Biggest Questions Surrounding the New York Jets as Training Camp Begins

Beginning with head coach Rex Ryan and general manager John Idzik getting fired on "Black Monday," the New York Jets had a busy offseason. 

Bringing in the anti-Ryan in Todd Bowles, as well as former scout Mike Maccagnan to replace Idzik, changed the culture.

The new general manager quickly won over the fanbase by taking an aggressive approach and trading for Brandon Marshall before proceeding to go on a spending spree during free agency to revamp the secondary, reuniting Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie.

Ordinarily, teams coming off 4-12 seasons are expected to rebuild for a few years before contending. That is not the case with the Jets, who are built to win now.

But if Geno Smith doesn't turn things around or the team doesn't find a solution at right guard, Gang Green could experience another difficult season.

With players set to report to training camp on Wednesday and the first practice scheduled for Thursday, let's take a look at some of the Jets' biggest questions.

What Will the Jets Get Out of Stevan Ridley and Zac Stacy?

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The Jets added depth to their backfield, and it didn’t cost very much. It’s just a matter of how much, if any, playing time the new acquisitions will receive.

They signed former Patriot Stevan Ridley to a low-risk deal and completed a trade with the St. Louis Rams on the last day of the draft, giving up a seventh-round pick for Zac Stacy.

Both players have enjoyed success in the past—Ridley ran for over 1,000 yards in 2012, and Stacy compiled 973 yards on the ground in 2013, his rookie season—but last year was rough on the both of them.

Ridley tore his ACL in October and Stacy lost touches to Tre Mason and Benny Cunningham.

Chris Ivory will be the starter, and Bilal Powell is the primary third-down back, but Ridley or Stacy could challenge for a roster spot.

It’s been less than a year since Ridley underwent ACL surgery, so his first priority is showing he’s healthy.

According to Connor Hughes of JetsInsider.com, Ridley ran well during offseason drills. If he can get back to where he was a few years ago, the Jets will have a tough decision to make when it’s time to make cuts.

As for Stacy, the controversial tweet he sent after the Rams drafted Todd Gurley—as Don Banks of Sports Illustrated writes—landed him in New York. Now he knows he has to capitalize on this opportunity and prove his worth on the field.

“There’s a lot of guys with a lot of motivation,” Stacy said, per Banks. “But it’s good, because we know what’s at stake in the running backs’ room.”

If either of the two new Jets running backs can find a way to make the final roster, anything can happen.

When the Jets traded for Ivory a few years ago, they thought they were getting a stud who was buried in a crowded backfield in New Orleans, but he hasn’t quite lived up to the hype. In two seasons in New York, Ivory has had to play through injuries at times and put together just five 100-yard games.

Put simply, the Jets could use another productive back.

Did Jace Amaro Improve His Hands?

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

We know tight end Jace Amaro spent part of the offseason engaging in a back-and-forth feud with his former coach, per the New York Post’s Brian Costello, but how much time did he spend preparing for football, and will it reflect in training camp?

It took Amaro some time to learn ex-Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg’s offensive system last year, and it resulted in the rookie tight end having a rocky season.

He wound up with 38 receptions and two touchdowns, but 10 of those catches and one of his TD’s came in Week 6 against the Denver Broncos.

Amaro displayed glimpses of the big-play ability he became known for at Texas Tech, where he caught 106 balls his junior year to set a Big 12 record, but the Jets need to see a lot more from last year’s second-round pick in 2015.

Amaro had a major problem with drops throughout last season, as he failed to haul in passes that hit him right between the eights on his jersey on numerous occasions.

According to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com, Amaro had the second-highest drop rate in football—six on 52 targets. When you’re a tight end not renowned for your blocking skills, you better have sure hands.

We’ll see how new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey goes about utilizing Amaro in his spread offense, but Amaro—who had a hard time with Mornhinweg’s West Coast offense—should have an easy transition because he played in a spread offense in college.

He’ll have training camp to prove last year’s case of the dropsies should be attributed to a lack of concentration, not a long-term issue. If he can improve as a blocker, that would be a bonus for New York.

What Can We Expect from Calvin Pryor in Year 2?

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

After being drafted with the 18th overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft, Calvin Pryor was thrust into a starting role as a rookie, and it didn’t go too well.

He wasn’t exactly put in the best position to succeed, though, as the hard-hitting safety out of Louisville was asked to roam deep in the secondary as a free safety, something he didn’t do too often in college.

