Gang Green Nation
The Jets set their initial 53 man roster yesterday. It is sure to change in the days ahead. In fact, there’s a good chance it will change today after waiver claims are announced. What can we say about this roster?
One of my biggest frustrations in NFL roster maintenance is when a player’s Draft position becomes a determining factor in whether he stays or goes. I think these decisions should be based on merit. They frequently aren’t. High picks get much more leeway than low picks who get somewhat more leeway than undrafted free agents.
It’s easier when a new regime comes in. The new general manager and head coach have nothing invested in an early round pick their predecessor made. Less consideration needs to go to when a player was drafted. It was that way when Joe Douglas cut Mike Maccagnan’s final third round pick, Jachai Polite, in 2019. It was that way again when Darren Mougey cut Douglas’ final third round pick, Malachi Corley, yesterday.
One notable aspect of Corley’s Jets tenure ending was how a couple of members of the media had the same reaction.
Of course Corley has talent. Every single player who is in an NFL training camp has talent. The worst player on an NFL 90 man roster before cutdown day was most likely a high performer at every level of football before he set foot on a professional football field.
I would ask what about Corley’s talent sets him apart from any run of the mill practice squader. Does he have an impressive package of releases off the line of scrimmage against press coverage? Does he shake defenders with effective route stems? Does he make sharp cuts as a route runner? Does he read defenses effectively and alter his routes accordingly? Does he have strong hands at the catch point? Does he track the ball well? Does he high point it well? Does he have blazing speed?
To me he seemed to be at a beginner level in almost all of those areas. The best thing he has going for him is that he’s kind of big as a wide receiver and looked tough to bring down with the ball in his hands in college. That’s not exactly the profile of a player who is likely to be a high performer in the NFL.
I remember the night the Jets traded up for Corley. I was struck by just how focused they were on landing him. Word quickly leaked that they aggressively had been trying to trade up starting in the first half of the second round.
To do that for a player with Corley’s skillset, I wasn’t really sure what to make of it. He had made his mark in college barely being asked to run a real route. It wasn’t exactly a recipe for a slam dunk prospect in the NFL.
It seemed like there were two possibilities. Then-Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich had coached...
