We’re back for another year of counting down the top 25 players on the Jets roster.
We started doing this list back in 2012 as a way to fill in the dead time between the spring program and training camp. In some years, it has been tough to come up with 25 worthy players because the Jets roster has been so poor.
This year’s roster may be the strongest it has been since we’ve been doing the list.
Just a reminder: We do not put rookies in the list because no one has any idea how a rookie will play in the NFL.
Before we get started with this year’s list, here are the players who have dropped off the list from last year with their ranking in parentheses: Elijah Moore (5), George Fant (11), Zach Wilson (14), Braxton Berrios (15), Sheldon Rankins (21), Lamarcus Joyner (22), Brandin Echols (23), Jacob Martin (24), Bryce Hall (25).
We’ll start today with players 25-16, and will have two more installments with players 15-6 and then 5-1. Let’s get it started.
No. 25: Mekhi Becton
Last year’s ranking: 16
Position: Offensive tackle
Age on Opening Day: 24
How acquired: Selected in the first round of the 2020 draft
Years left on contract: 1
2023 salary cap figure: $5.9 million
Looking back at 2022: Becton’s season ended before it started when he suffered a knee injury early in training camp that resulted in season-ending surgery. It was the second straight season that a knee injury cost Becton the season. He has played in one total game in the past two years.
Outlook for 2023: How can the Jets have any expectations for Becton at this point? He flashed a ton of promise as a rookie, but has not been able to stay on the field. He worked hard this offseason to lose more than 50 pounds, and is expected to enter training camp around 340 pounds, way down from when he was topping the scales at 400 last year.
The way he has worked this offseason has been encouraging, but there are still troubling signs with Becton when it comes to his maturity. He continues to say things he shouldn’t on social media such as insisting he is a left tackle. He then did an interview with Newsday in May in which he again said he was a left tackle and blamed the Jets coaches for his knee injury because they had him at right tackle last year.
Becton should shut up and do whatever is asked of him and hope to put together a season that will get him a new contract next year. The smart money is him ending up at right tackle with Duane Brown at left. It will be interesting to see whether Becton can stay on the field during camp and win the trust of the coaches.
No. 24: Michael Carter
Last year’s ranking: 12
Position: Running back
Age on Opening Day: 24
How acquired: Selected in the fourth round of the 2021 draft
Years left on contract: 2
2023 salary cap figure: $1.1 million
Looking back at 2022: One of the more puzzling aspects of the Jets’ 2022 season was what happened to Carter. After a promising rookie season (147 carries, 639 rushing yards, 4 touchdowns), his production dropped off (114 carries, 402 yards, 3 touchdowns).
Carter seemed to lose confidence last season. He started the year splitting the snaps with Breece Hall. Then, Hall blew up and began getting more carries. When Hall tore his ACL in Week 7, Carter was eager to carry the load, but the Jets traded for James Robinson. That seemed to really bother Carter, and may have hurt his confidence. After it became clear Robinson wasn’t the answer, the Jets turned to Zonovan Knight over Carter. He did not have more than eight carries in a game after Week 9.
Outlook for 2023: Carter enters training camp as the No. 2 running back, and with Hall still recovering from his ACL injury, Carter should get plenty of work in training camp. Carter needs to rebound after his disappointing 2022. He still has so much skill. His contact balance is amazing to watch. The Jets expect Hall to be ready for Week 1, but he surely won’t be himself right away. The door is open for a running back to take the lead role with Hall easing his way back in. Can Carter seize that opportunity?
No. 23: Corey Davis
Last year’s ranking: 9
Position: Wide receiver
Age on Opening Day: 28
How acquired: Signed a three-year, $37.5 million contract as a free agent on March 15, 2021
Years left on contract: 1
2023 salary cap figure: $11.2 million
Looking back at 2022: It was another disappointing year for Davis and the Jets. In his second season since joining the team as a top free agent, Davis did not produce big numbers. He had 32 catches for 536 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games.
Now, every receiver on the Jets was hurt by poor quarterback play, but you still would have expected more production from Davis. Garrett Wilson replaced Davis as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver. Davis did not have a single 100-yard receiving game last season, and had only one game with at least six receptions. PFF graded him as the 64th best receiver out of 113.
