Top 5 players playing for roster spots against Giants

With the most of the fans and media focused on the quarterback position of the New York Jets, there are plenty of players playing for their jobs on Saturday.

The New York Jets currently have 89 players on the active roster. By September 2, the Jets have to trim that to 53. There’s no more in between cut. They have one giant cut day on September 2.

That means 36 players will no longer be employed by the Jets after 3:59 PM Eastern on that day. Trimming the roster will be tough, but then again, some players will play their way on to the roster, and some will play their way off the roster.

Seemingly, every position has a battler, either for the top spot or in the rotation. Here are the top five players playing for spots on the roster.

Next: 5. Wide Receiver Jalin Marshall

5. Wide Receiver Jalin Marshall

Marshall had an okay rookie season, but the Jets drafted wide receivers with back-to-back picks in April. Marshall also hasn’t done much to prove his worth during the summer.

The Jets currently have 12 wide receivers on the roster, and it would be surprising if they kept more than five. Marshall is suspended for the first four games of the season.

That means he has to go above and beyond to prove to the Jets he should be kept because that’s a quarter of the season. He will have to do all he can to show he warrants a roster spot.

This is a young team, and having a player on it that is suspended may not be good for team building. So, Marshall is in a tough spot on Saturday.

Next: 4. Wide Receiver Robby Anderson

4. Wide Receiver Robby Anderson

Anderson is the best remaining receiver on the roster, but that in of itself doesn’t warrant a guaranteed roster spot. If the Jets were to cut him, it would be a sign that they are clearly looking at the future.

For this Jets team, it’s not necessarily about building for 2017, or 2018 for that matter. It’s about building for the long-term.

Like Marshall, with the pending legal case, Anderson may be suspended next season. The Jets may decide to nip that sooner rather than later and cut him this season.

That would allow the young wide receivers to grow this year and next without the presence of Anderson hampering their growth. If they made this decision it would clearly be aimed at beyond 2018 rather than just this season.

Next: 3. Kicker Chandler Catanzaro

3. Kicker Chandler Catanzaro

On a team like the Jets, kicker becomes an important position, and when they signed Catanzaro, it was met with some praise. Even though he doesn’t meet the minimums to make a career list, his 84.8 percent career field goal percentage would rank 11th all-time.

Last year’s undrafted free agent signing, Ross Martin, has outperformed him in games, albeit in limited action for both. Martin is 2-3, and Catanzaro is 0-1.

According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Martin is out playing Catanzaro in camp. However, the roster spot will be determined by in-game performance.

So far, Martin has outkicked Catanzaro in practice, but the job will be determined by how they perform under the lights, as Jets coach Todd Bowles likes to say.

That means that Catanzaro has some work to do. He’s going to have to perform well on Saturday to make the cut.

Next: 2. The entire offensive line

2. The entire offensive line

The only player whose roster spot is safe on the offensive line is Wesley Johnson, and that’s because he’s the only one listed as a center on the Jets roster page. However, all four other offensive line spots are up for grabs, and no one is safe from being cut.

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So far in camp and in-game, not one player has stood out from the rest. To say the offensive line play has been abysmal would be a compliment to them.

They can’t get a running game going, and they only perform well against second and third team players. Someone will have to step up against the Giants to show they can perform.

The Giants defense will probably be the toughest test they face in the preseason, and it’s the perfect litmus test for them. Expect the Jets to come out at their best, which may not be that good, on Saturday.

Next: 1. Linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin

1. Linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin

When the Jets signed Bruce Carter and Demario Davis, it was probably a sign for Mauldin to step up or step out. The drafting of Dylan Donahue didn’t help Mauldin’s cause either.

Both Carter and Donahue are versatile enough to play inside and outside in the rotation, and Davis could start at inside linebacker. With the Jets looking to Lee to step up his game in 2017, that leaves Mauldin as the odd man out.

With that said, if he has a spectacular performance against the Giants on Saturday, even the coaches will have to take notice. He’s going to have to shine, though.

Mauldin can’t do anything that makes the coaches not want to keep him, otherwise, they won’t. It’s imperative because his roster spot is in jeopardy if he doesn’t prove his worth.

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