Training camp is next up on the docket, which means the New York Jets roster suddenly draws closer to the forefront.

After mandatory minicamp concluded last week — which included a canceled third day of practice — the players get over a month off to reset and rest up before reporting for training camp at the end of July.

Training camp and the preseason are where roster battles are won and lost for the most part.

Teams need to trim from 90 to 53 players. There are tough decisions every year, which ultimately lead to some surprise moves.

Three Jets players, in particular, could be classified as under-the-radar cut candidates fans should monitor throughout the summer.

Qwan’tez Stiggers

Since entering the league as a Jets’ fifth-round pick in 2024, he has done little to establish a clear-cut role with the team.

While he has provided a nice boost on special teams, that alone won’t be enough to earn a roster spot. On the defensive side of the ball, he hasn’t been able to separate himself and be trusted as a rotational player in the secondary.

Unfortunately for Stiggers, the Jets’ secondary is more packed than normal.

There are essentially 10 locks to make the 53-man roster in the secondary:

  • Nahshon Wright
  • Azareye’h Thomas
  • Andre Cisco
  • Malachi Moore
  • VJ Payne
  • Minkah Fitzpatrick
  • Dane Belton
  • Brandon Stephes
  • D’Angelo Ponds
  • Jarvis Brownlee Jr.

Most teams carry just 10 total players in the secondary, leaving Stiggers presumably on the outside looking in right now.

To earn a roster spot, he will need a strong season and outplay one of those 10 guys.

Tyler Baron

It’s easy to forget Tyler Baron is even on the Jets’ roster, given how invisible he was last season.

Baron, whom the Jets traded up for in the fifth round last year, certainly has an uphill climb to earn a spot on Gang Green’s 53-man roster.

Similar to Stiggers’ situation in the secondary, it is just difficult to see where Baron will fit in the Jets’ edge room. There are four edge rushers locked to make the Jets’ roster:

  • David Bailey
  • Will McDonald
  • Joseph Ossai
  • Kingsley Enagbare

They could afford to carry a fifth, but given how much of a liability Baron as when on the field last season, is it really worth it? He struggled to find the field despite being in an injury-riddled and weak room. To boot, when he was out there, he was rough to watch.

Personally, I think the Jets are better off just chalking up the Day 3 selection as a loss, moving on, and allocating this roster spot elsewhere. At the same time, Baron still has an entire summer to prove himself.

Marcelino McCrary-Ball

Despite being the Jets’ special teams captain last season, I wouldn’t be very surprised if Marcelino McCrary-Ball was left off the team’s 53-man roster.

On defense, the linebacker has shown he can’t be trusted to serve in a rotational role. In 106 defensive snaps last season, McCrary-Ball posted a brutal 46.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.

On special teams, he remained dominant, posting an 85.0 grade from PFF, which led all Jets special teamers, along with seven tackles and zero misses on 120 snaps.

However, the Jets should look to prioritize someone like Mykal Walker over McCrary-Ball. Walker offers the ability to play as a rotational linebacker and as a highly productive special teams player, evidenced by his late-season rise last year.

Special teams production only goes so far, especially when another player like Walker can also contribute to Chris Banjo’s units.