The New York Jets have completed their offseason slate of practices. Now, the players and coaches are shifting their focus to the month rest they will enjoy before the start of training camp.
Before we truly close the book on the Jets’ offseason plans, it’s time to take a look at who helped their stock on the incoming roster, and who hurt their chances.
Spoiler alert, there were a ton of winners.
Jets Offseason Stock Update
Context is important to remember when breaking down any stock update like this. The pads were not on for the last few months, and that severely limits what certain players can show.
We’ll get a better scope of these players once pads actually come on to begin training camp.
Without further ado, though, let’s get on with the list.
Stock Up: Justin Fields
It was hard grading Fields over the last few months of work. The struggles he dealt with through practices are the same ones he has deal with in parts of his game since arriving in the NFL in 2021.
That being said, Fields did make some quality throws that left reporters in awe. That inconsistency is something he’ll have to figure out, but I thought it was a positive that the quarterback clearly got better each day as he learned the offense more.
Stock Down: Malachi Corley
If we’re going through some of the biggest winners and risers on the Jets roster, then we have to include the current biggest loser.
Malachi Corley has dealt with injuries pretty much all offseason, and did not participate with the team as he battles another injury. Head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand both drew concerns about Corley being able to produce early in camp because he wasn’t involved in workouts.
Time will tell if that matters for a physical player like Corley, but it is clear he is behind the 8-ball this time around.
Not the best place to be in if you are trying to prove you belong in the NFL.
Stock Up: Josh Reynolds
If there was an early favorite for the WR2 role on the Jets offense, Reynolds probably is the leading candidate right now. He caught a touchdown in minicamp work, and has been consistently open throughout offseason workouts.
Staying healthy will be important for Reynolds, but if he can stay on the field, he can be a very viable weapon in the Jets’ offense.
Stock Down: Brandon Stephens
Sauce Gardner and Michael Carter were so good during workouts that Stephens was picked on a ton during offseason workouts. The hard part for the former Baltimore Raven was the fact that he had to go up against Garrett Wilson on most plays.
Wilson won more matchups than he lost.
The Jets gave Stephens a three-year free-agent deal this offseason, so there’s some trepidation of having him compete for starting playtime, but with the way Stephens struggled against Wilson, coupled with the physicality of Azareye’h Thomas, and the Jets have an interesting conundrum at cornerback this year.
Stock Up: Will McDonald
No player in camp looked better than Will McDonald. While the lack of pads will always help a quick player like him, practices open to the media showed that the former first-round pick has gotten bigger, stronger, and faster.
If he is this same kind of dominant force when the pads come on, the Jets should be ecstatic about his potential in Year 3.
Stock Down: Brady Cook
Cook needed to show he could process at a quick rate or accurately deliver the football. Unfortunately, that isn’t what happened.
Cook missed over the middle of the field a lot, and was picked off multiple times by New York’s defense. Cook will be competing with Adrian Martinez for the QB3 spot, but it seems that it is Martinez’s job to lose at this point.
Stock Up: Jamaal Pritchett
It’s going to be a long-shot for the UDFA receiver to find a spot on the 53-man roster. He was one of the better players throughout the offseason workout period, though. Pritchett found ways to get open consistently, and really helped his case going into training camp.