If Idzik would have supplied Ryan with better corners who didn’t need consistent help over the top, the Jets probably could have employed Pryor where he’s far more comfortable, in the box, helping stop the run and occasionally in coverage.

Following the secondary's offseason makeover, Pryor is going to be back where he belongs.

The versatile Marcus Gilchrist was brought in from the San Diego Chargers, and he’ll handle most of the free-safety duties, according to Dom Cosentino of NJ Advance Media, allowing Pryor to play a position where he’s expected to thrive.

But in Bowles’ defense, Pryor has to be able to do a little bit of everything. Though he’ll start at strong safety, Bowles said Pryor will be playing free safety “at times,” per Cosentino, so it will be interesting to see how he’s improved in that area.

Pryor repeatedly took poor angles last season, as you can see on this Jordy Nelson touchdown reception in Week 2 of last year.

These blown plays won’t be acceptable in 2015. Fair or unfair, Jets fans will be throwing the word “bust” around if he doesn’t raise his level of play this season.

Can Leonard Williams Fill in for Sheldon Richardson?

Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

When Leonard Williams fell to the Jets with the No. 6 pick in this year’s draft, they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take the player many believed to be the best in this class.

They already had one of the NFL's top defensive lines, led by Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson and Damon Harrison, but the Jets went with the value pick instead of drafting for need.

Well, New York will need Williams to contribute immediately now that Richardson has been suspended four games for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.

Wiliams is expected to compete with veterans Leger Douzable, Kevin Vickerson and Stephen Bowen for the starting job in Richardson’s absence, and considering his upside, he has a good chance of earning a lot of early-season reps.

The USC product has impressed Harrison with how quickly he’s grasped the playbook, according to Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media:

"

Damn good guy, heck of an athlete, freakish athlete. He picked up on what we've installed. He picked up on that pretty quick, so it's allowed him to play faster than what other rookies have been doing. That's a credit to him, man, because it's not easy to learn an NFL defense.

And he communicates with us. He talks. That's one thing you don't find in a lot of rookies. They're quiet and they're just trying to learn. He talks…He's trying to make sure he knows what you're doing, so that he can adjust his game to that.

"

That’s high praise for a guy who hasn’t even played an NFL down yet, but it shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise, given how he manhandled opposing offensive linemen in college.

Williams dominated from multiple spots along USC’s defensive line, so his versatility should help him in Bowles’ complex system.

This rookie is expected to accomplish a lot, but it won’t interfere with his development all that much. Williams should be good enough to start the first month of the season before being eased into a smaller role once Richardson returns.

Will This Be the Year Quinton Coples Breaks Out?

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You look at Quinton Coples and think to yourself, “Man, this guy should be a monster off the edge.”

Three years into his NFL career, the former first-round pick has yet to put it all together on the field. Still, the Jets have seen enough out of Coples to exercise his fifth-year option this offseason.

Rex Ryan decided to move Coples from defensive line to outside linebacker in his second year, in part to make room for then-rookie Sheldon Richardson. He’s had limited success at the position, but he made strides toward the end of last season.

Coples has notched 16.5 sacks over his three-year career, including 6.5 last year. He stepped it up over the final three games, getting to the quarterback 3.5 times.

Despite formulating his best season to date, Pro Football Focus ranked only seven 3-4 outside linebackers worse than Coples in 2014, according to Darryl Slater at NJ Advance Media.

He’s exhibited great burst off the edge in spurts—like when he "decapitated" Maurice Jones-Drew—but if he can consistently provide pressure on the quarterback, the Jets may have football's best defense.

The Jets already field one of football's scariest defensive lines, and their secondary is up there with Seattle's Legion of Boom. A fierce edge-rusher would complete an already-stout unit.

He’ll have more chances to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks and left tackles in his first year under Bowles, according to Randy Lange of NewYorkJets.com.

“I still have situations where I’m dropping and stuff. It’s not all pass rushing,” Coples said, per Lange. “But I definitely have more of a pass-rushing role than I’ve had before.”

Ryan couldn’t maximize Coples’ potential. Now Bowles—a defensive mastermind in his own right—hopes to unlock the talent that made him the 16th overall pick out of North Carolina.

Will Muhammad Wilkerson Get a New Contract?

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Jets fan can exhale. Muhammad Wilkerson won’t be staging a holdout after all.

