4 unknown Jets players you need to know before tonight’s preseason opener

New York Jets football is back! Sort of..kind of...well, preseason football, at the very least.

The Jets open their preseason schedule tonight against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and most of the attention will naturally go to players like David Bailey and Cade Klubnik as they make their (almost) NFL debuts.

But the preseason is my personal favorite time of the year. Players most fans have barely heard of suddenly get extended playing time, and every year a few of them make enough noise to stick around, at least on the practice squad.

This is the time for the unknown to become known. Here are four completely under-the-radar Jets players worth watching tonight.

4 Jets players you probably don’t know but should watch in tonight's preseason opener

1. RB Chip Trayanum

Isaiah Davis is set to miss tonight's game with a knee injury, which should leave plenty of running back snaps to go around once Breece Hall and Braelon Allen leave the field. Chip Trayanum is the name to watch here.

Trayanum's Camp Countdown Profile: Why is nobody talking about this former 4-star Jets UDFA running back?

The undrafted rookie is built like a tank at 5-foot-11 and 224 pounds. A former four-star recruit, Trayanum spent time at Arizona State and Ohio State — where he even played some linebacker — before transferring to Toledo and rushing for 1,000 yards while earning first-team All-MAC honors last season.

Trayanum feels like a strong practice-squad candidate, and tonight should give him an extended opportunity to make his case.

2. WR Malik McClain

If you're looking for the annual freakishly athletic undrafted Jets receiver in the mold of a Jason Brownlee or Quentin Skinner, Malik McClain is your guy.

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound wideout posted a ridiculous 9.92 Relative Athletic Score after running a 4.47-second 40-yard dash with a 40-inch vertical and 11-foot broad jump. The reason he went undrafted, however, is that his college production never matched his physical tools.

McClain's Camp Countdown Profile: Why did this freak athlete Jets rookie WR go completely undrafted?

McClain bounced from Florida State to Penn State to Arizona State and caught only 72 passes across five college seasons, never topping 450 receiving yards in a year.

Still, size and athleticism like that tend to show up in preseason games. McClain has the physical profile to produce a few highlights this summer.

3. TE Chase Curtis

On paper, Chase Curtis doesn't exactly scream NFL prospect. The 26-year-old undrafted rookie caught just 36 passes during his entire college career. He finished his final season at TCU with 167 receiving yards and two touchdowns, both career highs.

But Curtis has quietly put together an impressive training camp, consistently making plays with the third-team offense. With rookie Kenyon Sadiq sidelined tonight, Curtis should see plenty of snaps.

Now he gets his first chance to prove his strong summer can carry over to an actual game.

4. DL Jack Heflin

Jack Heflin is the veteran of this group, although I'd venture to say most Jets fans probably still aren't very familiar with him.

The former XFL standout has appeared in seven NFL games since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He signed a futures contract with the Jets in February and has very quietly been one of the more productive defensive linemen in camp.

Heflin still faces an uphill battle for a roster spot, but a strong preseason could put him firmly in the practice-squad conversation. If his camp production carries over tonight, don't be surprised if his name starts getting a little more attention.

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