Five winners from the Jets’ preseason game against the Falcons

The Jets got their first victory of the preseason last night in Atlanta. Here are five players/position groups who stood out to me.

Sam Darnold: A 5 for 7; 46 yard stat line is solid but unspectacular. From the eyeball test I thought Darnold was excellent. His two incompletions were plays where he had to navigate difficult circumstances and still gave the team a chance for a successful play. Aside from that his decisions all seemed correct, and his throws were on the money. The sample size is small, but preseason number two has been a success so far for Darnold. It certainly has done nothing to lower the optimism for a breakout campaign.

Quinnen Williams: Let me go out on a limb and say this gentleman seems pretty good at the game of football.

Williams didn’t fill up the stat sheet, but he seemed super disruptive when he was in the game and impacted a couple of passes with pressure. The construction of this roster will likely require Williams to be an impact player from day one. Games like last night are encouraging on that front.

Backup offensive line: It wasn’t a totally perfect night, and Chuma Edoga in particular had some struggles. With that said, I was really pleased with how the Jets performed up front. It would have been difficult to tell four of the five starters were missing from the lineup based on the performance. Depth up front is a major concern entering the season. While I don’t want to read too much into a single quarter of football, I think this performance was a positive.

Luke Falk: Falk’s physical limitations might limit his upside. He also seems hesitant to push the ball down the field, but he’s clearly head and shoulders above Davis Webb. He can actually make reads and deliver accurate short passes. I think the battle for the third quarterback spot is just about over.

Deontay Burnett: Burnett is in a tricky situation. He is likely battling for a roster spot with guys like Greg Dortch and Trenton Cannon who have similar skillsets but also could contribute on special teams. Burnett hasn’t shown much ability to offer help on special teams so he needs to produce during his snaps in the slot to have a shot. He came up with a touchdown last night.

Bonus winner: Henry Anderson: I don’t want to put Anderson in the main category because I think of preseason winners as players who have something to prove. It might be the young guy looking to take the next step, or somebody hoping to make a move in a roster battle or a position battle. A quality veteran starter like Anderson doesn’t really fit the mold, but I did want to point out a strong performance. He was disruptive on the defensive line and blocked a kick.