Tim Tebow's Trade and Its Effect: 4 Jets Most Harmed

It was expected to happen, and the New York Jets are the ones who landed Tim Tebow. According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, the Denver Broncos have traded Tebow to Gang Green:

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Breaking news: Ny Jets have just traded a 4th round pick for Tim Tebow

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"— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) March 21, 2012"

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After the delay, the trade has finally gone through according to ESPN. 

That said, Tebow fits the Jets' mold, as he's a similar player to what Rex Ryan and Co. had in Brad Smith. Smith was a mobile guy who served on special teams and a diverse range of ways on offense.

Tebow can also act as that read-option quarterback as well as provide a wildcat package courtesy of new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano.

Still, Tebow's addition also can be viewed as collateral damage to the following four players currently a member of Gang Green. Check it out.

Mark Sanchez

Mark Sanchez, to say the least, was ripped pretty hard at the end of last season and into the beginning of the offseason. However, Sanchez came out and stood up for himself, in an article by Rich Cimini of ESPN New York, stating:

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"It is a gutless thing to do," Sanchez said during an interview on "The Michael Kay Show" on ESPN1050 in New York, in reference to the anonymous attacks.

"If you're not going to put your name on something, why waste anybody's time? Obviously, they had strong opinions about it, but not strong enough to say who they were. "

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But now with Tim Tebow in the mix, if Sanchez begins 2012 like the 2011 season finished, he will get scrutinized once again. Heading into Week 15 the Jets were 8-5 and in the playoff hunt.

Long story short: Sanchez throws five touchdowns to seven picks and has a 58.03 completion percentage during a three-game losing streak to finish the year. Had Tebow been backing him up as he was Kyle Orton during a losing streak, Sanchez would have been benched.

Now with Tebow coming in, Sanchez better be on his A-game and above; because after the man helped the Broncos run-off six straight wins (one of which was over the Jets), Tebowmania was a global phenomenon.

And being that New York is a much bigger market than Denver, Sanchez—if he starts off poorly—will feel the heat a lot more than Orton ever could imagine.

Greg McElroy

Last season Greg McElroy never saw the field except in the preseason.

Well, he'll be lucky to even see the field during the preseason with Tebow on the roster now. Which in turn, could ultimately end up in McElroy being released.

The Jets have no reason to keep McElroy around and after all, he was a seventh-round draft choice and New York also signed Drew Stanton to a one-year deal, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN New York.

So with three quarterbacks on the roster, it would be surprising to see McElroy remain unless he really impresses during training camp.

At this point though, there's no real reason for the Jets to keep him around with Sanchez, Stanton and Tebow.

Stanton also has some experience with 12 career games played and some respectable numbers despite limited time in 2010 (four TDs, three picks, 780 yards in six games).

Joe McKnight

When Tebow was in Denver, the Broncos running game was almost unstoppable.

Veteran Willis McGahee had his career revived and he compiled almost 1,200 yards, while also averaging 4.8 yards per carry. The same can be expected for Shonn Greene in 2012, who had over 1,000 yards and six touchdowns last season.

Also, Green will be just 27 years old before next season; so with Tebow presenting as a dual-threat in the backfield, Greene will have less defenders stacking the box to zero in on him.

This in turn, however, will affect the opportunities for Joe McKnight. In Denver, running back Lance Ball had his best season of 402 rushing yards and one touchdown. Thing is, Tebow was the Broncos main starting quarterback, so Ball could rotate in for McGahee on occasion.

If Sanchez remains the starter, but the Jets use a Tebow package, then there's no need for two running backs. Shonne Green won't be receiving the brunt of the carries, therefore, not taking nearly as many hits.

McKnight's role will likely be limited to third-downs and his usual duties as the primary kickoff returner. For McKnight to make an impact, he'll have to become Brian Mitchell-esque and focus on developing more as a complete return man; otherwise he's not going to see the field much.

Jeremy Kerley

With Plaxico Burress not having been re-signed by the Jets, that seemingly leaves room for second-year receiver Jeremy Kerley to make some noise.

As a rookie, Kerley played in 14 games and caught 29 passes for 314 yards and scored one touchdown. He even ran the ball five times for 28 yards and returned 29 punts for 317 yards.

In the Tebow-orchestrated offense, though, even the No. 1 and No. 2 receivers have limited opportunities to make plays. DeMaryius Thomas and Eric Decker were Tebow's two leading receivers last season, and together they combined for just 1,163 yards on 76 receptions and 12 touchdowns.

Yes, for one receiver or tight end those are good numbers. But for two of a team's leading targets, that's an average of only 581.5 yards on 38 catches and six touchdowns. Considering that the NFL is a pass-happy league and Tebow doesn't throw the ball consistently well, Kerley will be lucky to catch 20 passes.

He's already behind Dustin Keller and Santonio Holmes as Gang Green's receiving threats, and the Jets need to look at a stud receiving prospect in the draft to replace Burress.

Not to mention, but the Jets have also signed Chaz Schilens to a one-year deal, according to NFL.com via the Associated Press, who has limited experience (44 games played, 72 catches, 904 yards, seven TDs) in four seasons.

John Rozum on Twitter.