Marquice Cole's Journey

NJ.com profiles Marquice Cole's successful longshot attempt to make the team.

At the start of training camp, first-year free agent CB Marquice Cole appeared to have as much a chance as I did of making the Jets' 53-man roster. Undrafted out of Northwestern, he had been among the final cuts in Oakland and Tennessee in the previous two summers and spent those seasons on the practice squads of the respective teams.

This was Cole's third bite at the NFL apple. What's more, cornerback was one of the Jets' deepest positions.

So what did Cole do? He played so well the Jets couldn't cut him and decided to keep 11 defensive backs, at least one, if not two, more than teams usually keep. And Cole survived a dizzying weekend in which the Jets repeatedly tweaked the bottom of their roster.

Cole has incredible timed speed. He was once clocked doing a sub 4.2 40. One thing Rex Ryan has been great at during his career is developing raw talent. This could be another case. Cole has some great physical tools. If the Jets can hold onto him as a developmental player, he could be a real contributor in the future.