Marcus Maye feels urgency to play immediately after Jets cut Marcus Gilchrist

[Gas2No99]

Marcus Maye feels urgency to play immediately after Jets cut Marcus Gilchrist

 

FLORHAM PARK -- Marcus Maye took notice Thursday when the Jets cut free safety Marcus Gilchrist. Maye, a safety whom the Jets drafted in Round 2, knew what this meant for him, with a starting spot now officially open in the Jets' secondary.

"I'm always trying to get on the field, trying to get adjusted as fast as I can," Maye said Friday, as the Jets began their three-day rookie minicamp. "Just the fact that there's another open spot, it means that somebody else can step in. I'm just trying to be that guy." 

Maye said the Jets cutting Gilchrist "definitely" gave him an increased feeling of urgency as he prepares for his rookie season. 

The Jets' safety tandem of the future is clearly Jamal Adams (No. 6 overall pick) and Maye. By drafting those two players, the Jets declared their intentions to move on from strong safety Calvin Pryor and Gilchrist, who is rehabbing a torn patellar tendon in his knee.

There were major doubts anyway about whether Gilchrist would be ready for Week 1 -- or be ready to play at all in 2017. He has a serious injury. So it was likely, all along, that Maye would be the Jets' starting free safety entering this season. But Gilchrist's release solidified that. 

"I'm just going to take every day as an opportunity to get better," said Maye, who starred at Florida. "Once that time comes for me, I'm going to take it and run with it. I'm going to do everything I can do to step out on the field, in any role I can play." 

Adams is likely to take over for Pryor as the Jets' strong safety. The Jets could still trade Pryor this offseason. The recently declined the fifth-year option in his rookie contract, so the 2017 season will be the last year of his deal, and then he likely will depart in free agency. If Pryor remains with the Jets in 2017, he probably will have some kind of tweaked role. 

In rookie minicamp, Maye said the Jets' coaches are working him and Adams at both safety spots -- left and right, free and strong. 

"Just so we can learn both of them right now," Maye said. 

 

 

He is comfortable playing free safety or strong safety, but his skill set his better suited for free safety and Adams' skill set is better suited for strong safety. 

Maye said he has fully recovered from a season-ending broken arm, and will be able to do all on-field activities this weekend during rookie minicamp. 

[T0mShane]

Wait until he finds out about the Mandatory Redshirt Season.

[Gas2No99]

Just now, T0mShane said:

Wait until he finds out about the Mandatory Redshirt Season that gets applied to Jets second round picks. 

 

he's waving hello to you . . . 

[nycdan]

4 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

Wait until he finds out about the Mandatory Redshirt Season that gets applied to Jets second round picks. 

If he gets to 5 tackles on the season he'll be our most productive 2nd round pick in a decade.

 

[MDL_JET]

I don't mind the whole switch spots and learning both positions. But if we start seeing Maye whiff on tackles or something trying to play in the box or Adams playing out of coverage, etc. Bowles is gonna be gone sooner rather then later with all the questions he's gonna have to answer. 

[dbatesman]

Lotta bold statements in that article.

[BigRy56]

He will start right away

[Jetdawgg]

1 hour ago, dbatesman said:

Lotta bold statements in that article.

Confidence