Regular season relies on second-year players

As the New York Jets prepare for the upcoming season, they will need to rely on their second-year players to make them somewhat competitive.

The gloomy predictions for the 2017 season of the New York Jets are abundant heading into training camp. The Jets season relies on second-year players development. Sure, there will be other factors involved, rookies have been added, free agents have been signed, and players injured last year will try to bounce back. All that is great, but the team desperately needs for second-year players to step up and lead.

The first player everyone will have an eye on this summer is quarterback Christian Hackenberg. The young signal caller was taken by the team in the second round of last year’s draft and was redshirted throughout his rookie campaign. With little else at the quarterback position, the Jets are hoping for Hackenberg to take the reigns of this team and lead the way. Neither Josh McCown or Bryce Petty are legitimate options, so the hope lies on Hackenberg’s shoulders.

Linebacker Darron Lee was the team’s first-round pick from a year ago, and the team needs him to step into the starting role at inside linebacker. Lee was highly hyped going into last season but didn’t produce as many expected. With the release of linebacker David Harris in June, the team hopes Lee can step up and produce at a higher level in year two. The Jets have looked for other options during the offseason, including bringing in linebacker Zach Orr as recently as this past Saturday. A lot depends on Lee’s development, the team has very little depth behind him.

Linebacker Jordan Jenkins is yet another player the team needs to develop. Last year’s third-round pick played well towards the end of last season, and the fans are hoping he can build on his success and continue to show development. Jenkins played very well against the run last season, and the hope is that Kevin Greene can develop his pass rushing techniques. A breakout year from Jenkins would be a huge plus for the Jets front seven.

Cornerback Juston Burris comes into this summer’s camp with huge expectations on his shoulders. The fourth round cornerback saw some action in 2016, but hardly enough to know if he can handle a bigger role this year. While filling in for the injured and ineffective Darrelle Revis last season, Burris fared quite well. This year, however, he’ll be vying for a full-time role, with many expecting him to start opposite Morris Claiborne. That’s a big jump, and Burris will need to prove he’s up for the job this summer.