6 Newcomers Who Will Play Biggest Roles for the New York Jets

The New York Jets haven't infused their roster with a lot of new blood for 2012, but the names they have added have certainly garnered a lot of attention.

Tim Tebow ringing a bell?

And while Tebowmania will, and already has, run wild on East Rutherford, NJ, the Jets will be looking to more than just Tebow for contributions to an improved season.

Which of the Jets newcomers will play the biggest role?

Yeremiah Bell

After playing 1,126 out of 1,126 snaps in 2011, Yeremiah Bell was unceremoniously cut from the Miami Dolphins. The New York Jets, in much need of help at the safety position, were quick to add the experienced veteran to their roster. 

He isn't the rangy type of safety that can play the free safety spot in a Cover 1, but he is just the right fit for an in-the-box safety that is so frequent in the 46 defense. He's logged 355 solo tackles and 86 assisted tackles combined in the past four seasons (2008-2011), leading the team each year.

Either way, he will be a mentor for young safeties Josh Bush and Antonio Allen this season.

He's used to playing a big role for the Dolphins, and that trend could easily continue with the Jets, who don't have many viable alternatives as of right now.

Josh Bush

The Jets have lost safeties Brodney Pool and Marquice Cole this offseason. If they don't re-sign free-agent safety Jim Leonhard, according to Pro Football Focus, the Jets will have to replace 1,410 snaps at free safety. As of right now, they really only have one safety with the skill set necessary to play the Cover 1 spot in their defense. That one safety is sixth-round pick Josh Bush.

It's almost not even fair that the burden could fall on Bush, but unless the Jets move someone else to safety, this is how the situation looks for the moment.

Quinton Coples

The Jets have a new defensive line coach in Karl Dunbar, and while he may love the 46 defense, he brings some 4-3 principles with him. That plays right into the hands of first-round pick Quinton Coples. The mix of those principles will call for versatile defensive linemen like Coples who can bring the interior pass-rush from a three-man or four-man line.

The team has never been shy about putting a first-rounder to good use in his first season, with defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson starting 16 games last season and playing 57.7 percent of the snaps, according to PFF, and with cornerback Kyle Wilson starting six games and playing 55.9 percent of the snaps in 2010.

Coples will be competing with veteran defensive tackle Mike Devito for top honors in the rotation; Devito has played over 55 percent of the snaps in each of the past two seasons. After 2012, though, Devito is a free agent, which means the Jets might be looking to hand the reigns over to Coples at some point during the 2012 season.

Stephen Hill

It wasn't too hard to figure out why the Jets drafted wide receiver Stephen Hill. They absolutely lacked a deep threat in 2011, with Mark Sanchez completing just 17 passes that traveled over 20 yards through the air and throwing for 6.4 yards per attempt, ranked 27th out of 34 qualifying quarterbacks.

Enter Hill, an unpolished athlete out of Georgia Tech who doesn't have the refined route-running you like to see at the NFL level, but whose athleticism alone could be the catalyst for big things in the NFL.

The Jets may not be looking for a lot of explosive plays in the passing game under new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano, but Hill could help open things up for the ground-and-pound style of offense if he forces defenses to respect his long speed. The more often the Jets have that kind of a threat on the field, the better off their running game will be.

Tim Tebow

Before you throw eggs with "Mark Sanchez" written on them at me, consider this: The Jets will find a way to get Tebow on the field, whether it's as a quarterback or other wise.

Tebow has been effused with praise since he walked in the door, and Rex Ryan has made it clear that they will find a way to get their "football player" onto the field.

"I don't see Tim just holding a clipboard," said Ryan at the league meetings in March, according to the New York Daily News. "He's going to be playing for us. There is no doubt. He will have a role. We know that. There won't be a better Wildcat quarterback in the game. Is that his only role? I don't believe that—we'll see what happens."

With so many possibilities—option quarterback, personal punt protector, goal-line packages and more—it's hard not to see Tebow getting big-time playing time in 2012.

Demario Davis

The Jets desperately needed to get younger and more athletic at linebacker, and did both with one pick in the third round. Linebacker Demario Davis is exactly what the Jets needed, but could be even more than that, as Rex Ryan projects him to be a leader for the defense a lot like linebacker Ray Lewis for the Ravens.

Davis will likely be competing with veteran linebacker Bart Scott for playing time, but could also press outside linebacker Bryan Thomas on the depth chart. Scott played a significantly smaller role for the Jets defense in 2011, coming off the field on passing downs frequently and dipping almost 20 percent in his snap total (from 83.8 percent in 2010 to 64.4 percent in 2011), according to PFF.

Thomas, on the other hand, is coming off an injury-shortened 2011 season and could be on his way out after his one-year deal runs up in 2013. Either way, the road is paved for Davis to become a starter at some point soon, and that road begins by getting a heavy workload in the Jets' 2012 defense.

Erik Frenz is the AFC East lead blogger for Bleacher Report. Be sure to follow Erik on Twitter and "like" the AFC East blog on Facebook to keep up with all the updates.