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We already detailed a handful of New York Jets preseason “risers” versus the Cleveland Browns during the Hall of Fame game.
Now, those that saw their stock drop — but first, a reminder that this year we will focus on bubble and cut candidates when making our selections. The following three-plus players led the way, plus a few honorable mentions at the bottom.
3 Top NYJ Fallers During Jets vs. Browns
3. Jason Brownlee, wide receiver
This may come off as a bit harsh — and Brownlee still has plenty of time to improve his standing on the roster — but the popular UDFA’s first preseason outing did not go as planned.
Things started off nicely with a couple of connections from third-string quarterback Tim Boyle, but it quickly went downhill from there. Brownlee’s next three targets were incompletions, and although they weren’t necessarily charged as drops, at least two of the three were catchable balls.
On the pass below for example, Brownlee used his body to catch the pass rather than strong hands, and the defender was able to break the play up because of that.
With a ton of hype coming in, the rookie wideout finished just 2-of-5 for 17 yards. Now having said all of that, Brownlee is still probably the favorite to win the WR6 role after the Denzel Mims trade, but more preseason performances like this one might make the Jets reconsider.
Fellow UDFA Xavier Gipson, veterans Alex Erickson and Malik Taylor, and/or an extra tight end like Zack Kuntz, E.J. Jenkins or Kenny Yeboah could all be fighting for Brownlee’s roster spot this summer — so needless to say, there is very little room for error.
2. Jimmy Moreland, cornerback (plus Craig James)
Similar to Brownlee, Moreland finds himself in a highly competitive position battle this August. The Jets have a stout trio of cornerbacks that headline the room (Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed Jr. and Michael Carter II), followed by incumbent backups Brandin Echols and Bryce Hall — plus Pro Bowl special teamer Justin Hardee.
Echols is suspended for Week 1 and Hall is no guarantee to make the roster, so there could be an opening or two to be had in camp. Up until Thursday night, Moreland had been winning that job.
The veteran natural slot CB has registered two pick sixes so far in practice, but his showing against the Browns was far less impressive. Although Moreland only allowed one catch for seven yards over 15 coverage snaps (small sample size), his worst play was probably an outside contain on a touchdown rush where he was nearly run over by Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Another veteran reserve at cornerback didn’t help his case either, and that was Craig James. After a tackle for a loss, things were looking up for the roster longshot, but then he slipped in coverage and allowed the game-winning touchdown. Stuff like that can’t happen when the odds are already stacked against you — for both Moreland and James.
1. Chris Streveler, quarterback (plus Tim Boyle)
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t all that impressed with any of the three Jets quarterbacks on August 3 — although Zach Wilson’s flash of brilliance was the bright spot of the night. While Wilson and Boyle were both up-and-down, with the first-round talent displaying more upside, Streveler was downright terrible versus Cleveland.
Some thought the 2022 preseason hero could push Boyle for a third QB role considering the new NFL rule, but Streveler’s 2023 debut reminded every fan of his CFL background. The fourth stringer finished 1-of-7 with just nine passing yards and an interception.
He added seven rushing yards as well, but even that part of his game appeared limited on Thursday night. Even if the Jets do keep three QBs this year — which is far from a lock to start the season — Streveler is unlikely to make a serious push for consideration given Boyle’s knowledge of the new system. But more games like the Browns affair and he won’t even land a practice squad role this time around.
P.S. Boyle had good throws and bad ones, but he was much more competent in the offense than Streveler. He finished 6-of-11 for 61 passing yards, and feels like the perfect practice squad passer to begin the 2023 campaign.
Honorable Mentions: Jets Reserve RBs & Offensive Linemen
Two other areas that I considered bringing up were the reserve running backs and offensive linemen — outside of Israel Abanikanda, Joe Tippmann and Mekhi Becton.
It was a case-by-case basis on who was to blame, but the NYJ rushing attack was absolutely brutal against the Browns. Abanikanda showed some burst on a few plays including his touchdown, but there was virtually no production from anyone else.
Undrafted rookie Travis Dye finished with 12 yards on nine attempts (1.3 yards per carry). Newcomer Damarea Crockett wasn’t much better, with seven yards on four touches (1.8 yards per carry).
After the game, right tackle Max Mitchell was called out for his poor showing in the run game by Jets X-Factor’s Michael Nania, but it wasn’t just Mitchell. According to Pro Football Focus, reserve blockers like UDFA Brent Laing, guard Chris Glaser, tackle/guard Adam Pankey and guard Trystan Colon were all miserable in the run game.
Some of the rare positive grades in this regard were OT Greg Senat (79.4), rookie Carter Warren (70.5), Becton (66.5) and the other rookie draft pick, Tippmann (64.0).
One last note: The fourth-string tight end battle should be interesting between Yeboah, Kuntz and Jenkins (assuming the Jets keep four TEs). Yeboah was the clear winner on opening night, with solid blocking grades and two receptions for 13 yards.
As for the two rookies, Jenkins displayed more as a receiver going two for 18, while Kuntz was the better special teamer and blocker according to PFF — but didn’t do much as a pass-catcher with one lone grab for six yards.
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