Jets training camp: 48 random thoughts as players report 48 days before start of season

[ARodJetsFan]

Jets training camp: 48 random thoughts as players report 48 days before start of season - nj.com

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Andy Vasquez | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The Jets report to training camp on Tuesday, the first major step toward a critical season. There are a ton of storylines, from the veteran quarterback returning from a major injury, to the coach and general manager who will start the season on the hottest of hot seats.

So how will it all play out? And what should everyone be thinking about heading into this compelling year? Here are 48 random thoughts about the Jets with 48 days to go before they begin their season in San Francisco.

1. The joint practices will be more important than the preseason games in training camp, because the Jets can’t afford to risk injuring their most important players in a meaningful game.

2. Sauce Gardner has only two interceptions in his first two seasons, and not one since 2022. Expect that to change in a big way for the two-time, first-team, All-Pro.

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3. Ideally, the Jets won’t have to use Tyrod Taylor in 2024. But his mere presence on the roster is proof that the Jets are better positioned to contend for a playoff spot tin 2024 if something goes wrong.

4. Haason Reddick’s contract situation will not be a big deal if it’s resolved by the end of this first week of camp practice. But if it isn’t, watch out — especially if Reddick misses multiple padded practice and has to pus himself to get back on the field.

5. The Jets have some options to clear some cap space heading into this season, including reworking Reddick’s deal before the start of the season to give him the guaranteed money he surely seeks — they could reduce his current $15 million cap hit in doing that.

6. However the more likely outcome is the Jets guaranteeing Reddick’s contract while keeping the cap hit the same — to avoid committing money to him in the future, when they must pay young stars like Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson. The Jets, who currently have about $16 million in cap space, can always clear $10 million more by restructuring Quinine Williams’ contract.

7. The Jets are going to carefully manage veteran Tyron Smith’s snap count in training camp and in.week-to-week practice. And for good reason: Smith said load management helped him play 13 games last season, his most since 2019.

8. Don’t be surprised if Aaron Rodgers gets some rest days in training camp. With his 41st birthday coming up, and his recent injury history, it just makes sense.

9. The Jets don’t need a breakout season from Will McDonald to be one of the NFL’s best defenses, but if he takes that step the chances of them being a special defense go up exponentially.

10. One of the few players fighting for a role, and potentially a roster spot this offseason? Allen Lazard, who the Jets could easily move on from after this season if it goes anywhere near as poorly as last year did.

11. Rodgers won’t have to do much (by his standards) to make history with the Jets in 2024. If he can throw for more than 4,000 yards (something he did 10 times in Green Bay) he’ll be the first Jets quarterback to reach that milestone since the schedule expanded to 16 games.

12. Of course, more than a year after his trade to the Jets, Rodgers is still looking for his first completion and passing yards.

13. The Jets battle at wide receiver could be a wide open one at the bottom of the roster, but Irvin Charles feels like a roster lock given his effectiveness as a special teamer.

14. The new kickoff rule will be a game-changer for many teams. And don’t be surprised to see unfamiliar players contributing on pscial teams this year.

15. Tony Adams and Chuck Clark feel like the favorites to win the starting safety jobs, with Ashtyn Davis coming off the bench as a key backup.

16. Rookie defensive back Qwan’tez Stiggers turned heads during OTAs and rookie minicamp, and it feels like he’ll be in the mix for a meaningful backup role this summer.

17. Rookie Malachi Corley wearing No. 17, the number Garrett Wilson wore for his first two seasons before switching to No. 5 for this season, led to some moments of confusion for observers in OTAs. And it’s going to do the same for you early in the season.

18. Mike Williams will start training camp on the PUP list as expected as he returns from a torn ACL. Expect him to be back on the field by the end of camp, but to have a limited role to start the season — much like Breece Hall did a year ago in his ACL recovery.

19. If Williams can stay on the field consistently for the Jets into December, he could be the red zone weapon that helps them get over the hump and end their playoff drought.

20. Breece Halls needs just one more game with 95 rushing and receiving yards join catch Walter Payton as the only NFL player in history to do it in three separate games. Hall will do that before the Jets go to London, and become the only player in history to have four such games before the team’s Week 12 bye.

21. The Jets will return to London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for their second game since 2021, where they’ll still be looking for their first touchdown in the first half of a game.

