4 Jets players fighting to save their roster spots in preseason opener

The New York Jets will take the field at Lambeau tonight for their preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers, and for some players, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m., but for a handful of roster hopefuls, the real countdown is to final cuts at the end of the month.

Four Jets in particular enter this game knowing their performance could make or break their chances of sticking around in 2025. They’re on the roster bubble, fighting to prove they belong, and tonight’s snaps could be their best opportunity to convince the coaching staff they deserve a spot.

Jets players fighting to save their jobs in the preseason

1. WR Malachi Corley

It’s hard to script a more disastrous start to an NFL career than the one Malachi Corley has endured. Just over a year ago, he was the hand-picked project of the previous Jets regime, who was seen as a potential building block for the team’s offense.

One year later, Corley is fighting not just for his Jets future, but for his NFL career. The former Western Kentucky standout now appears to be on the outside looking in on the roster bubble, which is a damning indictment given the state of the team’s wide receiver room.

There's still time for Corley to make an impression on this new coaching staff, but he's been wholly outplayed by at least six or seven other receivers on the roster this summer. He's desperate for a standout preseason performance to prove he's worth keeping around.

2. WR Allen Lazard

Another wide receiver whose stock is plummeting this summer is veteran Allen Lazard. Lazard seemed like the odds-on favorite to be the Jets' WR2 this season once the team opted to restructure his contract and keep him around in the offseason.

Instead, free-agent pickup Josh Reynolds has emerged as the likely WR2 opposite Garrett Wilson, and fellow offseason addition Tyler Johnson appears to be the Jets' third starting wideout. Lazard's role is uncertain entering the preseason.

The longtime Aaron Rodgers teammate doesn't contribute on special teams, meaning that if he's not one of the Jets' top three wide receivers, it's hard to see why he'd earn a roster spot. Like Corley, Lazard needs to prove he's worth a spot in a thin Jets wide receiver room.

3. CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse

The Jets' cornerback room remains one of the deepest on the roster, even after the departure of D.J. Reed. One player who may be fighting an uphill battle to make the team in such a loaded position group is Jarrick Bernard-Converse.

The former sixth-round pick was one of the Jets' top defensive standouts of the 2024 preseason, which helped him earn a spot on the 53-man roster. That didn't translate into regular-season success, however, as Bernard-Converse played just six defensive snaps all year.

Bernard-Converse enters the preseason competing with the likes of Qwan'tez Stiggers, Isaiah Oliver, and special-teams ace Kris Boyd for what very well may be two roster spots. He could make the Jets' decision difficult with another standout performance this summer.

4. TE Jeremy Ruckert

Jeremy Ruckert is technically listed as the starting tight end on the Jets' unofficial depth chart, but there remains a real possibility that he's not even on the 53-man roster come September.

The Long Island native has struggled at times this camp and has undoubtedly been outplayed by rookie Mason Taylor, who's in line to be the team's real Week 1 starting tight end. Ruckert is hoping to carve out a role as a second in-line tight end in 12 personnel.

The Jets don't really have a reliable blocking tight end on their roster, but it's possible the team could look to replace Ruckert via the waiver wire or even with hybrid fullback/tight end Andrew Beck. Ruckert may be the "safest" of any of the players on this list, but his status is far from solidified.