The Jets report for training camp on July 24. They hold their first practice the next day.
And over the ensuing month-plus, they’ll ramp up preparation for the 2019 season.
Among the more interesting developments of training camp are those lower-level roster spots. Each year, three or four players you never expect force their way onto the team. It’s always fun to see guys previously written off begin to impress in the spring, carry it over to the summer, show it in the preseason and then get rewarded for it with a roster spot.
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Which players could do that this year?
Here are a few who turned heads during organized team activities and minicamp.
Greg Dortch, receiver
The undrafted rookie out of Wake Forest turned some heads during the spring. He’s shifty-quick in the slot with impressive hands. Add in his dual value as a returner (both kick and punt), and you have a guy in prime position to make the 53-man roster.
The key here is Dortch continuing to impress when the pads come on in training camp. So many players disappear when summer rolls around. Former Jets wideout Chad Hansen was like that. He tore it up in organized team activities and minicamp. During training camp, you forgot he was on the team. The Jets cut him that summer.
Dortch doesn’t look like he’s that kind of player. He made a play or two each day open to the media. If he continues that flash during the preseason, he should stick.
De’Angelo Henderson, running back
The Jets’ running back rotation piqued my interest in the spring. You had your normal guys at the top: Le’Veon Bell (during minicamp), Ty Montgomery and Eli McGuire. But after those three, and before Trenton Cannon, came Henderson. By the end of OTAs, he was even stealing some reps from McGuire.
Henderson, who stands 5-foot-7 and weighs a stocky 208, is a bit of an interesting player. He spent time with the Broncos during the 2017 season, then joined the Jets’ practice squad (elevating to the 53-man roster later in the year) in 2018. While he has just seven NFL carries, he ran for 4,036 yards and 52 touchdowns his final three years at Coastal Carolina. There’s talent there. He needed time to acclimate himself to the NFL game. If that’s happened, he might be ready for a breakout.
Bell and Montgomery are locks to make the 53-man roster. Bilal Powell, who didn’t practice after signing late in the spring, likely is, too. The Jets could, because they don’t have a fullback, keep four running backs. If they do, Henderson has a chance. He’ll just need to beat out McGuire and Cannon, two players the Jets drafted. One thing Henderson has going for him? Adam Gase and Joe Douglas were not the ones who drafted them.
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Davis Webb, quarterback
The Jets signed Trevor Siemian to be Sam Darnold’s sounding board and help in his acclimation to Gase’s offense. The issue: While Siemian undoubtedly has helped Darnold with the playbook, he hasn’t done anything to instill confidence he can be the guy if Darnold (who often plays with reckless abandon) goes down. Davis Webb, on the other hand, had an impressive spring. So much so he seemed to jump Siemian on the depth chart. He was the second quarterback out during the final set of OTAs.
The Jets would prefer to keep two quarterbacks. Webb could force the issue to keep three. Siemian, who received $1 million in guaranteed money, likely won’t be cut. The Jets need him. He’s the only guy on the roster not named Darnold with in-game experience. That’s valuable for Darnold and Webb, but Siemian isn’t guaranteed to be the backup. Webb is making his case for the job.
There’s also the chance that if Webb’s strong play continues into training camp and the preseason, he won’t be on the Jets’ roster for an entirely different reason. New York could flip him for a mid-round pick, similar to what Mike Maccagnan did last year with Teddy Bridgewater. Webb has potential. The Giants drafted him in the third round for a reason. Add in the fact he’s only 24 and getting paid $645,000, and you have a guy some teams might believe they can develop into their starter.
Derrick Jones, cornerback
Jones was the star of camp last year. While he worked against the third- and fourth-string receivers, he locked them down and had a nose for the football. Surprisingly, he never received an opportunity to show what he could do against stronger competition. It took until Week 17 for then-coach Todd Bowles to throw him into the defensive rotation, despite the struggles of corners Trumaine Johnson and Morris Claiborne.
New defensive coordinator Gregg Williams seems to have taken a liking to the former sixth-round pick. Jones worked with the second-team defense during the first portion of OTAs before a leg injury sidelined him the rest of the spring. Jones won’t be handed anything — he still needs to earn his roster spot — but if he comes back healthy, there are reps to be had and no reason he can’t take them.
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Jones is a bit of a unique prospect. He’s tall (6-2) and lean (188), but his background as a receiver at Ole Miss gives him an advantage against wideouts. He knows what they’re going to run because it wasn’t long ago he was running the same routes. The key for him, as mentioned above, is doing it against the 1s and 2s, not the 3s and 4s.
Bronson Kaufusi, defensive end
The Jets’ defensive line has a grading system for each practice. They basically assign points for every tackle, tackle for a loss, sack, pass breakup, etc. Even hustle plays are rewarded. The group keeps track of who wins that particular day, and who accumulates the most in totality.
The winner throughout the spring?
“Kaufusi,” Leonard Williams said. “He’s been playing great.”
The 27-year-old Kaufusi is beginning his second season with the Jets. The Ravens originally selected him in the third round of the 2017 draft, but cut him a year later. Kaufusi played college ball at BYU. He had 63 tackles, 19.5 for a loss, 10 sacks, an interception and two pass breakups in his final year (2015).
Kaufusi is a bit of a physical specimen. He’s tall (6-8) and carries decent weight with the frame (280). He showed an ability to both attack the run and rush the passer this spring. He worked mostly with the second-team defense while Quinnen Williams and Steve McLendon dealt with injuries. His strong play turned some heads and likely earned him some more reps once camp rolls around. If he continues to play well when the pads come on, he might force his way onto the 53.
The most challenging obstacle for Kaufusi, like Henderson, is that he will have to overcome the numbers game. The Jets aren’t cutting Leonard Williams, Quinnen Williams or Henry Anderson. They love Steve McLendon’s leadership. While Nathan Shepherd and Foley Fatukasi are Mike Maccagnan holdovers, they both had strong summers, too. It’s hard to imagine the Jets keeping more than six defensive linemen. Who’s the odd man out?
(Photo of Derrick Jones: Eric Hartline / USA TODAY Sports)
