Making the Call on the New York Jets' Hardest Remaining Cuts
New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles made the easiest decision of his young head coaching career when he cut ties with IK Enemkpali after the linebacker punched starting quarterback Geno Smith in the jaw.
Unfortunately for Bowles, not every decision will be that easy. If it were, anyone could be an NFL head coach.
The Jets added a lot of talent to their roster this offseason, and as a result, they'll probably have to part ways with some players who have the potential to contribute to an NFL roster. It's not an indictment of any particular player, but it is a statement of just how much depth the Jets have at their disposal.
So, which talented Jets players could be looking for a new employer before the beginning of the 2015 regular season?
DeVier Posey
1 of 5
Just because offensive coordinator Chan Gailey loves wide receivers, doesn't mean his team can afford to carry 10 of them into the regular season.
The Jets traded for wide receiver DeVier Posey during the 2015 NFL Draft, but Posey's implied value in that trade was minimal at best: The Jets gave up the 70th overall pick (third round) to the Houston Texans for Posey and the 82nd (third round), 152nd (fifth round) and 229th (seventh round) picks. Basically, the Jets moved back 12 spots to pick up two late-round picks and Posey.
Eric Decker, Brandon Marshall, Jeremy Kerley and Devin Smith are all locks for the final 53-man roster. Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media and Brian Costello of the New York Post both predicted that T.J. Graham and Chris Owusu would be the fifth and sixth receivers on the roster. Slater added a seventh: Quincy Enunwa. Neither Slater nor Costello made any sort of case for Posey on the roster.
Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan was the Texans' director of college scouting when the team drafted Posey, and it's clear that his combination of size (6'2", 211 pounds) and speed (4.5-second 40-yard dash at the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine) appealed to Maccagnan then as it does now.
The problem is, there just isn't enough room in this group for players who don't offer value on special teams. Posey could find himself the odd man out unless he finds a way to contribute on kickoffs, punts and/or field goals.
Jason Babin
2 of 5
Now that the Jets are under new leadership in head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan, it seems the team is finally beginning to address its lack of youth and depth at several key positions on the roster. One position that's been in dire straits in those two ways is outside linebacker.
For years, the edges of the Jets defense have been anchored by Calvin Pace, and that wasn't a problem up until recently. With Pace now 34 years old, though, the Jets need to keep considering ways to get younger at the position.
The team drafted Louisville pass-rusher Lorenzo Mauldin, and also signed undrafted free agents Deion Barnes and Julian Howsare as backups. Jason Babin is currently listed on the second-string defense at outside liinebacker, but there is probably only enough room for four or five outside linebackers on the roster.
Pace, Mauldin and Quinton Coples are locks. That leaves Howsare, Barnes, Babin and Trevor Reilly to compete for the remaining one or two spots. Reilly, Howsare and Barnes all have ability on special teams. Babin, at 35 years old, does not have value in that role nor does he have long-term upside. The Jets could save $1.35 million on the salary cap by moving on.
Jarvis Harrison
3 of 5
There can be only one victor in the Jets' giant competition for the starting spot at right guard, but there will be at least two or three who make the final cut. Between Willie Colon, Brian Winters, Oday Aboushi and Dakota Dozier, the Jets may have already spoken for two or three backup spots on the depth chart.
That could leave rookie guard Jarvis Harrison on the outside looking in. He was regarded as a "Pro Bowl caliber talent" by NFL scouts headed into the 2015 NFL draft, but the Jets drafted him in the fifth round, as teams showed concern with his work ethic. There have been no whispers of a lack of effort by Harrison thus far, but Harrison would have to work doubly hard to surpass the incumbents on the roster.
Neither Brian Costello of the New York Post nor Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media project Harrison to make the cut. There's plenty of potential locked in that 6'4", 330-pound frame, but unless the Jets find a way to unlock it all in a hurry, Harrison could be hauling that load out of New York.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Zac Stacy
4 of 5
The Jets will have a difficult decision to make at running back. That decision is whether or not Stevan Ridley opens up the regular season on the physically unable to perform list. That would mean that he would not count against the team's 53-man roster, but he also would not be eligible to return until after Week 6.
Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston recently reported that Ridley "feels great and is close to a return, but the Jets are taking a cautious approach with him at this point." If Ridley is ready to go for Week 1, or looks like he could return to the field shortly afterward, the Jets would be wise to keep him on their final 53-man roster. That would nudge Zac Stacy to the fringes of the roster.
At this point, Stacy is just a less explosive version of Chris Ivory. Stacy ranked 24th out of 32 qualifying backs with an elusive rating of 26.6 in 2013 and 101st out of 169 backs with a 21.9 elusive rating in 2014 according to Pro Football Focus.
If the Jets keep four running backs, Stacy could make a nice goal-line option. That being said, Chan Gailey's affinity for wide receivers and the passing game inherently places less value on the running back position, specifically those of Stacy's between-the-tackles variety.
Stephen Bowen
5 of 5
The Jets have incredible depth on the defensive line. Between Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, Damon Harrison and Leonard Williams, the starting lineup is one of the best in the NFL. Richardson's four-game substance-abuse suspension creates a temporary opening on the 53-man roster, since the Jets do not have to account for Richardson in the lineup until his suspension is over.
Leger Douzable and T.J. Barnes are both listed as the fourth and fifth defensive linemen on projected 53-man rosters by Brian Costello of the New York Post and Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media, so both of them appear to be safe in the eyes of the media. There is a discrepancy over No. 6 between Kevin Vickerson and Ronald Talley.
There is no discrepancy, however, over whether Stephen Bowen makes the cut.
At 6'5" and 300 pounds, the 31-year-old defensive lineman has the versatility to play any spot in Todd Bowles' 3-4 defensive front. He started all 16 games in each of his first two years with the Redskins (2011-2012) and played more than 70 percent of the snaps each year. But he has missed time in each of the past two years due to injury and faded to the back of the Washington Redskins' depth chart. The Jets gave him only $60,000 guaranteed on a $950,000 salary, so they could save some money by cutting him.
Bowen may still have some football left in him, but with so much young talent coming up on the Jets' roster, there just isn't enough room for him in New York.
Unless otherwise noted, all salary cap and contract information provided by Over The Cap. All advanced statistics provided by Pro Football Focus.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
