New York Jets' Biggest Preseason Disappointments So Far

The NFL preseason is a time for players to build their reputation—either good or bad. For some players on the New York Jets roster, it's been more of the latter than the former in the first few weeks of training camp and the first two games of the preseason.

Some players are dealing with an injury, others have failed to rise to meet an opportunity and others still have simply fallen short of expectations. Make no mistake; the Jets have grown tremendously from last year to this year, whether it's in the form of young players on the rise or veteran players being added to the mix. 

With so many big-name additions to the lineup, some players have been pushed aside in favor of shiny new toys. That being said, it would be inaccurate to claim that every new acquisition has been a resounding success to this point. The Jets are counting on some of those players for major contributions, and they'll have to raise their game if they want to meet those lofty expectations.

Here are some of the biggest preseason disappointments so far.

Brian Winters

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

The Jets held a deep competition at right guard this summer, the operative word being "held."

Veteran incumbent Willie Colon shut the door on that competition with his performance over the course of the summer, according to ESPN.com's Rich Cimini. 

"He brings a lot of toughness," head coach Todd Bowles said of Colon. "So far he looks good, his knees have been holding up. He's been upbeat. He's one of the most talkative guys in camp. He makes every day festive and he plays like that. He's one of the older guys, but he's got one of the younger spirits. He's been having a good camp."

As a former third-round pick, it would be the hope that Brian Winters would eventually take over a starting spot; the only spot that's even remotely up for grabs is at right guard. Winters has struggled in two years as a starting left guard, and the Jets signed veteran James Carpenter to play that spot in 2015.

It appears that Winters won't get much of a chance to be the starter at the other guard spot, so it looks like he's headed for the bench. 

Oday Aboushi

Tony Tribble/Associated Press

I would just copy and paste everything over from the Brian Winters slide to describe why Oday Aboushi has had a disappointing preseason, but that would just be lazy.

Besides, it wouldn't take into account the fact that the NFL announced that Aboushi has been suspended for the first game of the season for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. 

Aboushi took over at left guard in 2014 when Brian Winters went down with a season-ending injury, and played admirably well considering his status as an undrafted free agent and second-year player with almost no real-life NFL experience.

The Jets have already almost settled on their starting offensive line, and Aboushi isn't scheduled to be a part of it. Thus, his absence doesn't seem to throw a major wrench in the Jets' plans, but it does put a disappointing end to his prospects for starting the season as the Jets' starting right guard. 

Geno Smith

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Getting punched in the jaw when you're supposed to be the starting quarterback is a lot like french frying when you should have pizza'd. You're gonna have a bad time. 

The Jets had hoped this could be the year when Geno Smith finally put their decades-long unrest at quarterback to bed. For now, the only thing that's been put to bed is the idea that this is Smith's job to lose. Now, that distinction belongs to quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

"We'll revisit that when Geno comes back depending on our record and the time that he comes back and how well Ryan is playing," said head coach Todd Bowles. "Yeah, Ryan is our starter."

Make no mistake; Smith had been practicing well before the haymaker heard 'round the world. It would be unfair to ignore the expectations of Smith headed into the season, though.

According to general manager Mike Maccagnan, it's "not likely" that Smith will be placed on short-term injured reserve, which would force him to stay out of the lineup for the first six games of the season. That being said, Smith's not going to have the clear path to the starting job that he once had. 

Antonio Cromartie

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

The Jets and their fans had such high hopes that the 2015 season would mark the return of their dominant secondary, but so far, that hasn't exactly been true.

Darrelle Revis has been holding up his end of the bargain, but by almost all accounts, veteran cornerback Antonio Cromartie has struggled in training camp and the preseason. ESPN.com's Rich Cimini highlights the areas that Cromartie has struggled, and brings up some valid thoughts regarding his level of concern: 

"

No question, this hasn't been a great camp for Antonio Cromartie. I've seen him get beat deep several times in practice, and he missed a would-be tackle on the opening drive of Thursday night's loss to the Detroit Lions. But I believe proven veterans are entitled to the benefit of the doubt in training camp, so I think it's too early to panic about Cromartie. He played well last season for the Arizona Cardinals, and there's every reason to believe he can play well for the Jets. He's only 31, not 35.

"

Perhaps that explains why the Jets coaches, and even Cromartie himself, are not concerned about the struggles to this point. 

Either way, Cromartie has to prove he still has what it takes to be a shutdown cornerback opposite Revis when the regular season rolls around. 

Jeremy Kerley

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

It's hard to say we didn't see this coming. Over the past two years, the Jets have focused on getting bigger and more physical at the wide receiver position. The additions of Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker are indications that the Jets have been successful in that goal.

Another indication of that success is the fact that former starting receiver Jeremy Kerley has been relegated to a backup role. Kerley has done most of his damage from the slot in his four-year career, and ran 78.2 percent of his routes from the slot in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus. 

But now, it appears young upstart Quincy Enunwa has eclipsed Kerley on the depth chart, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com:

"

Jeremy Kerley wasn't surprised that he was relegated to backup duty [against the Detroit Lions]—after all, he hadn't been practicing with the first-team offense in his usual slot role—but he seemed a bit perplexed as to why it's playing out like this. He said it "felt really weird," speculating the new coaching staff still doesn't have a feel for him yet.

He missed time during the offseason because of an Achilles' injury. "We have new coaches and they didn't get to see a lot of me," said Kerley, who had no receptions (two targets). Todd Bowles said he wanted to give Quincy Enunwa a look as the No. 3 receiver. Enunwa dropped his only target in the game. Kerley didn't want to make a stink. As he said a few times, "I'll let my play do the talking."

"

For now, that's all Kerley can do as he hopes to wrest his spot back from Enunwa before the start of the regular season. 

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained via team news release.