The New York Jets have one of their most stacked rosters in years, so much so that even the roster bubble players have been consistently impressive this summer. However, not everyone on the 90-man preseason squad can make the team come September.
One of the highest-profile players on New York's potential chopping block is running back Izzy Abanikanda. The 2023 fifth-round pick was seen as a potential high-upside backup to Breece Hall but failed to impress in his first NFL season. Now, he could be in trouble with rookie backs Braelon Allen (Wisconsin) and Isaiah Davis (South Dakota State).
However, Abanikanda has been covered extensively. Who are some under-the-radar names that are depending on a highlight-filled NFL preseason?
WR Jason Brownlee
Brownlee is going into his second season after catching five passes for 56 yards and a touchdown last year. The Southern Miss alum has a fighting chance to make the team based on his performance so far, via ESPN's Rich Cimini.
“One player who has impressed is wide receiver Jason Brownlee, who was featured in ‘Hard Knocks' last summer and made the team as an undrafted rookie,” Cimini wrote. “He could be a surprise in the receiving corps.”
Brownlee, though, will have to compete with the likes of Xavier Gipson and Malik Taylor to sneak onto the 53-man roster. Gipson executed a walk-off punt return touchdown against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football to cap Week 1 of the NFL season last year. The 5-foot-9 speedster also had 21 catches for 229 yards, along with eight rushes for 68 yards and a touchdown.
Gipson and Brownlee's friendship was a highlight of “Hard Knocks” last season, which is HBO's reality show about NFL training camps. Gipson was Brownlee's teammate at Southern Miss and also came to the Jets as an un-drafted free-agent rookie last year. Both players unexpectedly made the team together, but the arrival of Mike Williams and Malachi Corley may signal the end of that possibility this time around.
While Gipson has been injured, though, Taylor has taken advantage. The former Green Bay Packer has racked up targets at Jets practice this summer, and head coach Robert Saleh likes what he sees, via The New York Post's Ryan Dunleavy.
“He’s a guy that’s starting to win his one-on-ones and putting himself in position to create separation,” Saleh said, “so very pleased with where he’s at right now.”
Between both Gipson and Taylor, Brownlee has his work cut out for him. However, Gipson's ailment buys the 25-year-old more time and reps to prove himself as Week 1 approaches.
DL Eric Watts
Earning a spot in the Jets' elite defensive line room will be a tough mission for Watts, who's an undrafted free agent out of UConn. However, the 23-year-old impressed in OTAs, via The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt.
“I mean it was one practice, obviously no pads, shorts and all that stuff so take it with some grain of salt but Eric Watts kept standing out to me,” Rosenblatt admitted. “He has Carl Lawson’s [old] number, No. 58. We kept seeing 58 make plays, and multiple times people were like who is 58? I saw him beat Olu [Fashanu], I saw him beat some of the backup offensive linemen like he was doing his job in this setting.”
Watts could be a sleeper candidate to replace veteran lineman John Franklin-Myers, who New York traded in the offseason.
“Yeah, he is an intriguing guy because they obviously just got rid of JFM [John Franklin-Myers],” Rosenblatt continued. “I think there are still some questions about what Micheal Clemons can do. There is an opening for that versatile defensive end/tackle type of guy and he has that type of skillset … He caught my eye the most out of all the young guys. I didn’t get to watch all of them particularly closely but he definitely jumped out and made some plays. That’s all you can ask for from a UDFA.”
Although the 23-year-old has proven nothing yet, New York gave him a $20,000 signing bonus on his three-year deal, which topped all of its 2024 un-drafted free agents.
“Yeah I mean if you look at the signing bonuses that they [the Jets] gave out it was heavily favored toward the defensive line. You can usually tell what positions they felt like has the best chance of making the team,” Rosenblatt explained. “They gave him [Watts] the most in terms of signing bonus. [That] doesn’t necessarily lock in anything but it means they wanted to bring him into the roster pretty badly.”
Professional sports teams don't hand out free money. Watts getting the biggest signing bonus of New York's UDFA class shows what it thinks of his potential. Now, it's on him to prove the organization right.
S Jaylen Key
Key owns the distinct title of being 2024's “Mr. Irrelevant,” which means he was the last pick of the draft. However, the Alabama alum hasn't looked like it thus far, via Athlon Sports' Nick Faria.
“Key has been all over the field in Jets training camp with an interception and multiple pass breakups to this point,” Faria reported. “He has a long way to go before he sees the field for the defense on game day, but it is clear that the Jets may have found another diamond in the rough in their secondary.”
Key will battle with the likes of Ashtyn Davis and Jarrick Bernard-Converse for backup roles. Davis is a veteran UDFA who New York developed into a productive player, while Bernard-Converse was drafted in the sixth round by the team last year.
If Key keeps showing out in practice, though, don't be surprised if he becomes the “Mr. Irrelevant” success story.
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