The Final 53?

Edition #211

☀️Good morning.

Cut down day has come and gone and the Jets final 53 is set…at least for a day.

Later today we'll see a flurry of moves as waiver claims are awarded and players signed who either made it through waivers or are free agents because they're vested veterans.

In short, the below is the initial 53 man roster and not the final one. I'm fully expecting it to look very different by the time the Ravens come into town.

💥 Robert Saleh confirmed that Zach was not ready to return yet, saying he'd need a full week of practice to be available for week one. Unsurprisingly he confirmed that Joe Flacco would start in week one if Zach was unavailable.

💥 Talking about Denzel Mims, Saleh said that Mims is frustrated with the coaching staff due to a lack of playing time but that he wasn't being a jerk about it. The Jets have turned down his trade request and will only move him if they receive a very good offer. Mims led the team with 12 catches.

💥 Backup guard Nate Herbig was in the rehab area yesterday with an apparent ankle injury. However it was not deemed to be serious and Herbig is hopeful that he can be back on the football field today.

💥 Nick Bawden has landed on season ending IR unfortunately, so he'll miss the 2022 season which leaves the Jets without a FB as things stand.

Quarterback (3)

Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, Mike White

Cut: Chris Streveler

🤔 - No real surprises here, I would have liked to have seen Streveler rewarded after his preseason but I understand the logic of having Mike and his experience within the system as QB3. I imagine the Jets will be looking to bring Streveler back on the practice squad.

Running Back (4)

Michael Carter. Breece Hall. Ty Johnson. Zonovan Knight.

Cut: Tevin Coleman, La'Mical Perine.

🤔 - Considering his reliability in all aspects of the game, and the coaching Staffs history with him, I was surprised to see Tevin Coleman cut in favour of someone like Ty Johnson. Coleman is a good pass protector and Johnson can be a bit of a liability in that regard. I'm really happy for UDFA Zonovan Knight who's looked very good throughout camp. At the end of the day this is the Carter and Hall show, but we have good depth behind them.

Wide Receiver (6)

Corey Davis, Elijah Moore, Garrett Wilson, Braxton Berrios, Jeff Smith, Denzel Mims.

Cut: Irvin Charles, Calvin Jackson Jr, Tarik Black.

🤔 - This position group was thrown into flux with Denzel Mims requesting a trade, but despite what some people thought this pre-season, he was never likely to be a cut candidate. There are no surprises in here but I would have kept Calvin Jackson over Jeff Smith, I know Jeff Smith is a decent special teamer but I do think that's overstated a little bit. I'd take the better long-term option at the position and personally I think that's Jackson. The Jets are “desperate” to get Jackson on the practice squad, but there is a good chance he gets claimed on waivers.

Tight End (4)

C.J Uzomah, Tyler Conklin, Jeremy Ruckert, Lawrence Cager.

Cut: Trevon Wesco, Kenny Yeboah

🤔 - No real surprises in here, but the Jets electing not to have a FB on the roster to start the season (at least for now) is notable. Converted wide receiver Lawrence Cager has had a great off-season and he's really earned that roster place, although it's unclear how much he'll play. Jeremy Ruckert may get some snaps at FB, and that's something we've previously written about here on TJW.

Offensive Line (8)

Duane Brown, Laken Tomlinson, Nate Herbig, Connor McGovern, Dan Feeney, Alijah Vera-Tucker, George Fant, Max Mitchell.

Cut: Conor McDermott, Ross Pierschbacher, Grant Hermanns, Chris Glaser, Chuma Edoga

🤔 - I can't see the Jets heading into the season with just three offensive tackles on the books, and while I'm not surprised to see guys like Edoga and Hermanns get cut, I thought they may keep one of them around until they secured the upgrade. Max Mitchell is now the backup tackle for both spots, which makes me a touch nervous, only because of his inexperience. Outside of that, the group is as expected.

Defensive End (7)

John Franklin-Myers, Jacob Martin, Bryce Huff, Micheal Clemons, Carl Lawson, Jermaine Johnson, Vinny Curry.

Cut: Bradlee Anae, Jabari Zubiga

🤔 - I'm not surprised the Jets are keeping seven, but I am surprised that the 7th edge is Vinny Curry. The veteran missed the 2021 season and has been dealing with a hamstring issue which has limited his availability all pre-season. Bradlee Anae has had a very good pre-season and has familiarity with the coaching staff, I would have expected him to make the roster ahead of someone like Curry but maybe the Jets value his veteran leadership in a room that contains two rookies.

Defensive Tackle (4)

Quinnen Williams, Solomon Thomas, Nathan Shepherd, Sheldon Rankins.

Cut: Tanzel Smart, Jonathan Marshall

🤔 - The coaching staff love Nathan Shepherd, so seeing him make the roster isn't really a surprise, but I'm pretty shocked to see Rankins still here. Statistically he was one of the worst defensive tackles in football last year at defending the run and he's been limited by injuries this preseason, not to mention the fact the Jets could have saved over $4 million by cutting him. Either he shows up in different ways that we don't see, or the staff really didn't rate the prospect of Smart or Marshall developing. Either way, I'm surprised by that one.

Linebacker (4)

C.J Mosley, Quincy Williams, Kwon Alexander, Jamie Sherwood.

Cut: Marcell Harris, DQ Thomas, Hamsah Nasrildeen, Del'Shawn Phillips.

🤔 - Absolutely no shocks here. Some people commented yesterday that they'd be surprised to see Hamsah cut, but he really hasn't done anything to make you believe that he should be on the roster.

Cornerback (6)

D.J Reed, Sauce Gardner, Michael Carter II, Bryce Hall, Brandin Echols, Justin Hardee.

Cut: Javelin Guidry, Isaiah Dunn, Rachad Wildgoose.

🤔 - The only small surprise here is that Guidry for cut which leaves us a little short in terms of slot cornerback cover for Carter, but the only player they could have cut to fit Guidry on the roster is Hardee and while he doesn't offer much on defense, the coaching staff love his leadership on special teams and expect him to have a bounce back year on the field. You can guarantee that Brant Boyer had a big say on that decision, especially after the Jets cut Phillips and Hamsah who were both good special teams players in 2021.

Safety (4)

Jordan Whitehead, LaMarcus Joyner, Ashtyn Davis, Tony Adams.

Cut: Jason Pinnock, Will Parks

🤔 - I am absolutely shocked by this decision. In no universe did I ever foresee the Jets cutting both Pinnock and Parks. Parks was arguably the best safety on the roster through the preseason If you take out Whitehead, and Pinnock has looked good in his first full off-season having transitioned from cornerback. The Jets love Tony Adams but I have to believe they would have been able to get him through waivers and stash him on the practice squad as he hasn't really stood out this pre-season although he was one of the standouts in OTAs, and I can only assume that Ashtyn Davis has some damming photos of Joe Douglas, because although he does have experience in the system, that experience largely consists of him arriving late on passing plays and taking awful angles on running plays. This to me is the Jets weakest position group by a country mile.

Special Teams (3)

Greg Zuerlein (K), Braden Mann (P), Thomas Hennessy (LS)

🤔 - A position group that picked itself.