Outlook for 2023: It remains a mystery whether Davis will even be on the team this season. There is no way the Jets are keeping Davis at his current salary of $10.5 million. The Jets surely have asked Davis to take a pay cut, and he may be released if he does not agree. Davis was not present during the OTAs that were open to the media. The Jets said it was because he was expecting a baby, but it is possible he is uncertain about his future with the team.
If Davis sticks on the roster, it will be interesting to see how he fits. He gives the Jets good depth, but it’s hard to see him getting a lot of playing time if everyone is healthy. Allen Lazard is basically a better, younger version of Davis. They have very similar skill sets. Davis is not a slot receiver. So, where does he play when Wilson and Lazard are in there?
The Davis situation is one to watch as training camp draws closer.
No. 22: Al Woods
Last year’s ranking: Unranked — not on team
Position: Defensive tackle
Age on Opening Day: 36
How acquired: Signed a one-year, $2.25 million free agent contract on May 11
Years left on contract: 1
2023 salary cap figure: $2.2 million
Looking back at 2022: Woods played in 14 games for the Seahawks last season. He had 39 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, three quarterback hits and one pass defensed.
PFF graded Woods 32nd out of 127 interior defenders, and he finished 28th in run defense.
Outlook for 2023: The Jets signed the 330-pound Woods to give them some beef up the middle, particularly against the run. The Jets lost Sheldon Rankins, who filled this role the past two seasons, in free agency. Woods will give them a big man next to Quinnen Williams.
Woods figures to play on rushing downs and then be subbed out on passing downs. Robert Saleh loves rotating defensive linemen, and John Franklin-Myers and Micheal Clemons could slide inside in passing situations.
No. 21: C.J. Uzomah
Last year’s ranking: 7
Position: Tight end
Age on Opening Day: 30
How acquired: Signed a three-year, $24 million free agent contract on March 17, 2022
Years left on contract: 2
2023 salary cap figure: $6.7 million
Looking back at 2022: Uzomah arrived with big expectations after signing as a free agent. He never seemed to find his footing, and Tyler Conklin passed him on the depth chart. Uzomah ended up with 21 catches for 232 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games. He did not have a game with more than three catches, and his single-game season high in yards was 41.
Uzomah did throw some key blocks, including one that sprung Braxton Berrios for a touchdown in Green Bay. PFF ranked him 36th out of 73 tight ends.
Outlook for 2023: Uzomah had a very strong spring, and could make a jump this season with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Uzomah also praised how new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett utilizes tight ends, perhaps an indication he did not feel used correctly by Mike LaFleur last season.
Rodgers always has had strong connections with his tight ends, and Uzomah already has developed chemistry with the new quarterback. The duo looked in sync during OTAs, and they spent time together off the field, too, going to the Tony Awards.
Big things were expected when the Jets signed Uzomah last year. He didn’t deliver in Year 1, but maybe he is in line for a big season in Year 2.
No. 20: Laken Tomlinson
Last year’s ranking: 4
Position: Left guard
Age on Opening Day: 31
How acquired: Signed a three-year, $40 million free agent contract on March 17, 2022
Years left on contract: 2
2023 salary cap figure: $10.9 million
Looking back at 2022: The Jets gave Tomlinson a big-money contract coming off a Pro Bowl year in 2021. He had a rough first season with the Jets. The best thing you can say about Tomlinson is he was durable. He played in all 17 games while the Jets dealt with injuries elsewhere on the offensive line.
PFF graded him 58th out of 77 guards, and he was 69th in run blocking.
Outlook for 2023: Tomlinson is one of the few pieces on the offensive line that is solidified for this season. He will be the team’s starting left guard, and he is not coming back from a major surgery, something the Jets don’t have at any other position on the line.
The Jets have a new offensive line coach in Keith Carter who may be able to get more out of Tomlinson than his predecessor John Benton did. The Jets have to be hoping Carter can help Tomlinson regain the form he showed in San Francisco that earned him the big contract with the Jets.
The Jets want to run the ball. That was part of Hackett’s appeal to the Jets. Tomlinson will be a key piece of that on the left side of the offensive line with whoever wins the tackle job.
No. 19: Bryce Huff
Last year’s ranking: Unranked
Position: Edge
Age on Opening Day: 25
How acquired: Signed as an undrafted free agent on April 26, 2020
Years left on contract: 1
2023 salary cap figure: $4.3 million
Looking back at 2022: There might not be anyone on the Jets who had a better production-per-play ratio than Huff. He played just 20 percent of the defensive snaps as a designated pass rusher, but Huff had 3 ½ sacks, 10 quarterback hits, two tackles for loss and one forced fumble.
