Jermaine Kearse, Quincy Enunwa, Terrelle Pryor, Tre McBride, Charone

Peake, Andre Roberts: There is still a question of whether Anderson will be suspended. For now, we have to assume he is not going to be. ArDarius Stewart is suspended, so the Jets can delay a decision on him. Roberts, who is the punt returner, and Peake are specialteams decisions. Give McBride the edge over Hansen. He had a terrific camp.

Tight ends (4)

Eric Tomlinson, Chris Herndon,

Jordan Leggett, Neal Sterling: This is a tough position to figure out. All of the tight ends had good camps. Clive Walford could go because Sterling gives them a speed element. By not carrying a fullback, the Jets can keep four tight ends and use one of them as a fullback when needed.

Offensive line (8)

Spencer Long, Brian Winters, James Carpenter, Kelvin Be achum, Brandon Shell, Jonotthan Harrison, Dakota Dozier, Brent

Qvale: There aren’t many difficult decisions here. The Jets need a backup left tackle, though. Look for Maccagnan to try to add one this weekend.

Defensive line (6)

Steve McLendon, Leonard Will ia ms, Nat ha n Shepherd, Mike Pennel, Henry Anderson, Folo -

runso Fatukasi: This looks like the end of the line for Deon Simon, a 2015 draft pick. Xavier Cooper could hang on here. Outside linebackers (4) Jordan Jenkins, Josh Martin, Frankie Luvu, Brandon Copeland: Luvu crashes the party as an undrafted free agent. Lorenzo Mauldin looks like a goner. Cutting Dylan Donahue is a tough decision, but he just hasn’t shown enough, especially when you consider his off-the-field issues.

Inside linebackers (4)

Darron Lee, Avery Williamson, Nevi l le Hewitt, Kevin Minter: No tough decisions here with Kevin Pierre-Louis injured and suspended.

Cornerbacks (6)

Trumaine Johnson, Morris Claiborne, Buster Skrine, Darryl Roberts, Par ry Nickerson, Derrick Jones: It comes down to Jones and Juston Burris for the last spot. Give the edge to Jones, who showed promise early in camp. Burris has not improved enough to stick around.

Safety (5)

Jamal Adams, Marcus Maye, Doug Middleton, J.J. Wilcox, Ter

rence Brooks: Brooks could have been saved by the Bridgewater trade Wednesday. Now, the Jets can keep all five of these guys. There is depth at the position and they provide special teams help.

Specialists (3)

Jason Myers (K), Lachlan Edwards (P), Thomas Hennessy

(long snapper): The Jets could bring in another kicker before the season starts. Myers has the edge right now over Taylor Bertolet.

Edwards improved in his second season and Jets are hoping for another leap in his third year.

The Jets traded for Hennessy before last season and were happy with how he did. He had no competition this year in camp.