NY Jets' Stock Report: Two Up, Two Down ahead of Week 3 Battle vs. Patriots

Offensive tackle and tight end drop while receiver and edge rusher rise

Author:
Ralph Ventre
Publish date:
Sep 22, 2023 9:35 AM EDT

In this story:

It's the first weekly Jets Country Stock Report following a loss this season, and it's important to refrain from overreacting.

With the New York Jets awaiting a tough test against the New England Patriots in Week 3, there are two players who we want to see more of and two who should spend more time on the sidelines.

Adding youth to the portfolio, we're buying the maximum number of shares in an edge rusher and receiver who are 25 years old and under. On the other side, it may be smart to move away from a particular veteran tight end and an aging left tackle.

Here are two players who can help, along with two who may hinder, the Jets' chances of ending their 14-game head-to-head losing streak against the Patriots on Sunday, September 24 at 1:00 pm ET on CBS.

UP: Bryce Huff, DE 📈

Huff saw only 21 percent of the Jets' defensive snaps against the Cowboys, but the rotational defensive end managed to make his presence felt again. He made a tackle-for-loss in run defense and delivered a quarterback hit that forced an errant pass.

The former undrafted free agent is showing the ability to be more than just a situational pass-rusher. With Dallas operating on 1st-and-goal from the 9, Huff dropped running back Tony Pollard for four-yard loss to throw the offense off schedule. He also managed to log a QB hit for the second week in a row.

The 25-year-old Huff played one-third of snaps in the win over the Bills, accounting for two tackles and a QB hit. According to PFF, Huff has 21.6 percent pressure rate to rank fifth amongst qualified pass rushers thus far this year.

UP: Garrett Wilson, WR 📈

Even with Zach Wilson at quarterback, the Jets' WR1 has scored touchdowns during each of the first two games.

Wilson, the receiver, looks as good as advertised in every aspect. He took a slant pass 68 yards to the house at Dallas, and the precise route-runner nearly had a second touchdown reception when he flashed open in the endzone but the throw was affected by the Cowboys' pass rush. Wilson hit 21.01 miles per hour on the 68-yard touchdown, the seventh-fastest speed by an NFL ball carrier through the first two weeks of the season.

The 23-year-old Wilson has gained more than half of his 117 receiving yards after the catch (59) while five of his seven receptions resulted in first downs.

Due to game flow and time of possession, Wilson has received only 13 total targets thus far. The Jets likely need to significantly boost that number moving forward. The reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year is an elite offensive weapon that hasn't even hit his ceiling yet.

"He wants the ball every play. He’s going to win every play, so I think that he’s got that mentality, which gets people’s standard higher," said offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett on Thursday. "At the same time, he knows that there’s a lot more to this game than just being able to drop back and throw the ball to him every time. He’s a guy that’s maturing even more every day."

DOWN: Duane Brown, LT 📉

It could be the lack of preseason reps, or maybe there's little tread remaining on the 38-year-old's tires. Whatever the reason, Brown has looked a step slow in his first two regular season appearances.

The left tackle, who has played 100 percent of offensive snaps to date, has seemingly struggled in pass protection against the Bills and the Cowboys.

Although Aaron Rodgers could've released the ball sooner, Brown was beaten by defensive end Leonard Floyd on the fateful sack that ruptured the quarterback's Achilles. The 2008 first-round draft pick and his line mates experienced an even tougher time against Dallas's Micah Parson-led pass rush in Week 2. Parsons lived in the Jets' backfield throughout the 30-10 victory, accounting for seven pressure, four QB hits and 2.0 sacks.

Brown's pass-pro performance ranked last out of 54 qualifying tackles according ESPN's pass-block win rate. Despite a slow start to the season, Saleh is backing the battle-tested bookend.

"I think he’s fine. Micah [Parsons] is a hell of a football player," said Saleh. "When I look at the overall landscape of it all, could he have been better? Yeah, we all could have been better, but I thought he did very well against Buffalo and it’s just, get back on track and just keep grinding."

Jets' LT Duane Brown tries to block Cowboys' edge rusher Micah Parsons — Jets' LT Duane Brown (71) tries to block Cowboys' EDGE Micah Parsons (11)
© Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

DOWN: CJ Uzomah, TE 📉

The veteran tight end has yet to live up to the three-year, $24 million contract he signed prior to the 2022 campaign. He seemed to struggle on the majority of his blocking assignments against the Cowboys and did not factor into the pass game at all as a receiver.

He has not made a reception since a Week 17 loss at Seattle last year and has yet to draw a single target through two appearances (45 total offensive snaps) this season.

Uzomah, who appears to be a liability as a run blocker, has failed to establish himself as a viable pass-catching option through 17 games as a Jet. He has been thrown to only 27 times, making 21 receptions for 232 yards.