Three Position Battles to Watch during New York Jets’ Training Camp

Stephen Hill is just one guy to keep an eye during Training Camp.

Now that we are done with OTA’s and minicamp, in a few weeks it will be time for training camp. While OTA’s and minicamp are relatively short, training camp is the start of the grind for the players. Although not right away, this is where the real hitting and tackling comes into play. Expect a few fights, a few arguments, and anything else you can think of. But also expect more football activity going on. As I am sure you can agree, the more football, the better. This year’s training camp is huge for the Jets. Many positions are still up for grabs. If a player really stands out during camp, he could find himself as a starter. But there is also the negative. If a player does not impress the coaches, he may find himself looking for a new job sooner than he would have expected. Lets take a look at some things to look forward to when the Jets are at SUNY Cortland.

Geno Smith vs Mark Sanchez– A fair warning, get used to hearing about the Jets QB competition all throughout training camp. Although it gets to be too much at times, this may be the most important battle that the Jets have. We may all secretly try to hide it, but we care about the QB’s competition percentage during each practice. I have held the same stance in which quarterback I would like to start week 1. That quarterback is the one who impresses the coaches the most. The one that the Jets truly feel is giving them the best chance to win. If that person is Sanchez, fine with me. If that person is Smith, that is also fine with me. This should be a great battle to keep an eye on all summer.

Dawan Landry and ?- After the Jets decided to not bring back both Yeremiah Bell and LaRon Landry, the Jets suddenly had a glaring need at the safety spot. The Jets wasted no time in signing the other Landry, Dawan. Landry will undoubtedly be one starting safety, but who will be the other? The battle is between two second year players in Josh Bush and Antonio Allen. In my opinion, I think Bush wins the job. While Allen is a talented player, Bush has good coverage skills,which I believe will win him the job. With Landry being a physical player, and not much of a cover safety, it is vital the Jets have one safety that can be a protection blanket for the corners. A wild card name to keep an eye on is undrafted free agent Rontez Miles. Just from watching him at camp the other day, his height and impressive frame make him an interesting player. Do not be shocked if Miles name is thrown into this battle.

The 2nd cornerback– It is going to be weird to not see Darrelle Revis as a Jet week 1. With 24 gone, it is now up to Antonio Cromartie to step up and be the number 1 corner. When Revis went down last year, Cro really stepped his game up and proved that he is a true #1 corner in this league. Expect the same from him this year. The question is who will be starting on the opposite side of the field? Dee Milliner or Kyle Wilson? I think Milliner wins this job. Although he is battling through some injuries right now, expect Dee to be ready for training camp. Milliner was the best cornerback in all of college football last season, and expect him to be a solid cornerback for the Jets this season as well. Milliner is a physical player with shutdown ability. Do not forget about former first rounder Kyle Wilson though. Expect Wilson to be playing the Nickel role, and in the slot. According to Rex Ryan, Wilson is having the best off-season of his NFL career. With Cromartie, Milliner, and Wilson as starters the Jets should have a solid trio of cornerbacks this season. Some wild card names to watch are Aaron Berry and Darrin Walls. Both have looked impressive so far in camp.

These are just 3 of the battles that will be going on when the Jets head up to Cortland for training camp. The motto that John Idzik is preaching is “competition”, so look for every single player fighting for his job day in and day out.