The New York Jets are entering year two of the Robert Saleh era and could be making some tough cuts as they continue to add talent to the roster
Robert Saleh is entering his second season as the head coach of the New York Jets and he’s been trying to put his stamp on this roster. He’s added talent to both sides of the ball including new faces at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and defensive end.
Now, the challenge will be pairing the roster down to 53 players. In making these cuts, some decent players could end up not making the roster, including these three.
New York Jets Potential Cut No. 3: Denzel Mims, WR
Denzel Mims was a second-round pick back in 2020 for the Jets, but that was before Saleh came to town. Since adding their new coach, New York has added a lot of names to the position.
The biggest is Garrett Wilson, who was their top choice in the 2022 NFL Draft. He joins their prized free agent addition from 2021, Corey Davis, as well as Elijah Moore who was taken last season in the second round.
All these additions aren’t great for Mims who could be battling Braxton Berrios for the fourth receiver spot — and Berrios has the edge not only in receiving production but also since he offers value as a return man.
In 2021, Berrios had 46 receptions for 431 yards with two touchdowns as well as 852 yards and another touchdown on punt returns. Mims, on the other hand, just eight receptions for 133 yards and has yet to score his first career touchdown.
He was decent as a rookie but then got buried on the depth chart in his sophomore campaign. With Garrett Wilson now joining the mix, he could be pushed too far back to recover.
New York Jets Potential Cut No. 2: Tevin Coleman, RB
Originally a third-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons back in 2015, Tevin Coleman spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. During that time, he worked against Robert Saleh’s defense in practice every day and also worked with Mike LaFleur who was the passing game coordinator for the Niners.
LaFleur then joined the Jets with Saleh as the offensive coordinator and one of the players to follow him was Coleman. It seemed like a smart addition since New York didn’t have a ton of talent at the position and Coleman was just one year removed from a 544-yard and six touchdown campaign.
However, he found himself spending the majority of the season as a reserve with rookie Michael Carter taking the bulk of the carries. Carter finished the season with 639 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 4.3 yards per rush.
As for Coleman, he had 356 yards and no touchdowns while averaging 4.2 per carry.
Fast forward to 2022 and Coleman is going to be, at best, third on the depth chart. Not only is Carter returning for his second season but the Jets also added Breece Hall in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
New York had a great draft overall and there are already expectations that Hall could be their most productive rookie, and is someone to watch in the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year race.
With that being the case, Coleman could find himself out of a job after just one season with Gang Green.
New York Jets Potential Cut No. 1: Sheldon Rankins, DT
After spending his first five seasons in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints, Sheldon Rankins signed with the New York Jets in the 2021 offseason, agreeing to a two-year deal worth $17 million.
That’s a hefty amount to pay for someone to be a reserve but for most of his first season with the Jets, that’s exactly what Rankins was. In 16 games played, Rankins had just three starts and finished the season with 32 tackles and three sacks.
He looks to still be a backup in 2022 with Quinnen Williams and John Franklin-Myers in the starting roles. Rankins could also have more competition inside with the addition of Solomon Thomas, who had 35 tackles and 3.5 sacks for the San Francisco 49ers last year.
While the production was similar, Thomas will cost roughly $2.9 million this season against the cap whereas Rankins will count for nearly $6.2 million. However, the Jets could save 5.4 million of that money by releasing him.
Rankins has proven in the past to be a great defensive lineman and even if he stayed in a rotational role, New York might see him being worth the price tag. But if he ends up giving them similar to what Thomas can, they might decide to save a little money and move on.