Sources told Brian Costello of the New York Post that Wilkerson will be in Florham Park, New Jersey, Wednesday when players report to training camp.

Now it’s a matter of locking up the star defensive end to a long-term deal.

He didn’t take part in the voluntary portion of New York’s offseason program, but he was present for mandatory minicamp.

Wilkerson’s playing on the final year of his rookie contract, and the Jets can use the franchise tag on him next season if it comes to that, so it remains unclear how eager the front office is to get this settled during camp.

General manager Mike Maccagnan addressed Wilkerson’s contract situation a few months ago, per NJ Advance Media’s Dom Cosentino.

“We’d like to keep Mo a Jet for a long time,” Maccagnan said, according to Cosentino. “But, again, it’s a process.”

That was back in May, but Maccagnan doesn’t sound like a man whose main priority is getting this deal completed in the near future.

Once the news of Richardson’s suspension surfaced, it was fair to assume Wilkerson would use it as leverage, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Outside of J.J. Watt, you can make the case that Wilkerson is the best 3-4 defensive end in the game. But Richardson’s effectiveness over his first two seasons has put him in the conversation as well.

Richardson is going to demand a big contract at some point too, and the Jets may not be able to pay him and Wilkerson top dollar. Perhaps that’s what Maccagnan and company are mulling at the moment.

Wilkerson deserves a new contract from the team that drafted him in 2011, but he may have to play out his current deal.

How Will the Right Guard Situation Unfold?

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Nobody ran away with the job during OTAs or the mandatory minicamp, so the Jets will have an open competition at right guard.

Veteran Willie Colon, Oday Aboushi, Brian Winters, Dakota Dozier and Brent Qvale will battle it out over the next month.

Colon has started at right guard for the last two seasons, but he underperformed last year—especially in the run game—and received just a one-year contract for the veteran minimum. It’s also worth noting that Colon led the team with 12 penalties last year.

Winters is recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last season and has struggled since being forced to start at left guard out of necessity as a rookie in 2013.

Dozier—a fourth-round pick in last year’s draft—and Qvale—an undrafted free agent in 2014—have slim shots at winning the job. That being said, Qvale did get first-team reps during minicamp, according to Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media.

The Jets selected Jarvis Harrison out of Texas A&M in the fifth round of this year’s draft, but it would be surprising to see him start right away.

Aboushi may be the best bet. He started 10 games at left guard last year once Winters went down and did a pretty good job filling in, securing a spot on Pro Football Focus’ All-Sophomore Team.

For his decent play last season, we’ll give Aboushi the advantage going into camp, but that’s subject to change.

The truth is, no one—not even Bowles—knows how this competition is going to unfold.

Can Geno Smith Become a Reliable Starting QB?

David Goldman/Associated Press

This is it for Geno Smith. If he doesn’t become a reliable quarterback with this supporting cast, he never will.

The list of receivers who have caught passes from Smith over the last two years includes Greg Salas, David Nelson, Clyde Gates, Stephen Hill and Ben Obomanu.

Oh, how things have changed.

Mike Maccagnan’s first big move was trading for star receiver Brandon Marshall, possibly the best wideout the Jets have had since Keyshawn Johnson—no disrespect to Laveranues Coles, Jericho Cotchery and Santana Moss.

Eric Decker—who was signed as a free agent prior to last season—proved he’s a capable No. 1 receiver in his first year in green and white, catching 74 passes for 962 yards. But now Marshall will command attention as the top receiver, making Decker’s job easier on the other side.

In Decker and Marshall, Smith has a lethal receiving duo at his disposal.

Then there’s the dependable Jeremy Kerley, whom Smith has already developed a rapport with—especially on third down—as well as rookie Devin Smith, a burner with big-time playmaking ability who can stretch the field.

So Smith has plenty of weapons to work with, but can he do his part to help this team win games?

Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey will implement spread-offense concepts. Smith prospered in this offensive scheme at West Virginia.

Smith couldn’t excel in Marty Mornhinweg’s West Coast offense, so maybe his familiarity with Gailey’s system will help him find NFL success.

He better, because Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reported on Tuesday that Bowles won’t hesitate to insert backup Ryan Fitzpatrick if Smith falters early in the season.

No more excuses can be made for Smith after this season. If he doesn’t take advantage of his last chance to shine as the New York Jets' starting quarterback, he’ll be looking for a job as a backup somewhere next year.