Rounding Up New York Jets' Offseason Buzz, Post-Minicamps

The New York Jets are on a break, but that doesn't mean the news has stopped pouring in.

Organized team activities and minicamp are done, and now the Jets are resting up before the long haul of training camp in July and August. There are still some key storylines to watch surrounding the Jets headed into the regular season.

Who will fill the tabloid headlines now that Rex Ryan is out as head coach? Which teammates are getting along the best? Is anyone in line for a change of position? Are the players recovering from injury on course to be back for the regular season?

These are all questions that have been answered in various media reports over the past couple of weeks, and here, we'll take a look at the biggest buzz surrounding the Jets. 

Jets Have Found a Position for Antonio Allen

Associated Press

Jets DB Antonio Allen (39, above) has been a square peg shoved into round, triangular and hexagonal holes.

Between his repeated bounces back and forth from safety to cornerback in 2014, Jets defensive back Antonio Allen had more flip-flops than a beach in summertime. This year, head coach Todd Bowles brought a swift end to any lingering doubts about Allen's positional designation.

"He's playing safety for us this year," Bowles said, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. 

Last year, the hope was that the 6'1", 202-pound Allen could use his size as a weapon on the perimeter of the secondary, rerouting receivers and disrupting the rhythm between the quarterback and the target. However, those things didn't work out quite as expected, as Allen struggled with the basic fundamentals of a position he'd never played.

Now, the Jets are giving him another chance at redemption at his most comfortable position, the one he's been playing his entire football life. He may have a hard time fitting into their big-picture plans at safety, with Marcus Gilchrist plugged in at the free safety spot and Calvin Pryor being groomed as the strong safety of the future, but regardless, Allen has a better shot of success at safety than cornerback.

Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker Quickly Getting on Same Page

Associated Press

Eric Decker (87, left) and Brandon Marshall (15, right) have both played in highly successful offenses in their veteran careers.

According to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, the two new teammates have been referring to each other by the names of their old teammates: Marshall has been calling Decker "Alshon Jeffery," and Decker has been calling Marshall "Demaryius Thomas."

The two receivers complement each other well from an X's and O's perspective as well as from a personality perspective. Marshall will be the prototypical X receiver lining up on the boundary, typically drawing the coverage of both a cornerback and a safety, going deep and fighting for jump balls. Decker will be a Z receiver, moving around between the boundary and the slot and serving as the No. 2 target.

Cimini raises a good point about the patience both men will need to exhibit as a result of the presence of the other:

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Everything sounds good in June. The real test will be in September. One thing that bears watching: How will Marshall react when he's not getting 10 targets per game? That was his average over three seasons with the Bears. In fact, only three receivers had more targets than Marshall over that span -- Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson and the aforementioned Thomas. In case you're wondering, Decker is 12th on that list.

"

In the end, Marshall should be thrilled to have come to New York. Not only is Decker a solid Robin to Marshall's Batman, but the dynamic duo also has a nice group of complementary options in Jeremy Kerley, Devin Smith and DeVier Posey.

It's going to be difficult to cover everyone, which will only make the Jets offense more successful as a whole—regardless of whether Marshall is the centerpiece for that success every single week. 

Did Buster Skrine Call the Jets a 'Dream Team'?

Associated Press

Buster Skrine (22, right) may be smaller than some wide receivers like A.J. Green (18, left), but he can still make plays on those receivers.

Jets cornerback Buster Skrine might be a perfect fit for Todd Bowles' defense, but he may have also been a perfect fit in Rex Ryan's locker room. In an interview with Sports Illustrated's Don Banks, Skrine dared to utter the words "Dream Team":

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I've never played on a defense with this much talent. Our front seven has all-stars and then in the back end, we have all-stars. I've never seen anything like this. Everybody said the Philadelphia Eagles were going to be like the Dream Team, but we have chemistry on this defense already, and you can see it out in practice. I mean, we can match up however you want to match up. We can match up with any offense.

"

The response has been predictable. 

However he said it and however he meant it are irrelevant once those words hit the press, where context is immediately removed from anything you say. That being said, he didn't exactly call the Jets defense a Dream Team, instead hearkening back to the amount of talent they added, the expectations that were beset upon them and their failure to deliver.

The Jets have an embarrassment of riches on defense. If they are truly jelling at this early stage in the offseason, that could be scary news for opposing offenses. 

Jets Making Some Moves on the Tight End Depth Chart

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Zach Sudfeld (above) has spent the past two seasons with the Jets and has failed to catch on.

One comes in, another goes down.

Unsatisfied with their tight end situation, the Jets added converted offensive tackle Steve Maneri, who has also been part of the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins organizations over the past several years. He didn't make the team when given a shot with the Patriots but was moved to tight end with Miami. He had another shot with the Patriots in training camp in 2014 but was once again shown the door before the final cutdown.

The Jets announced him as a tight end when signing, so it's a safe bet that they hope to keep him at his new position. 

Just a couple of days later, the Jets announced that tight end Zach Sudfeld was placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL, ending his season. Sudfeld was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and played for New England in the first three games of the season, but he was waived and picked up by the Jets. He has caught 10 passes for 178 yards in his two-year career.

But ultimately, the tight end spot isn't of great consequence in the Jets offense. Chan Gailey has used the tight end spot more like a receiver in previous stops (Scott Chandler with the Buffalo Bills, Anthony Fasano with the Kansas City Chiefs), but his preference for three- and four-receiver sets minimizes the amount of playing time for those tight ends.

Stevan Ridley Could Open the Season on the Physically Unable to Perform List

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Depending on who you ask, you'll get a different answer as to when and whether running back Stevan Ridley will be ready coming off his season-ending torn ACL.

In a recent mailbag, Dom Cosentino of NJ Advance Media said that he thinks there's a "40-60 chance" that Ridley could open the season on the physically unable to perform list, but he adds that "no one can say for certain" right now. This seems to run contrary to a report from Rich Cimini of ESPN.com that said Ridley "should be ready" for training camp, but there should be no rush to get Ridley on the field. 

The Jets already have a deep group of backs with a similar skill set to Ridley's; Bilal Powell, Chris Ivory and Zac Stacy all share a penchant for running hard between the tackles and putting their shoulders down to get the tough yards.

Ridley may eventually work into a spot on the depth chart as the top backup to Ivory, who will be the bell cow regardless of what happens with Ridley.