Huff was a beast on the edge and a constant headache for opposing quarterbacks.
Outlook for 2023: Huff has earned a bigger role, but where will he find one? The Jets already had a lot of edge rushers, and then they drafted Will McDonald in the first round. I don’t think Huff will get more than the 20 percent of the snaps he got in 2022.
The Jets brought Huff back on a second-round restricted tender for $4.3 million. That shows they value him. He makes the analytics crowd swoon with his get-off and his win rate.
Huff is one of those very good players in a limited role. He could not be an every-down player, but the Jets love what he brings to their defense and he is extremely valuable rushing the passer.
Want to catch a game? The Jets schedule with links to buy tickets can be found here.
No. 18: Connor McGovern
Last year’s ranking: 17
Position: Center
Age on Opening Day: 30
How acquired: Signed a three-year, $27 million free agent contract on March 17, 2020
Years left on contract: 1
2023 salary cap figure: $1.9 million
Looking back at 2022: McGovern had a decent year in his third season as a Jet. He played in all 17 games, and there no major holes in his game. McGovern was not a Pro Bowler or anything great, but he was a consistent, reliable starter.
PFF ranked him 10th among 36 centers. He graded well in both the run and pass game.
Outlook for 2023: It seemed as if the Jets were done with McGovern as his initial three-year contract expired. Then, just before the NFL Draft, they brought him back on a one-year deal.
McGovern’s future with the team is still foggy, though. The Jets drafted center Joe Tippmann in the second round, and Tippmann is clearly their center of the future. The question is whether he can bump McGovern in training camp to become the center of the present.
It should be an interesting training camp battle between the veteran and the rookie. You wonder whether Rodgers prefers a veteran center. It will be something to watch in training camp.
No. 17: Jordan Whitehead
Last year’s ranking: 8
Position: Safety
Age on Opening Day: 26
How acquired: Signed a two-year, $14.5 million free agent contract on March 15, 2022
Years left on contract: 1
2023 salary cap figure: $4.9 million
Looking back at 2022: Whitehead was OK in his first year as a Jet, but you expected more after he arrived from Tampa Bay.
Whitehead played all 17 games. He had 89 tackles, two interceptions and eight passes defensed. He missed 17 tackles, according to PFF, and gave up 22 catches on 34 targets for 283 yards and two touchdowns.
PFF graded him 46th out of 88 safeties. He was 59th in run defense.
Outlook for 2023: The Jets have two similar safeties with Whitehead and Adrian Amos, who are both better in the box. It is going to be interesting to see who Robert Saleh puts at deep safety.
Whitehead was underwhelming in his first year. There were not a lot of big-impact plays, and there were some whiffs from him both tackling and in coverage.
If you had to pick a weakness in the Jets defense right now, it is safety. If Whitehead can make a leap, that weakness could become more of a strength.
No. 16: Michael Carter II
Last year’s ranking: 20
Position: Cornerback
Age on Opening Day: 24
How acquired: Selected in the fifth round of the 2021 draft
Years left on contract: 2
2023 salary cap figure: $1 million
Looking back at 2022: Carter is one of the most underrated players on the Jets, and I may be perpetuating that by having him this low on the list.
Carter played in 17 games last season, had 63 tackles, nine passes defensed and two interceptions as the slot corner. Carter has become extremely reliable in a role that is very difficult. Slot receivers present so many problems, but Carter is almost always in the right position.
Carter is also strong against the run and is a sure tackler.
He had the game-clinching interception in Pittsburgh, but his biggest play of the season got wiped out by a penalty. He intercepted Mac Jones and returned it for a pick-six just before halftime in the loss to the Patriots only to see it wiped out by a roughing-the-passer call on John Franklin-Myers.
PFF ranked Carter 18th out of 118 cornerbacks.
Outlook for 2023: Everyone should expect more of the same from Carter. He looks like a steal for Joe Douglas from the fifth round of the 2021 draft. He is a valuable piece of the Jets defense.
There is no reason to expect the Jets to change his usage. Slot corner has become more and more valuable in recent years as more offenses go to the spread. While Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed rightfully get a lot of praise, don’t forget about the Jets’ third cornerback.
