One goal should be focus of New York Jets’ preseason stars

The NFL preseason is all about identifying trends.

Every professional athlete is capable of having one good game. To learn anything meaningful, you need to evaluate data over a larger sample. Which players are going to string together three straight good games? Which players execute their jobs not just on one highlight-reel play, but on all 20-to-30 snaps they are on the field?

With one preseason game already behind us, these are the questions the New York Jets will look to answer over the next two weeks.

Many Jets players shined in the team’s preseason opener against the Washington Commanders. For those players, the goal is simple: do it again. None of their NFL fortunes will change based solely on that one game. But if you finish the preseason going 3-for-3 with standout games, it will prove to the coaching staff that your success is no fluke.

If you do it as a rookie, you can prove that you belong in the NFL and likely have a bright future ahead. If you do it as a second or third-year player, you can prove that you have taken a legitimate leap and are not the same player you were in the past.

Here are a few standouts from the Jets’ preseason opener who have a chance to string together quality performances and prove something to the Jets’ coaching staff.

Jarrick Bernard-Converse

The Jets’ second-year cornerback seized the moment in his first extended appearance as an NFL defender. Jarrick Bernard-Converse was targeted six times and allowed just one catch for 42 yards, which was well-covered and required a perfect throw to be completed. The five incomplete passes thrown into his coverage tied him for the most among cornerbacks in Week 1 of the preseason.

Bernard-Converse missed all of training camp and the preseason in his rookie year. He would return for the Jets’ final eight regular season games, but he only played four defensive snaps compared to 101 special teams snaps. It was clear that the Jets did not trust him on defense yet, which was understandable considering he was a Day 3 rookie who hardly practiced before making his NFL debut.

A college cornerback, the Jets transitioned Bernard-Converse to safety in 2023. The experiment did not last beyond one season, as the team moved him back to cornerback in 2024. For one game, at least, the switch paid dividends. Now, the challenge for Bernard-Converse is to do it twice more.

What stood out the most about Bernard-Converse’s preseason debut was his consistency. He was not listed as one of the game’s standouts because he had one amazing interception or one lucky fumble recovery touchdown. Rather, it was because he stepped up to the plate time and time again throughout the duration of his appearance.

Whether it was covering deep, covering short, or breaking down to make a tackle in the run game, Bernard-Converse consistently did his job exactly how you’d want him to do it. This type of preseason performance is far more telling than that of the player who lucks into one or two SportsCenter-caliber plays.

For now, Bernard-Converse only has one good preseason game under his belt, so we do not know if that was a one-off or a sign of legitimate development. He can prove it is the latter by sustaining his consistency for three consecutive games. If he gets that done, he will be a surefire inclusion on the Jets’ roster and a top candidate to fill D.J. Reed’s starting spot in 2025 if the veteran cornerback leaves in free agency.

Leonard Taylor III

An elite prospect coming out of high school, Leonard Taylor III was one of the Jets’ most popular UDFA pickups.

According to 247Sports, Taylor III was the nation’s No. 4 overall recruit in the 2021 class, one spot ahead of future seventh-overall pick JC Latham and four ahead of future first-overall pick Caleb Williams. While Taylor III did not quite live up to that billing in college, many analysts still expected him to be drafted, making him an enticing pickup as an undrafted free agent.

Taylor III boasts explosiveness from the defensive tackle position, which helps him project as an ideal fit in the Jets’ attacking 4-3 front. We saw multiple glimpses of it in the preseason opener as Taylor III recorded a sack and a massive tackle for loss in the run game; the two stops combined for a total loss of 9 yards.

While the Jets seem to have their top four defensive tackles locked in (Quinnen Williams, Javon Kinlaw, Solomon Thomas, Leki Fotu), they lack a pipeline of young talent in the back end of the depth chart. If Taylor III can string together three straight games of splashy playmaking in the backfield, the Jets would be hard-pressed not to keep him on the roster. Given his pedigree out of high school and the modern NFL’s affinity for explosive defensive tackles, Taylor III seems like the type of player that another team would love to claim off waivers if he is cut after a productive preseason.

We know the Jets love their defensive line depth. Why not keep a talented 22-year-old who is a seamless fit for your scheme?

Of course, this is all based on one preseason game. With one silent performance on Saturday, Taylor III could immediately revert to the practice squad radar. Right now, though, Taylor III still has a chance to stack three straight standout games, and if he can do it, he profiles as a player who would have a good chance of making the Jets’ roster.

