The New York Jets have promising young players buried on the depth chart
The New York Jets’ roster is widely acknowledged as one of the deepest in the NFL. With that inevitably comes some roster crunching and young players who don’t get playing time. The problem is that some of these players don’t have too much more time remaining on their rookie deals. There are also other impending free agents at their positions. This means the Jets could use a good look at them before making any personnel decisions.
Here are four Jets players with potential who may not get too many looks in 2024, barring injury. Any evaluation the Jets have for them is more likely to come from practice reps than in-game action.
Jeremy Ruckert
Jeremy Ruckert will likely get a decent amount of playing time as a run-blocker. The Jets ranked 21st in the NFL in 12-personnel usage in 2023, but that’s bound to increase in 2024 if they play with more leads and in closer games. In 2022, the Aaron Rodgers-led Packers ranked third in the NFL in 12-personnel usage at 29.5%, nearly double the Jets’ 2023 usage (15.8%).
Ruckert is also the clear-cut No. 2 tight end on the depth chart. That was not the case until Week 11 in 2023, which further capped Ruckert’s total snaps for the season. Between an increase in 12 personnel and Ruckert’s depth chart position, he should see more than the 313 total offensive snaps he had in 2023.
Still, Ruckert’s chances of more targets are pretty low. Tyler Conklin is the No. 1 tight end in the offense, and even he may see a decrease in targets from the 83 he’s had in each of the past three seasons. Rodgers doesn’t generally target even his first-string tight end all that much.
Over Rodgers’ last eight full seasons, his No. 1 tight end saw fewer than 65 targets five times, including two years below 45. His No. 2 tight end averaged 23 targets over that timeframe. There were two seasons in which the No. 1 and No. 2 tight end had close to the same number of targets: 2016 (50 vs. 43) and 2021 (32 vs. 28).
Neither outcome seems particularly likely with Conklin, a far more proven option, ahead of Ruckert, an unknown.
Perhaps Ruckert can consolidate the targets from Rodgers’ previous No. 2 and No. 3 tight end options. Kenny Yeboah, Anthony Firkser, and Zack Kuntz are the options behind him. Firkser did not have any targets in 2023, last seeing any significant receiving action in 2021 (43 targets). It’s possible but unlikely that Firkser could carve out a role. Yeboah is a blocking-first tight end, and Kuntz is a developmental project.
Even if Ruckert nabs all the remaining tight-end targets not allotted to Conklin, though, his role in the passing game will likely still be small. All other Packers tight ends besides the No. 1 averaged 34.8 targets over Rodgers’ past eight full seasons. That would be an average of roughly two targets per game. From Weeks 11-15 when Ruckert played the full game as the No. 2 tight end, he averaged three targets per game. If anything, that would mean Ruckert’s target share could decrease in 2024.
Ruckert is an overrated run-blocker among Jets fans. He has some high highs but is wildly inconsistent. He’ll have an opportunity to show improvement in that area in 2024.
If Ruckert’s receiving remains an unknown, though, the Jets will be in a bind in 2025. Conklin is in the final year of his contract and will be a free agent. Would the team really let him walk without having seen any proof that Ruckert could step into his role?
Even if they’re willing to take that risk, Ruckert himself will be in the final year of his deal in 2025. That would mean that even if Ruckert does take the next step, he could walk after next season.
This is getting very far ahead of the curve, as it’s largely a next-offseason issue. There’s a good chance the Jets would re-sign Conklin, anyway. Still, getting a look at the 2022 third-round pick might be difficult for a team in win-now mode.
Isaiah Davis
This one is not as urgent, as Isaiah Davis is a rookie. The Jets have several seasons to get a good look at him. However, with Breece Hall entrenched as the No. 1 running back and Braelon Allen generating buzz as the No. 2, it’s hard to see where Davis’ touches will come from in 2024.
While Davis is a more consistent player than Allen, Allen has a higher upside and a more complete skill set as a receiver and pass protector. That makes Allen far more likely to be the Jets’ No. 2, leaving Davis in the dust.
Hall also has two more years left on his rookie deal. Even if the Jets would let Hall walk after his contract expires, that means Davis wouldn’t have a chance to get much playing time until 2026 — the third year of his own contract. Then, the Jets would be in the same bind with Allen and Davis as they could be with Ruckert.
