New York Jets OTA Standouts Worth Keeping an Eye on This Offseason

If you expect to have a clear picture of who will be starting at which positions after the first wave of organized team activities (OTAs), I have some nice ocean-front property in Nevada to sell you.

Now is not the time to begin carving the starting lineups into stone. Now is the time for teaching, with new coaches teaching new players new concepts. Now is the time for the pieces to take shape, not for them to begin fitting together.

That being said, even in this early stage of the workout program, there are still some players whose performance bears watching. Whether it's a highly drafted rookie or a high-paid veteran, this is the first opportunity for every player to make their presence known. 

Which players are popping off the field for the Jets?

Leonard Williams

RICH SCHULTZ/Associated Press

For the price of the No. 6 overall pick, defensive lineman Leonard Williams had better be standing out.

It sometimes takes a little time before a rookie can get up to speed, but according to Rich Cimini of ESPN, that hasn't been a problem. Williams is spending a lot of time in his playbook, and his natural ability shows up every time he takes the field:

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We see a big man (6-foot-5, 300 pounds) who moves exceptionally well. We see a rookie who can penetrate a gap with a quick first step. We're not privy to what happens behind closed doors, but Bowles sees an unusually grounded young man. 

... [Muhammad] Wilkerson is staying away from the voluntary workouts because of a contract dispute, and Richardson is skipping some because he feels like it. In other words, it's hard to get an early sense of Williams' role. Just know he won't be riding the bench.

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For the time being, the Jets need big things out of Williams. His veteran teammates Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson still have not arrived at the Jets facility for voluntary workouts, so while the Jets could field one of the most talented defensive lines in football this year, that group has not had a chance to work together thus far.

Ryan Fitzpatrick

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Depending on who you ask, the Jets are in any number of different situations as it pertains to their depth chart at quarterback. Chan Gailey seems to think that Geno Smith is the current front-runner for the job, and while head coach Todd Bowles doesn't necessarily disagree, he's not ready to give Smith the job just yet.

In any case, veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has been taking reps with the first team and the second team in practice, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. That should come as no surprise, given his experience in Gailey's offensive system, but he does seem to be showing some signs of rust:

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He took reps with the backups, demonstrating a strong grasp of the offense—which is what you'd expect from a guy who spent three years in Chan Gailey's system. Todd Bowles said he'd like to see more velocity from Fitzpatrick, but he expects that to happen as the veteran quarterback rebuilds his stamina. Fitzpatrick had an interception on a ball that was batted at the line of scrimmage. His highlight was a nice pass to Shaq Evans on a rollout to his right, delivering the ball in a tight window a nanosecond before cornerback Darrin Walls arrived on the scene. 

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The Jets would love nothing more than for Fitzpatrick to provide some competition for the starting job, giving them their choice of two capable quarterbacks instead of choosing between the lesser of two evils. 

Oday Aboushi

Uncredited/Associated Press

The Jets have some question marks on the interior of their offensive line, particularly at the guard positions, where there seems to be a logjam of potential starters. Too many options can be a good thing, but the Jets have to be hoping that someone steps up and claims the position as their own.

Last year, Oday Aboushi was inserted into the starting lineup after Brian Winters went down with an injury. This year, he's beginning the offseason workout program as the top choice at the right guard spot, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN:

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Oday Aboushi worked exclusively with the starters at right guard. Incumbent Willie Colon, still getting over some knee soreness, received what he jokingly referred to as "an old man's rest day." One thing about Bowles: He likes to do a lot of rotating, especially on the offensive line. It's not unusual to see two or three starters working together with two or three backups.

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If Aboushi is the starting guard, the Jets offensive line would likely feature D'Brickashaw Ferguson at left tackle, James Carpenter at left guard, Nick Mangold at center, Aboushi at right guard and Breno Giacomini at right tackle. That's not a bad group of starters along the front line. 

Stevan Ridley

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Stevan Ridley blew out his knee in Week 6 of the 2014 season, but his recovery is coming along slowly but surely. 

As of now, the four-year veteran has not been practicing in team drills, but he "looked good, for what he did," according to Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media:

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The Jets' new running back, formerly of the Patriots, still hasn't participated in team periods during OTAs, as he returns from a torn MCL and ACL, which he sustained in October. But Ridley cut and moved well in position drills Wednesday. It'll be interesting to see how he factors into the Jets' running back rotation if he is fully healthy for training camp.

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It would be difficult to accurately assess Ridley's performance even if he were participating in team drills, given the light nature of practices at this time of year, but the fact that he's out there running around is promising, to say the least.

The Jets feature a very deep group of running backs that includes Chris Ivory, Bilal Powell and Zac Stacy, so Ridley can't afford to fall too far behind if he wants to be a factor in the rotation. That being said, the best thing Ridley can do to help his stock is to show some value in the receiving game, where only Powell has any true utility.

Devin Smith

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Someone should tell rookie receiver Devin Smith that wideouts aren't supposed to make their presence felt in their first year. Of course, there have been plenty of exceptions to the rule lately (Julio Jones, A.J. Green, Keenan Allen, the list goes on) and Smith could be the next in that line. 

Smith is one of two rookies getting reps with first team, according to Dom Cosentino of NJ Advance Media. Granted, now is not the time to be reading deeply into which players are getting reps with which unit, but Smith's presence on the first team is an indication that the team has high hopes for him making an immediate impact for the Jets.

He's part of a veteran-laden group that includes Eric Decker, Brandon Marshall, Jeremy Kerley and DeVier Posey, and he's been using all their knowledge to his advantage.

"Yes, it makes it a lot easier with guys like that as your teammates, so they can tell you everything that has helped them be successful and how to beat press coverage and how to get open," Smith said, according to Randy Lange of NewYorkJets.com. "I'm looking forward to just learning from those guys."

If he can soak up even a little knowledge from Marshall, Decker and the rest, Smith could begin his development into a top-flight option in the Jets offense.