22. One thing to watch in training camp: Does FSU rookie Jordan Travis get any meaningful reps as he returns from an ugly lower-leg injury, or will it wait until next spring/summer/

23. The Jets have two starting cornerbacks headed into the final year of their contracts and one due for a major extension after this season. Enjoy the trio of Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed and Michael Carter II, while it lasts.

24. The Jets haven’t had a first-team, All-Pro on the offensive line since 2010 when Nick Mangold did it for the second straight year.

25. Gardner can become the first back-to-back-to-back first-team, All-Pro since Darrelle Revis did it from 2009-2011.

26. If the Jets struggle to score points early in the season it feels like Nathaniel Hackett’s job status could be under the hottest of spotlights, especially after the Jets this summer considered hiring someone to replace him as the primary play caller.

27. Long snapper Thomas Hennessy, who was traded to the Jets just before the 2017 season, remains the team’s longest-tenured player heading into 2024.

28. Don’t underrate the importance of the Jets having their three core special teams players back, especially with the rule changes to the kickoff playing a huge role in 2024.

29. Everyone is looking at the Jets’ season-opener against the 49ers as the tone-setting game for the season. But the more important games will come right after when the travel to Nashville and host the Patriots in a five-day span.

30. If the Jets can beat the Titans and Patriots, it won’t much matter what they did in California to start the season. But if they lose one of those games, things could get ugly quickly.

31. This is a huge season for Alijah Vera-Tucker and the Jets, even if the Jets already did pick up his fifth-year option.

32 If Vera-Tucker can stay healthy, he’s almost certainly in line for massive extension this coming offseason as the Jets lock up the right guard position or years to come. If not, it’s a major question mark for both moving forward given Vera-Tucker’s injury history.

33. Rookie Olu Fashunu is likely to start the season on the bench. But don’t be surprised if he plays a big role in 2024 anyway.

34. Neither Max Mitchell (2022) nor Carter Warren (2023) was expected to play a big role as a backup tackle in their respective rookie seasons. And both ended up starting multiple games. So Fashanu, the Penn State rookie, must be ready.

35. Micheal Clemons is one of the most talked-about Jets because of his no-nonsense attitude and intimidating presence. But he has yet to make much of an on-field impact after flashing some potential his rookie year. Now would be a good time to change that.

36. John Simpson, the projected starting left guard, is a name to watch during training camp. If the Jets are getting what they expected, Simpson will ease into the season as the starter.

37. But Simpson is also the least experienced protected starter in the lineup and his role could be in jeopardy if he struggles.

38. We all know that Tyler Conklin is the top tight end, and by far the Jets’. best player at the position in recent years after things went wrong with C.J. Uzomah who also signed before the 2022 season.

39. That makes this a huge year for third-year tight end Jeremy Ruckert, who has yet to make much of an impact through his first two seasons. Ruckert has the chance to be a red zone game breaker for the Jets, but it would be best if he proves that early.

40. Quincy Williams has been a great example of how good things can feel for the Jets when they go right. The former waiver wire pickup by Joe Douglas was a first-team, All-Pro last season.

41. This is a huge year for Williams and the Jets as he tries to validate that breakout season with another strong year — and it will be interesting to see if he has the same impact with opposing offenses now game planning against him.

42. It’s also a key year for teammate C.J. Mosley, who has still been one of the best linebackers in the league, despite admittedly losing a step. The Jets need Mosley to continue playing at a high level at age 32.

43. This feels like a huge year for young tackles Max Mitchell (third year) and Carter Warren (second year), who could secure their spot as key backups with a strong training camp, but also could find themselves fighting for a job if things go poorly this summer.

44. One player we’re interested to watch: defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, because the Jets paid him big money to fill a role that Quinton Jefferson did a pretty nice job in (for much cheaper) last year.

45. Rookie running back Braelon Allen is the NFL’s youngest player heading into 2024 and has the chance to become the youngest Jet to play in a game ever. And he looks ready.

46. Second-year running back Izzy Abanikanda, who last year could have become the first Jet under 21 to play in a game but struggled to crack the lineup, has a lot to prove during camp and could be one of the few players in danger of losing his job or role this summer.

47. As made clear by his latest excuse, provided this week, for missing mandatory minicamp, Rodgers is more interested in the narrative surrounding himself than the team.

48. No one will care (even a little) about Rodgers missing mandatory minicamp, or his leadership style, if the Jets end their drought and play a postseason game for the first time since after the 2010 season.