EDGE Micheal Clemons
Clemons isn’t a bubble player. Every indication is that Glenn loves him and he will have a large role in the Jets’ defense.
Against Green Bay and in the first joint practice with the Giants, Clemons showed the exact same issues that plagued him over the last two seasons. He crashed too hard on the edge and was called for a personal foul after getting into a fight.
My verdict doesn’t matter at all, although I’m sure you can guess what it is.
EDGE Rashad Weaver
Weaver is a long ways from his 5.5-sack season in 2022. In the last season in which he played any sort of significant snaps, he posted a 5.3% pressure rate in 2023 (the league average was close to 12%). He had one pressure on 16 pass rush snaps against the Packers in the preseason game.
Even at 6-foot-4 and a listed 259 pounds, Weaver has never shown much as a run defender, either, posting a 48.9 PFF run defense grade in 2023.
In his first interview as a Jet, Weaver made a comment about playing with his hand in the dirt as a 4-3 defensive end for the first time in a long time. Perhaps that can change his fortunes.
However, there doesn’t seem to be much recommending Weaver other than the Jets’ complete lack of quality depth on the edge. That’s not enough, in my opinion.
Verdict: Cut
EDGE Eric Watts
Although Eric Watts’ run defense highlights in 2024 came primarily against tight ends, that’s better than Clemons did in the same season. Both players are stiff, but Clemons is a far better pass rusher (which says much more about Watts than Clemons).
I could go either way on Watts. I think the Jets should keep five edge defenders, so if they cut Weaver, Watts is the logical keep.
Verdict: Reluctantly keep
DT Derrick Nnadi
Heading into training camp, it seemed like Nnadi would be the Jets’ starting defensive tackle opposite Quinnen Williams. However, Byron Cowart was listed ahead of Nnadi on the Jets’ unofficial depth chart and made more of an impression before his injury. Nnadi’s name has not been heard in training camp reports.
In the preseason game, with Williams and Cowart both injured, Jay Tufele got the start opposite Nnadi and impressed, while Nnadi did nothing.
Nnadi was a puzzling signing from the outset, having seen his role progressively shrink with Kansas City. He has no pass rush ability and has fallen off a cliff as a run defender.
Coming into camp, the hope was that Cowart would usurp Nnadi’s role, but it was hard to imagine Nnadi not making the team altogether. Now, I can see a scenario where he does not.
Verdict: Cut
DT Jay Tufele
When the Jets signed Tufele to a veteran minimum contract, I thought he was little more than a camp body. His name came up repeatedly in training camp, but it still seemed like noise.
But then Tufele went out and had a tremendous impact in the Jets’ preseason game. He looked explosive off the line of scrimmage and turned the corner in a way you will rarely see from a 300-pound player.
Perhaps Tufele was already firmly on the Jets’ roster before this game. He was ahead of Leonard Taylor on the unofficial depth chart and has had more mentions than Taylor in camp. But this game put him on the radar.
However, Tufele could easily be this year’s preseason darling who fails to make an impact in the regular season. He has 10 pressures on 237 career pass rush snaps (4.2%, worse than Nnadi) and has never had a PFF run defense grade higher than 47.2.
I would keep him, but only because the Jets don’t have much else.
Verdict: Keep
DT Payton Page
Page was brought in as an undrafted free agent for his run defense. He seemed to make some noise in that area in training camp. If the Jets were going to cut Nnadi, it seemed like Page would be the most likely one to push him.
However, Page didn’t do much as a run defender against Green Bay, albeit in only six snaps. He posted a 35.0 PFF grade.
Most importantly, I think Page would easily pass through to the practice squad. There’s no point in keeping him on the roster if they can stash him.
Verdict: Cut, keep on practice squad
LBs Marcelino McCrary-Ball and Jamin Davis
The Jets have one of the best linebacker tandems in the league in Jamien Sherwood and Quincy Williams. Everything after that seems up for grabs.
McCrary-Ball appeared to have the edge to win the third spot in training camp, but Davis started over him against Green Bay. For better or worse, Davis still has his former first-round pedigree and is still fairly young at 26. McCrary-Ball was an undrafted free agent in 2022 and is the same age.
Davis also has a significant size advantage. He is listed at 6-foot-4 and 234 pounds on the Jets’ website, while McCrary-Ball comes in at 6-foot and 214 (although he is almost undoubtedly bigger). Glenn has spoken about wanting physicality out of his linebackers, which gives Davis an edge, particularly if he’s going to be the third linebacker and play in base.
PFF thought reasonably well of Davis as a run defender, giving him grades of 66.1 and 76.1 in that phase in 2022-23 (after 48.6 in his rookie season). His career missed tackle rate is 9%, better than the 11.6% positional average for starting linebackers in 2024.
However, Davis has struggled mightily in coverage in his career.
The Jets also have Francisco Mauigoa as a fifth-round rookie. They’re likely to feel more loyalty to him over Davis and McCrary-Ball. Therefore, the question is whether they’ll choose to keep four or five linebackers. If they keep four, one of these players will undoubtedly be on the outs. If they keep five, both of them are most likely to make it.
The thing to note is that McCrary-Ball has played just three defensive snaps in his NFL career despite entering the league in 2022. He played a significant role on the Jets’ special teams in 12 games last season, but giving him a spot on defense is questionable.
Then again, if he is the fifth linebacker, then he still could be pigeonholed on special teams. If the Jets kept him like that last year, they can do it again.
Personally, I think it’s very likely he would make it through to the practice squad, which is why I’m not keen on keeping him. But I think he’ll make it, and I could see the rationale.
Verdict: Keep Davis, reluctantly keep McCrary-Ball
CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse
It’s somewhat surprising to see Bernard-Converse receive few opportunities after flashing some promise in the 2024 preseason. He is clearly behind Qwan’tez Stiggers on the depth chart, making him the fifth cornerback. He did not appear against the Packers for undisclosed reasons and returned to practice the following week.
The Jets don’t seem inclined to play Bernard-Converse as a slot corner (he seemingly played there as a safety early in his college career, but not at slot corner), which further hurts his chances of making the roster. Isaiah Oliver and Tony Adams both profile as potential backup slot players. His best recommendation is that he is a gunner on special teams.
Despite posting a 9.77 RAS, Bernard-Converse does not have great athleticism on the field. The Jets initially listed Bernard-Converse as a safety but then switched him back to cornerback in 2024. He’s still listed as a corner.
I still find Bernard-Converse intriguing. I think he could very well be released, but I’d be inclined to keep him. Then again, he will likely pass through to the practice squad, and the Jets don’t seem to strictly need him.
Verdict: Keep
K Harrison Mevis
Mevis hasn’t looked good in training camp and got off some ugly kicks against the Packers despite making them. He did manage to bounce one kickoff before the goal line and then have it bounce into the end zone for a touchback to the 20 instead of the 35. Still, Nick Folk seems to have the obvious path to the kicking job.
Verdict: Cut