If the Jets franchise-tagged Hall, it could mean Davis would be buried on their depth chart until the final year of his rookie deal. Even then, if Allen is the Jets’ contingency plan for Hall, Davis could still see limited playing time.
That’s also ignoring Joe Douglas’ tendency to draft a running back every season. Davis could be replaced before he even has an opportunity to show what he can do.
I’m a big Isaiah Davis fan. In some ways, I’d prefer to see him spell Hall and have Allen take third-down duties only. He’s also an intriguing option as a kick returner, getting some looks there in training camp after limited but promising experience in college.
Still, the reality seems to be that Davis will be little-used without an injury. That could lead Jets fans to grumble about his selection in the draft. While many fifth-round picks don’t play much as rookies, it would be a shame for fans to think that way about a player with so much potential.
But that may have been the problem with Douglas’ choice to draft running backs in back-to-back rounds, no matter how good both prospects are.
Jamien Sherwood
Joe Blewett was impressed by what he saw from Jamien Sherwood in 2023. I am not worried about Sherwood as a tackler and run defender, but I’m more concerned about his coverage. His statistics defending the pass leave much to be desired both in the preseason and his small sample size during the regular season. It’s hard to glean much from the film.
Still, C.J. Mosley recently paid Sherwood a big compliment. Kay Adams asked Mosley on the Up & Adams Show about which defensive player could be an under-the-radar star. Mosley named Sherwood, saying that he’s excited to see him play. However, Mosley noted that he doesn’t know how much offenses will allow the Jets to play in their base defense.
Although the Jets’ base defense is technically a 4-3, they played nickel (4-2-5) over 80% of the time in 2023, the second-highest rate in the NFL. Therefore, Sherwood got very little playing time as the Jets’ third linebacker. Often, instead of using a third linebacker, the Jets used a safety in a big nickel package to get more speed on the field against the pass.
Sherwood had just 193 defensive snaps in 2023. That was a marked contrast from Kwon Alexander’s usage in 2022, as he saw 558 snaps in the same role.
Sherwood is still a big part of the Jets’ special teams coverage. His 74.7 Pro Football Focus special teams grade in 2023 ranked in the 74th percentile among qualifiers (min. 250 snaps). In 2022, his 77.4 grade was in the 75th percentile.
Still, Sherwood is entering the final year of his deal. When the 2024 offseason hits, the Jets will have two starting linebackers with one year remaining on their deals and their third linebacker as a free agent. How will the Jets know whether Sherwood can be Mosley’s heir apparent if he never sees snaps?
Ultimately, what happens with Sherwood (without injuries) will likely be similar to Ashtyn Davis’ contract: the Jets will re-sign him on a one-year, low-cost deal as befits a little-used player. Still, that means all three of the Jets’ linebackers will become free agents after the 2025 season. Then what? They still won’t know much about Sherwood if what Mosley said is any indication.
Sherwood’s tape as a run defender is very solid. Every indication is that he’s a good tackler. But what about coverage? It seems like something the Jets may never know from game reps.
Qwan’tez Stiggers
While Qwan’tez Stiggers is clearly a developmental prospect, I suspect the Jets drafted him to replace Brandin Echols’ role as the No. 4 cornerback. Echols will be a free agent following the 2024 season. It’s hard for me to imagine that the Jets expect him to step into D.J. Reed’s role after the year.
Even if he takes over for Echols, though, shouldn’t the Jets have some idea of what he is before thrusting him into that role? Of course, teams rely on little-proven players as their top backups all the time, so maybe it’s not as urgent.
Still, for a player coming from the CFL who never played college football and was never asked to play press coverage, it’s hard to see the Jets throwing him out there without at least a modicum of in-game experience.
This applies that much more if the Jets’ goal is for him to become a starter in 2025 (though I don’t believe it is). Will they really push him straight from developmental rookie to starter with few to no in-game reps?
If the sixth-rounder Echols and fifth-rounder Michael Carter II saw ample playing time as rookies in 2021, perhaps it’s not out of the realm of possibility to expect Stiggers to become a significant contributor in Year 2. Still, that’s placing a heavy burden on a player who rarely played.
Furthermore, Stiggers needs significant work on his tackling, which will never happen in practice. Will preseason games be enough?
Ultimately, this whole discussion is speculative and based on the future rather than the present. Still, for a roster heavily invested in 2024, keeping an eye on young players who might be important for the future is prudent. The Jets may need to simply rely on blind faith when projecting those players into bigger roles beyond 2024.
