Complete New York Jets Training-Camp Preview

The New York Jets have spent the past five months spending money, making trades, adding young prospects through the draft and building up the hopes of their fanbase. Now, it's time for all of the developments to come to a head at training camp. 

No more speculation. No more previews. No more guessing what's going to happen in the several training-camp battles on the roster. Now, all that's left is to watch the developments and wait as the storylines and battles unfold in the next month headed into the regular season.

It can be hard to keep up with everything that happens in the offseason, and if you're a fan of the Jets, it may have been especially hard considering they were one of the most active teams in the NFL this offseason. So, this slideshow can serve as a training-camp primer to get you caught up on anything you may have missed.

Here's a preview of training camp as the Jets trim their roster down from 90 players to 53. 

Key Storylines

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Quarterback Geno Smith (above) may be getting his last chance to prove himself as the Jets' starter.

Geno Smith

The storyline to end all Jets storylines revolves around the evolution of quarterback Geno Smith. He has flashed brilliance at times in his two-year career. In the final four games of the 2014 season, he posted a 65.1 percent completion rate, 1,001 passing yards, six touchdowns, two interceptions and a 105.3 passer rating.

If he can build off that performance, the Jets may have found their quarterback of the future. If not, it could be time to look in another direction.

Chan Gailey's offensive system is a perfect fit for Smith's skill set, and the Jets have given him more talent to work with than he's had in his first two years in the NFL, so this could be his best bet for success. Training camp will be the foundation for Smith's evolution in the Gailey offense and his chemistry with his new receivers. 

Cornerback Reunion

Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie are back in New York to form what was one of the most feared cornerback duos in the NFL. Their physical style of man coverage is a perfect fit for Todd Bowles' defense, so their ability to suffocate receivers all over the field will be imperative. 

Both Revis and Cromartie had reclamation years in 2014. Revis proved he was still among the top cornerbacks in the NFL last year after a 2013 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a system that wasn't a fit for his skills. Cromartie proved he is still a capable press-man cornerback in Bowles' Arizona Cardinals defense after a 2013 season that saw him deal with nagging injuries that led to his release for cap reasons.  

Sheldon Richardson's Suspension and Muhammad Wilkerson's Contract

The defensive line is considered one of the team's strengths, if not its greatest strength. However, with Sheldon Richardson suspended for four games because of a violation of the league's substance-abuse policy and with Muhammad Wilkerson embroiled in a contract dispute, the Jets are looking at a lot of controversy in that group. 

Wilkerson was present for voluntary minicamp, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, so expect him to be present at training camp as well. Richardson, on the other hand, chose to stay away from voluntary workouts to be with his family, and now that he's been suspended, he'll be under a magnifying glass this summer. 

Key Competitions

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Rookie outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin (above) will be competing with Calvin Pace for a starting job in the Jets defense.

Running Back

Chris Ivory is the unbridled bell cow of the Jets' backfield. Behind him, though, is a logjam of backups who are trying to push their way into the No. 2 spot. Stevan Ridley, Zac Stacy and Bilal Powell are all competing for the right to pick up Ivory's scraps and to participate on passing downs.

For now, Powell appears to be the front-runner for scatback duty due to the experience he gained in that role last year. As of June 11, Ridley was not willing to commit to being back to 100 percent for the start of training camp, according to Darryl Slater of NJ.com. That means this job could be Stacy's for the taking. 

Cornerback

Revis and Cromartie sit uncontested atop the depth chart at cornerback. The seeding of the rest of the depth chart is yet to be determined, though. Buster Skrine received a lucrative four-year deal with $13 million guaranteed, so it would be a surprise if he did not end up as the primary slot cornerback.

That being said, the Jets should not just hand the job to him on merit and dollar figure alone. Dexter McDougle and Dee Milliner are both battling back from season-ending injuries (ACL and Achilles, respectively), but both men could factor into the battle for snaps—whether it's in the slot or as part of some schematic tendencies on the perimeter (perhaps manning the boundary if Revis is matched up on a slot receiver). 

Don't forget about Marcus Williams and Darrin Walls, either; both men were among the top cornerbacks in the Jets secondary last year. They have been surpassed by the several major additions to the depth chart, but their experience could serve them well as they fight for playing time—and their jobs.

Outside Linebacker

The seriousness of this battle depends on the Jets' willingness to trot out the 34-year-old Calvin Pace in their starting lineup or their boldness to throw the rookie Lorenzo Mauldin into the fire.

On one hand, Mauldin will not match the experience or knowledge of Pace anytime in the near future. On the other hand, Mauldin sitting on the bench while Pace plays would not allow the rookie to fully develop. Perhaps the two will split time while Mauldin gets up to speed with life in the NFL. 

That's probably the Jets' best bet to transitioning out of the Pace era and into the Mauldin era. 

Bubble Players

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Right guard Willie Colon (66, above) could be fighting for his job this summer.

Willie Colon

For two years, Willie Colon has started every game at right guard for the Jets. Now, he's in sudden danger of losing not only his spot in the starting lineup but his spot on the roster altogether.

