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Breaking Down the Jets' Initial 53-Man Roster

The New York Jets revealed their initial 53-man roster, making cuts and surprising additions. Here's a breakdown of the Jets roster entering the regular season

Max Goodman

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Jets' initial 53-man roster is set.

Before we break this down, with some of the biggest surprises, here's the entire roster split by position group.

Initial 53-man roster

Quarterback (2): Zach Wilson, Mike White

Running back (4): Tevin Coleman, Ty Johnson, Mike Carter, La’Mical Perine

Receiver (7): Corey Davis, Elijah Moore, Jamison Crowder, Keelan Cole, Denzel Mims, Braxton Berrios, Jeff Smith

Tight end (2): Tyler Kroft, Trevon Wesco (FB)

Offensive line (9): Mekhi Becton, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Connor McGovern, Greg Van Roten, Morgan Moses, George Fant, Dan Feeney, Chuma Edoga, Conor McDermott

Defensive line (9): John Franklin-Myers, Sheldon Rankins, Quinnen Williams, Bryce Huff, Shaq Lawson, Jabari Zuniga, Nathan Shepherd, Foley Fatukasi, Jonathan Marshall

Linebackers (5): Jarrad Davis, C.J. Mosley, Jamien Sherwood, Hamsah Nasirildeen, Blake Cashman

Cornerbacks (7): Bless Austin, Bryce Hall, Javelin Guidry, Mike Carter, Brandin Echols, Jason Pinnock, Isaiah Dunn

Safeties (3): Marcus Maye, Lamarcus Joyner, Ashtyn Davis

Special teams (4): Matt Ammendola (K), Braden Mann (P), Thomas Hennessy (LS), Justin Hardee (ST)

As always, with the players that make the cut, there are those that fell short. 

Here are a handful of notable names that are missing (among the 27 individuals that were either released or waived ahead of Tuesday's roster deadline):

  • James Morgan, QB
  • Josh Adams, RB 
  • Vyncint Smith, WR
  • Ryan Griffin, TE
  • Kenny Yeboah, TE
  • Ronald Blair, DL
  • Tanzel Smart, DL
  • Lamar Jackson, DB
  • Sharrod Neasman, S

Ronald Blair and Josh Adams are a bit surprising. Adams has been impressive through camp while Blair was a familiar face in Saleh's system (after playing for him in San Francisco for the last several years). You can throw the tight ends and Vyncint Smith in that same category as well.

Also, there's only 52 names listed above because Chris Herndon is no longer on New York's roster. The tight end was dealt to Minnesota on Tuesday, giving the Vikings a high-ceiling asset that struggled to develop in green and white after his promising rookie campaign.

Now, on to who made the roster. We knew this going into training camp, but this is a very young team, a unit that will rely on several inexperienced players on both sides of the ball. 

Both quarterbacks on this roster have never taken an NFL snap, Bless Austin is the only corner with more than two years of pro experience and key contributors like Mekhi Becton, Alijah Vera-Tucker and Quinnen Williams (just to name a few) are still breaking into the league. That in mind, New York's success in 2021 will hinge upon the speed of their development.

There may be changes to that group above prior to Week 1 in Carolina. The Jets will surely patrol the waiver wire and considering how thin they are at tight end after the Herndon trade, maybe they'll seek to acquire a different tight end before the season begins. 

Health will be a huge factor for this unit as well. Some are returning from injury, others have a propensity for getting hurt while more are just too important to miss an extended period of time. Besides, New York is already without Carl Lawson and Vinny Curry for the year. They can't afford for any other pivotal players to go down.

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. He also covers the New York Yankees, publisher  of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Yankees site, Inside The Pinstripes. Before starting out with SI, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. While at school, Goodman gathered valuable experience as an anchor and reporter on NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. Goodman previously interned at MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman and connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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