Gang Green Nation
The Jets had an ugly night in the preseason against the Giants Saturday night, but some players helped their cause. Let’s talk Jets winners and losers from the game.
As a note, this is speaking specifically about players who helped or hurt their roster chances, not a definitive list of each player who was good or bad.
Winner: Kene Nwangwu
I didn’t like Nwangwu’s chances of making the roster heading into the preseason. He seemed like one contender in a crowd trying out to be the primary return guy. Well, I think I might have underestimated Nwangwu. For starters, he might be the best return guy on the team as he displayed with a 38 yard runback of a kickoff. He also ran hard out of the backfield, netting 31 yards on 6 carries. Perhaps just as important, I noticed an excellent blitz pickup.
Loser: Donovan Edwards
Twenty-four hours ago I would have told you that I thought Edwards’ roster chances were good. Now I’m not so sure. The scenario where I saw him losing out was Nwangwu making a statement as a return guy. Not only did that happen, but Nwangwu had those good reps at running back. That’s the type of thing that could make Edwards the odd man out. This isn’t so much about Edwards’ performance. Even though the numbers weren’t great, they were skewed by a couple of short yardage carries and a handoff or two where the offensive line gave him no chance. Rather this is about Nwangwu potentially making him the odd man out in a numbers game.
Winner: Jarrick Bernard-Converse
As a third year player drafted by a different regime who has yet to stand out, Bernard-Converse is endangered. It isn’t clear he’s got good odds to make the team, but he stated his case against the Giants providing solid coverage and making a one on one tackle on the goal line to prevent a touchdown.
Loser: Qwan’tez Stiggers
Last week Stiggers was one of my winners for his strong special teams play. I still would guess that special teams will carry the day, and Stiggers will earn a roster spot based on that. Still, he could have ended the discussion by playing cornerback effectively. Despite an interception on the stat sheet (which was more or less gift wrapped), Stiggers struggled in coverage.
Winner: Dean Clark
Clark was one of the best players on the field for the Jets. He led the team with 6 tackles, had a sack, broke up two passes, and picked one off. You can’t do much more at safety.
Loser: Malachi Corley
It’s partially the lack of any impact plays that lands Corley on the list. It’s also the real estate he’s occupying. Typically a good way to view a player’s value is to look at when he is on the field in a preseason game. The earlier you are on the field, the more the coaching staff values you. It seems ominous for Corley that he was...