Olu Fashanu

The Jets’ first-round pick looked NFL-ready in his debut, effortlessly stonewalling Washington’s edge rushers in pass protection.

Olu Fashanu‘s role on this team is locked in, so he doesn’t necessarily have anything on the line. However, it would be incredibly promising for the Jets if Fashanu can go out there and have two more impressive preseason games. With a dominant preseason run, Fashanu would seem poised for a solid rookie year, making the Jets feel much more comfortable about his ability to step in and start a few games if Tyron Smith goes down.

It will also be interesting to monitor how Fashanu performs at right tackle if the Jets play him there in-game. After working solely at left tackle all the way through OTAs, training camp, and the first preseason game, the Jets have begun working Fashanu at right tackle following last weekend’s contest. With 33-year-old tackles at both starting tackle spots, the team wants Fashanu to be prepared to step in on either side of the line.

Takkarist McKinley

A training camp darling, Takkarist McKinley backed up the hype in his first preseason game, recording a 22.2% pressure rate and a 44.4% pass-rush win rate on 9 pass-rush snaps. However, many of his reps came in the fourth quarter, which suggests he isn’t too high on the Jets’ depth chart right now.

With two more performances like that, though, the Jets would have a hard time cutting him. They rely heavily on their four-man rush to be successful defensively, so they need as many pass-rush winners as they can get – not just for security in case of injury, but also because they love to dip deep into their rotation to ensure they always have fresh rushers on the field.

If McKinley continues dominating at this level against preseason competition, then it would seem likely that he should, at the very least, be capable of rushing the passer at a league-average level in the regular season. And for your fourth or fifth defensive end, that’s awesome.

The most impressive aspect of McKinley’s first game was his get-off. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, McKinley’s average get-off time was 0.59 seconds, the fastest in the NFL among defensive players with at least 8 pass-rush snaps in Week 1.

Takk McKinley looked very explosive off the line in his #Jets debut pic.twitter.com/1g4S2MgpfR

— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) August 16, 2024

This particular skill is vital in the Jets’ scheme. New York utilizes a low blitz rate and rarely gets creative with dropping its linemen into coverage. The scheme’s goal is to simplify things for the defensive linemen so they can simply pin their ears back and go get the quarterback. Thus, explosiveness off the line of scrimmage is an extremely important trait for pass rushers in this defense. McKinley seems to have an abundance of it.

If McKinley can show elite get-off speed for three straight preseason games, it is hard to imagine the Jets’ coaching staff not falling in love with his game and keeping him on the 53-man roster.

Xavier Newman

Xavier Newman played very well in the Jets’ preseason opener, specifically in the run game, earning a 90.0 run-blocking grade at Pro Football Focus.

A 2022 undrafted free agent out of Baylor, Newman spent two years with the Titans before joining the Jets’ practice squad in October 2023. Less than four weeks later, he made his Jets debut and wound up playing 36 snaps at center as the Jets’ fourth-string option at the position. With Connor McGovern, Wes Schweitzer, and Joe Tippmann all sidelined, it was up to Newman to get the offense set for a hurry-up drill with the clock nearing zeroes at the end of regulation. He delivered, helping the Jets force overtime and steal a victory.

After that, Newman made four more appearances at right guard and struggled mightily. Newman only played for the Jets due to incredibly bad injury luck, and he looked every bit like a last-resort option.

Given his track record, it would be easy to ignore Newman as a potential backup lineman on the Jets’ initial 53-man roster in 2024. However, despite his struggles thus far, Newman only recently turned 25 years old and is still in his third NFL season. It’s possible that his best could be yet to come. His performance in the preseason opener is a sign that could be true. To prove it, he must string together two more quality performances.

It’s worth noting that the Jets’ offensive line coach (Keith Carter) and pass game coordinator (Todd Downing) both worked with Newman in Tennessee. Considering this connection, it seems likely that Carter and Downing put in a good word for Newman and wanted to continue working with him. Perhaps we are beginning to see the reasons for their faith in him.

For now, Newman remains a practice squad-caliber player who had one good preseason game. However, if he can put together two more strong outings, he can prove that he is a legitimately improved player who deserves to be considered for one of the Jets’ backup offensive line spots.