Gang Green Nation
A bit earlier we discussed Jets players to watch in the team’s preseason opener tonight against the Green Bay Packers. Now let’s discuss players whose performance matters less.
Justin Fields
I’m sure it will be controversial to say Fields’ performance doesn’t matter. He is the most important player on the team. It is a guarantee every play will be dissected from all angles.
It is important to remember why Fields is out there, though. These exhibition games are really about practice. The Jets want their first team offense to get some game reps. If things go well, they can go into the regular season confident in their ability to execute the plays called in this game. If things don’t go well, they can work on fixing the problems.
While I think the snaps Fields takes will have importance for his preparation, I don’t think they will tell us a whole lot about his level of play for the 2025 season.
It’s not like we will be able to watch a few snaps of Armand Membou pass blocking or Malachi Corley route running and come to definitive conclusions on how 2025 will go for them. But we can at least get a partial assessment on whether or not Membou looks overmatched and Corley’s routes have crispness.
The things that will determine Fields’ 2025 success or failure cannot be truly evaluated in a series or two. They can’t be evaluated until we have data for multiple regular season games.
All of this leaves us with one guarantee for tonight.
People are going to massively overreact to Fields’ performance.
Rashad Weaver
Last preseason, six year veteran Takk McKinley was one of the preseason stars for the Jets. McKinley’s play earned him a spot on the initial 53 man roster and predictions he could be a valuable part of the team’s defensive line rotation. He ended up with half a sack in seven games and was cut in December.
McKinley’s level of success was really about the level and experience of his competition. When you get deep into these preseason games, practice squad (and lower level) players are on the field.
Anybody who has lasted in the NFL a few years has received professional coaching to refine his technique. It is a virtual certainty these players will succeed if they face raw and inexperienced players who are just trying to stay keep their heads above water.
A fifth year player like Weaver could end up performing at a high level during the exhibition season, but it would be tough to take too much away from that.
Tyler Johnson
Johnson is another player likely to be on the field deep into this game. A veteran like Johnson who knows how to release off the line of scrimmage and run routes is likely to feast on inexperienced cornerbacks. I’ll believe in Johnson when he shows he can do it consistently against starters in regular season games.
Allen Lazard
Is there anything Lazard could do that would...
