Six Jets (and One Unit) Pointing Down After the Preseason Win vs. Falcons

The Jets won last night, but the performances were not all positive. Here are members of the team who did not have a good night.

Mike White: Through most of the offseason, I have thought White was brought back to be insurance in case the Jets suffered an injury at quarterback in the preseason and perhaps trade bait if they didn’t.I figured one way or another he would be on an NFL roster.

White still might be, but it seems like he is doing his best to play his way off the Jets.

That spectacular game against Cincinnati last October feels like a distant memory. Yes, White was directing a team of backups against starters for Atlanta, but that didn’t seem like the big problem. It just doesn’t seem like White has the arm to threaten the entire field. Remember, in that game against the Bengals White didn’t have a single deep passing attempt. You can only succeed with such a limited arsenal for so long.

Combined with Chris Streveler’s success, White suddenly could be playing for a job in the preseason finale against the Giants.

Bryce Hall: I don’t know that there are going to be any significant consequences for Hall after this performance. He has been relegated to backup duty, and isn’t in danger of being cut. Still, this was as brutal as it gets. He lost in pretty much every way imaginable from getting toasted deep to getting completely lost in a basic zone coverage to surrendering a touchdown.

I don't think Hall is anywhere near as bad of a player as he looked last night. I do, however, think there has been far too large of an outcry over the Jets replacing the third year cornerback in the starting lineup.

It isn’t that Hall is a glaring weakness. However, there is a difference between not being a glaring weakness and being a strength. If the Jets are correct in their evaluations of Sauce Gardner and DJ Reed (admittedly a major if) they will have improved their cornerback room in a major way, a way that will reverberate through the entire defense.

Regardless of what we saw last night, Hall should still be a capable backup with starting experience. He might even be a credible starter if called upon. But he isn’t so good that his benching merited any sort of frustration from the fanbase.

Second Team Defense: Aside from Hall, it is difficult to single anybody out. The backup defense was just a mess in this game, especially in the second quarter. The Jets were having problems executing basic zone concepts. Players didn’t know where to be. The defense didn’t communicate, and pass offs were consistently turned into busted coverages.

The best thing you can say is almost nobody on the field will play significant snaps unless there is injury.

Trevon Wesco: With perhaps only one open tight end spot on the roster, Wesco did himself no favors committing a pair of penalties. Worse, his competition Lawrence Cager thrived.

Kenny Yeboah: Yeboah is another roster bubble tight end outperformed by Cager. He added a dropped pass to his resume.

Lamarcus Joyner: It isn’t helpful when the safety who is supposed to provide veteran stability at the back of the defense is getting lost.

Ashtyn Davis: It isn’t really that Davis did anything wrong. I just noticed that he was on the field at the end of a preseason game when the Jets didn’t have most starters playing meaningful reps. That seems ominous.