Dwight Lowery has had an up and down two years in the NFL. He went from rookie starter to rookie standout to benched in 2008. He made the game-winning pass breakup in New York's Week 2 win over the Patriots in 2009. He ended the year with a very, very rough outing in the AFC Championship Game as Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie got open at will in the second half against he and Drew Coleman.

The additions of Antonio Cromartie and Kyle Wilson put Lowery firmly at fourth on the depth chart as camp opens. He still might play a big role for this team, though. As long as everybody is healthy, he will appear primarily in subpackages. Rex Ryan seems adept at putting secondary players into a position to succeed there. Eric Smith and James Ihedigbo come to mind.

Lowery seems like he could move all over the place. He played a lot of safety in college and thrived there. Dwight had 13 interceptions in 15 starts there at San Jose State. He also has looked better as a pro playing what is in front of him. Perhaps the Jets will work him into a hybrid safety-corner role. Lining up at different spots would give a quarterback an extra something to think about.

Do not discount what he will mean in coverage, though. The main competition in the AFC has high powered passing games. Think about Indianapolis, New England, and San Diego. These teams love to go four wide. Lowery might be asked to play a key role in coverage in a big game. With Anthony Gonzalez returning to the Colts lineup, the fourth receiver might be Pierre Garcon, the man who played so well against Lowery with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. I could see a rematch play a big part in deciding another crucial game this year.

This makes Lowery a potential X-Factor in 2010.