The Jets signed free-agent guard James Carpenter from the Seattle Seahawks to play on the left side of the line, and there is a pretty big competition taking place on the right side of the line for Colon's spot. Between Oday Aboushi, Brian Winters and Jarvis Harrison, the Jets have plenty of young options who could potentially start at right guard. It's just a matter of whether any of those players can approximate Colon's level of play. 

Calvin Pace

As mentioned in the previous slide, Lorenzo Mauldin and Calvin Pace appear to be battling it out for the starting spot at the left outside linebacker position. Just because Pace is competing for the starting job, though, doesn't mean he's guaranteed to make the roster. His range of potential outcomes goes from starting spot to unemployment.

Pace's contract is worth $2.25 million in 2015, according to Over The Cap, but the Jets could save $2.125 million by cutting him. Unless he ends up winning a starting job, it might be in the team's best interest to move on.

T.J. Graham

It feels weird regarding the wide receiver spot as a strength of the roster, but thanks to a litany of offseason additions, that's exactly what we're doing. Now, players who might have been safe in previous years are fighting for their jobs.

T.J. Graham has the benefit of experience in Chan Gailey's offense from their time together with the Buffalo Bills. That being said, with such a strong group of receivers in Eric Decker, Brandon Marshall, Jeremy Kerley, Devin Smith and DeVier Posey, the Jets may not have room to keep everyone. Graham's special teams experience (kickoff and punt returns) could be his saving grace, but he will need to shine in that area to ensure a roster spot. 

Veterans to Watch

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It won't be hard to find Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall (above); he's one of the biggest receivers on the roster.

Marcus Gilchrist

Last year, the Jets had an abundance of strong safeties and no free safeties. How did they respond to that? By adding another strong safety and failing to add any free safeties to the roster. Calvin Pryor played out of position at free safety for much of the 2014 season but flashed his first-round potential when he was moved back to strong safety later in the season.

As a result, the signing of former San Diego Chargers safety Marcus Gilchrist is redundant. With Pryor already in the fold, the Jets were not in need of another in-the-box safety who lacks coverage skills. Gilchrist will be manning the free safety spot, according to Dom Cosentino of NJ Advance Media, while Pryor will slide back to his more natural position at strong safety. It will be interesting to see if the pairing of Pryor and Gilchrist is formidable and capable. 

Quinton Coples

Entering his fourth year in the NFL, outside linebacker Quinton Coples—a former first-round pick—has yet to show the sky-high potential that is typically associated with top draft choices. His career high is 6.5 sacks, which he achieved in 2014. 

Todd Bowles' defense could be the best thing that's happened to Coples since entering the NFL, but truth be told, there aren't many major differences between Bowles' system and Rex Ryan's old scheme. At this point, Coples should be considered a wild card. He could finally develop into the dominant pass-rusher the Jets hoped he'd be back in 2012, or he could falter on his way to another underachieving season.

Brandon Marshall

It won't be hard to watch wide receiver Brandon Marshall. At 6'4" and 230 pounds, he is the second-biggest receiver on the roster (behind only undrafted rookie Jonathan Rumph, who stands 6'5"). Marshall is still one of the most physically dominant receivers in the game, but the 2014 season was one of the worst—statistically—of his career.

This will be Marshall's fourth team in the past six seasons, and he's been mired with controversy at each stop. There have been suggestions that he's failed to get along with his quarterbacks. We may not get a true glimpse into his character in training camp, but his rapport with Geno Smith will be worth watching. If Marshall feels the quarterback is underperforming as the season wears on, there could be some friction. 

Rookies to Watch

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Defensive lineman Leonard Williams (62, above) could be one of the more prominent rookies at Jets training camp.

Lorenzo Mauldin

Lorenzo Mauldin is the rookie who is most likely to land in the starting lineup for the full 16-game regular season. Defensive lineman Leonard Williams will be a starter while Sheldon Richardson is serving his four-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy, but he'll likely be out of the starting lineup when Richardson returns. 

Mauldin, on the other hand, is looking to usurp Calvin Pace as the starting left outside linebacker. He certainly has the skill set to do the job. At 6'4" and 259 pounds, Mauldin has the perfect frame for a 3-4 outside linebacker. He has already played the position at Louisville, so he won't need to get acclimated to lining up in a two-point stance like many other "tweener" prospects. 

Devin Smith

As mentioned in a previous slide, the Jets have overhauled the wide receiver position dramatically over the past two seasons. One of the moves in that overhaul involved the second-round selection of wide receiver Devin Smith. The Ohio State product is the second Round 2 wide receiver to be drafted by the Jets in the past five years.

The last one, Stephen Hill, didn't work out so well.

Chan Gailey's spread offense dictates a heavy dose of three- and four-wide receiver sets, so we could see a lot of Smith in his rookie year. The 6'0", 196-pound pass-catcher has the ability to line up on the boundary or in the slot, so expect the Jets to see what they can do to maximize his production as a rookie. 

Leonard Williams

The Jets' first-round pick may seem a bit redundant due to the abundance of talent on the defensive line, but with Richardson suspended for four games, Leonard Williams could find his way into some early playing time. 

He will be a focal point at training camp because of his prominent early-season role but also because he could be a key figure in the future of the defense. With questions about the long-term future of both Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson, this could be an opportunity for Williams to show that he belongs among the top defensive linemen on the roster.