With one preseason game to go, a few holdovers from the New York Jets’ 2025 roster are down to one last chance to prove why they deserve a second consecutive 53-man spot.

WR Arian Smith

Arian Smith, a 2025 fourth-round pick, struggled to stand out in his rookie season despite receiving ample opportunities due to injuries across the Jets’ offense.

Smith played 376 offensive snaps across 16 games, including five starts, but only managed to collect seven receptions for 52 yards on 16 targets, a putrid 3.3 yards per target. How low is that number? Well, the Jets would be better off handing the ball to 2020 Frank Gore (3.5 yards per carry) than throwing the ball to Smith.

After a dismal rookie year, Smith had everything to prove coming into the 2026 preseason. So far, he has only doubled down on the concerns about his game.

Through two preseason appearances, Smith’s only target resulted in a drop that turned into an interception. He has even tanked his stock on special teams, committing a penalty in Week 2.

The Jets only have five roster locks at wide receiver, but with depth at tight end and running back, they won’t force themselves to keep Smith as the sixth wide receiver if his performance does not justify it. Friday night is his last chance to show why he deserves a roster spot.

If Smith has another silent game, the Jets might be able to sneak him through waivers, anyway. Smith will be 25 years old in October and has caught fewer than 10 passes in five of his past six seasons dating back to college. There just isn’t much of anything on his resume to fall in love with at that moment.

FB Andrew Beck

Andrew Beck was a sneakily valuable piece of the 2025 Jets. He played a situational blocking role on offense, logging 110 snaps, and even caught two touchdowns.

On special teams, he was one of the team’s most impactful players, both in kick coverage and as a blocker for the return teams. Many of the big returns by Kene Nwangwu and Isaiah Williams were assisted by Beck.

The Jets re-signed Beck to a one-year, $1.49 million deal, including $1.26 million guaranteed. However, his usage in the preseason, coupled with the stock of other players on offense, suggests he might be on the roster bubble.

Beck was not seen until the second half of the Jets’ recent preseason game in Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, we saw tight end Jelani Woods running with the first-team offense. Woods was even featured in the red zone, catching a touchdown from Geno Smith.

Woods has stood out in training camp, as evidenced by the fact that he was deployed with the starting offense in Pittsburgh. Of course, he probably would not have been out there if Kenyon Sadiq were healthy, but it is worth noting that Woods was favored over Beck with the first-team offense.

If the Jets keep Woods, it would put them at four tight ends: Woods, Sadiq, Mason Taylor, and Jeremy Ruckert. They also project to keep four running backs: Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, Isaiah Davis, and Kene Nwangwu.

Is there room for a fullback in there?

The Jets should be careful not to undervalue Beck. Outside of the primary specialists (kicker, punter, and returners), he was arguably the most important player on their all-time great special teams unit in 2025. What he does in that phase will not be easy to replace.

However, Beck can be replaced on offense; he is a decent, albeit not great, blocker for the fullback position, and while he caught two touchdowns last year, there is a reason he converted from tight end to fullback. It appears that the Jets might prefer to roll with Woods, a natural tight end with elite athleticism and legitimate receiving upside, over Beck, who does not offer anything invaluable beyond special teams.

If Smith’s struggles prompt the Jets to go light at wide receiver by keeping only five players, it would open an extra spot that could be used on another skill-position player. They could go with another wideout among their unheralded young players, or they could choose between Woods and Beck.

Woods seems to have the edge right now. Beck has one more chance to show the Jets why his skill set is not quite as disposable as they think.