Derrick Nnadi’s Jets future in serious doubt after preseason struggles

It's very hard to find negatives with the NY Jets' thoroughly dominating performance against the Green Bay Packers in Aaron Glenn's semi-official coaching debut, but the 30-10 victory was full of some players that may not have played up to what the back of their trading card suggests they are capable of.

One such defensive player is interior space-eating tackle Derrick Nnadi, who has fallen down the depth chart after arriving in New York with the expectation of starting. In the course of just a few months, Nnadi's stock has fallen to the point where his roster spot is not safe.

Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic posted his first 53-man roster projections, which featured multiple standout undrafted free agents like running back Donovan Edwards and defensive back Dean Clark not making the final cut. The most surprising move comes in the defensive line room.

Rosenblatt joined along with Rich Cimini in claiming that Nnadi is not going to make the final 53-man roster, calling him "invisible" so far in training camp. Nnadi blowing it in what was regarded as a wide-open defensive tackle room is incredibly concerning.

Derrick Nnadi might not make Jets final 53-man roster

Not only has Nnadi, who lost his starting job in Kansas City to Tershawn Wharton, looked anonymous at training camp, but many of the players he is competing with for playing time looked amazing in their first preseason action. The defense held Green Bay to under 200 yards, and the line played a part in that.

Leonard Taylor III and Jay Tufele combined for 2.5 sacks, with the pair both forcing a fumble and recovering it in the end zone for a touchdown. Even without those two standing out, all reports seem to suggest that camp standout Byron Cowart has seized control of the DT2 spot behind Quinnen Williams.

Jets fans have heard more good things about undrafted rookie Payton Page in camp than Nnadi. Meanwhile, Rosenblatt seems to suggest that fellow UDFA Ja'Markis Weston, who played everywhere from wide receiver to defensive end in college, has a better shot of making the final roster than Nnadi.

If the Jets, who may have the most unproven defensive line in the league outside of Williams, don't end up keeping Nnadi around, it might be incredibly difficult for him to keep finding gainful employment in the NFL.

Nnadi's fall from grace has been swift and merciless, as he went from a key run-stuffing starter on a high-end defense that won multiple championships to someone who has been left in the dust by Byron Cowart. Nnadi needs to turn things around quickly in New York.

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