Jets 53-man roster projection update ahead of preseason battle vs. Giants

Another week, another New York Jets roster projection. With final cutdown day drawing ever closer, the Jets have received some clarity on their roster decisions after three preseason games. 

The Jets may be coming off a 13-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the loss gave the team plenty of tape and answers on some of their biggest questions on the roster. Let’s go through the latest projection that we have for the final 53-man roster.

A reminder that this is only a projection and not an announcement made by the New York Jets at this time. 

Offense

Notes

• A reminder that the Jets and other NFL teams need to have three quarterbacks on the final 53-man roster.
• Zonovan Knight seems like the odd man out in the running back room after a disappointing loss to Tampa. Carter and Abanikanda are seen as the depth players behind Cook and Hall.
• New York could easily keep six wide receivers but as neither of the combination of Jason Brownlee, Xavier Gipson, or Malik Taylor have stood out in games, it’s hard to see any of them make the final roster. These seem more like practice-squad candidates to me.
• The offensive line battles seem like a wrap to me. Becton has outplayed everyone at right tackle, Duane Brown is on his way back, and the Jets’ interior is solid. This is the best five that head coach Robert Saleh has been looking for. 
• By my count, there are 26 players on the offensive side to start the year.

Defense

Notes

• You can’t cut any of the edge players the Jets possess currently. They are too good and too deep. This is arguably the deepest group in all of football.
• Thanks to Michael Clemons’ versatility, the team will only need to keep four defensive tackles on the roster.
• Four linebackers are the smart choice for this projection. Saleh loves Surratt but Zaire Barnes continues to play well and the team really likes what they’ve seen from Jamien Sherwood.
• At corner, it’s pretty straight forward. Jimmy Moreland and Craig James have played pretty well during the preseason. It also doesn’t hurt that Brandin Echols is suspended for the first-week of the NFL season so another player can be added to the roster without any major cause. 
• New York has a deeper safety group this year than last year. After his tremendous performance against Tampa Bay, it’s hard not to seee Ashtyn Davis find a place on the Jets final roster.
• With Echols’ suspension, this roster sits at 50 players.

Special Teams

For more New York Jets news, turn to AMNY.com

Read more: Jets Show Promise Despite Loss to Buccaneers