The second half of an NFL preseason game can be a drag. Once your team’s starters and second-string players are on the bench, you spend the rest of the game asking, “Wait, who’s No. 39?” (For the Jets, it’s Jarius Monroe, if you’re wondering.)
Ahead of tonight’s exhibition bout in Charlotte, we want to help you find some intriguing storylines to track once the game reaches peak preseason form.
Check out the latest episode of the Cool Your Jets podcast for an exclusive report from the Jets' joint practice in Charlotte.
Here are five New York Jets players who will likely play deep into the game, and are worth watching closely due to their status as potential practice squad players with the upside to provide valuable depth in 2024 and beyond.
WR Brandon Smith (#87)
Brandon Smith went undrafted out of Iowa in 2021, and since then, he has spent time with the Dallas Cowboys, the XFL’s DC Defenders, and the Arizona Cardinals. The Jets signed Smith only 15 days ago (August 2).
Less than one week after he arrived in Florham Park, Smith led the Jets with 70 receiving yards in their preseason opener, more than double any other player on the team. Smith only needed two targets to pull it off, securing both of them for gains of 37 and 33 yards.
Both of Smith’s receptions came off the hands of quarterback Adrian Martinez. At the Jets’ joint practice in Charlotte, Smith caught another big reception from Martinez in team drills against the Panthers defense. The two NFL hopefuls seem to be developing some chemistry.
Smith is unlikely to have a shot at the Jets’ roster, but he can make a strong case for the practice squad if he continues to rack up the big plays. At 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, the 25-year-old has good size for the position, which he displayed on two contested catches against Washington.
G Kohl Levao (#60)
Kohl Levao played two seasons with the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas. In 2024, he was named to the All-UFL team after finishing the season with zero sacks allowed, per Pro Football Focus.
Levao went undrafted out of Hawaii in 2021. In the Jets’ preseason opener, he played a team-high of 48 offensive snaps and only allowed one pressure on 23 pass-blocking snaps. Levao played 35 snaps at left guard and 13 at right guard.
As the Jets’ 2023 season showed, you never know when you’ll have to dig deep into your practice squad for offensive line help. Still relatively young at 26 years old, Levao is an intriguing wild card who could strengthen the back end of New York’s pipeline in the trenches.
T Austin Deculus (#70)
A sixth-round pick of the Texans in 2022, Austin Deculus played in 12 games for Houston over his first two NFL seasons, starting one game. The Jets claimed him off waivers in November 2023, stashing him on their practice squad.
The LSU product played 30 offensive snaps for New York in the preseason opener, logging 17 at left tackle and 13 at right tackle. While at right tackle, Deculus threw an overpowering block to pave the way for Israel Abanikanda’s go-ahead 2-yard touchdown run. Deculus also finished the game with zero pressures allowed on 13 pass-blocking snaps.
The same things we said about Levao apply here. If there is one position where you can never have enough depth, it’s the offensive line. Keep an eye on Deculus to see if he can establish himself as an interesting practice squad option.
LB Zaire Barnes (#53)
The Jets selected Zaire Barnes with an early sixth-round pick in the 2023 draft (186th overall).
An athletic yet raw linebacker from Western Michigan, New York used 2023 as a redshirt year for Barnes. He made the team’s initial 53-man roster but was inactive in most games. Barnes appeared in four games in the middle of the season, but exclusively played on special teams. He then missed the final four games of the year with a hamstring injury.
Going into 2024, the only tape the Jets had of Barnes on defense was from the 2023 preseason, and Barnes looked as raw as expected. In four preseason games, Barnes had seven missed tackles (21.2% missed tackle rate), a penalty, and an allowed touchdown in coverage.
This year’s preseason marks an opportunity for Barnes to show that he has improved in his second season. Barnes played 25 defensive snaps against Washington, although they were uneventful. Barnes had three tackles (one solo) and was never targeted in coverage. While he did not produce any standout plays, he did not stand out in a negative way, either, which is a step forward.
With a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.12 and a forty-yard dash time of 4.56 seconds, Barnes is an exceptional athlete for the linebacker position. That gives him an enticing ceiling – especially in this Jets scheme, which relies on its linebackers to cover a lot of ground. Quincy Williams has displayed what an athletic linebacker can do in this defense.
New York’s coaching staff has built a tremendous reputation when it comes to developing moldable defensive players. That is especially true at linebacker. Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich both have backgrounds as linebacker coaches. The Jets did a phenomenal job of helping Williams learn to harness his elite athleticism, and Jamien Sherwood has developed nicely, too. Can they do it again with Barnes?
With C.J. Mosley getting older, it’s not too early to start thinking about who could potentially replace him in the future. Sherwood appears to be first in line, but Barnes has time to put himself in the conversation. Making some splashy plays over the next two preseason games would do a lot to strengthen his case.
In addition, Barnes can use his athleticism to make an impact on special teams. He had one tackle on a punt last weekend.
With kickoff returns poised to become a substantially bigger part of the game in 2024, it will be more important to have quality tacklers on your coverage team. Barnes, an athletic linebacker, is the type of player who should thrive in that role. He could be impactful as a blocker for the kick return team, too.
DT Bruce Hector (#98)
While Leonard Taylor III drew the majority of the attention among New York’s defensive tackles in the preseason opener, it was actually Bruce Hector who led the Jets defense in pressures. Hector finished with four pressures on 19 pass-rush snaps, giving him a dazzling pressure rate of 21.1%.
In addition, Hector made his presence felt against the run, recording two run stops. One of those resulted in an 8-yard loss for Washington.
Already 29 years old (going on 30 in October), Hector does not offer any developmental upside. However, the Jets’ defensive tackle depth behind Quinnen Williams is not the strongest, so it would be helpful to have an experienced veteran on the practice squad.
New York’s projected DT4, Leki Fotu, ranked as PFF’s 114th-best DT out of 128 qualifiers in 2023. Fotu also has injury concerns, missing at least five games in two of his four NFL seasons, including six games last year. Projected DT2 Javon Kinlaw has injury concerns as well, missing 26 games across four seasons.
Considering the talent and injury issues with the back end of the Jets’ DT depth chart, it does not seem far-fetched to say the Jets will likely have to dip into their practice squad for DT help at some point. Luckily, this is a role Hector has already shown he can handle for the Jets.
Hector was called up from the Jets’ practice squad to play in their final two games of the 2023 regular season, and he got plenty of playing time, logging 37 defensive snaps. He was used in a run-stopping role, as 24 of his 37 snaps came on run plays.
Within that role, Hector actually played respectably well. Hector recorded four run stops and did not miss any tackles. However, he did not have any pressures on 13 pass-rush snaps.
Still, if Hector can prove himself to be a respectable run-stopper, that would make him a valuable fallback option for the Jets considering the run-stopping question marks with their non-Quinnen DTs. Kinlaw and Solomon Thomas are both better known for their pass rushing than their run stopping. Fotu is in New York to play the run-stopper role, but he has never exceeded a 40.7 run defense grade at PFF across four seasons.
Keep an eye out for No. 98 tonight. It would not be shocking if he played for the Jets in the regular season this year, especially if he continues playing as well as he did last week.
