5 biggest winners (and 2 losers) from NY Jets 2024 OTAs

The NY Jets officially held their 10th and final OTA practice of the spring on Friday, thus concluding the last voluntary portion of the team's offseason program.

The Jets will host a three-day mandatory minicamp from June 11-13 next week before taking a month off prior to the start of training camp in late July. Minicamp will be the final stretch of spring practices before the summer arrives.

Only three of the 10 OTA practices were open to the media, but there was still quite a bit of information to take away from the spring. Some players rose to the occasion and improved their stock while others didn't exactly help their case.

Consider this your New York Jets stock report following OTAs. Let's take a look at some of the biggest winners and losers from the Jets' spring practices.

Winner: Braelon Allen, RB, NY Jets

Perhaps no player was more impressive at Jets OTAs this spring than rookie running back Braelon Allen. With Breece Hall sidelined due to a minor injury, Allen took full advantage of the opportunity, firmly establishing himself as the team's top backup behind Hall.

The Jets are high on Allen's upside and believe he and Hall could form one of the better backfield duos in the NFL. While fellow rookie Isaiah Davis also impressed and even Tarik Cohen made a few plays, it was abundantly clear that Allen was the top healthy running back at OTAs.

Allen flashed his versatility as a pass catcher, including a leaping grab on a 50/50 ball from Tyrod Taylor this past week. It was the final touch on what had been a very encouraging couple of weeks for the young running back.

Allen now enters the summer as the odds-on favorite to win the Jets' RB2 job, and if he carries over that momentum into the season, he could carve out an important role in the Jets' offense.

Winner: Kenny Yeboah, TE, NY Jets

One player who saw his standout spring performance fly a little under the radar was tight end Kenny Yeboah, but make no mistake about it — few Jets players were more impressive during OTAs than the former undrafted free agent.

Yeboah was featured heavily in the first-team offense, sometimes even working ahead of assumed No. 2 tight end Jeremy Ruckert. He flashed his big play ability and was one of the most targeted players all spring.

Yeboah has stuck around on the Jets due primarily to his special-teams ability, and not only does he seem like a strong candidate to make the 53-man roster, but he might even be able to find his way into a regular role on the Jets' offense.

It wouldn't be surprising to see the Jets utilize both Ruckert and Yeboah this year, with Yeboah perhaps serving as more of a true backup to Tyler Conklin. If he continues to play well this summer, he'll force his way onto the field.

Winner: Eric Watts, DL, NY Jets

It's oftentimes difficult to evaluate offensive and defensive line play during OTAs due to the absence of pads, but Eric Watts did about as much to stand out as you can ask of a defensive lineman in spring practices.

The undrafted rookie notched a pair of sacks in the three open-media sessions, overpowering rookie first-round pick Olu Fashanu for a sack early in the spring. He later bested second-year tackle Carter Warren for another would-be sack.

Watts was given the most guaranteed money of any undrafted rookie on the Jets roster and has a clear path to making the team if he carries over his impressive spring into the summer.

At 6-foot-5, 274 pounds, Watts could be seen as a potential replacement for John Franklin-Myers. The Jets have had considerable success with undrafted defensive linemen in recent years, and Watts might just be their next undrafted gem.

Winner: Xavier Gipson, WR, NY Jets

The competition for the Jets' wide receiver spots behind Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams is wide open this offseason, and with Williams still rehabbing his torn ACL, there were plenty of snaps to go around this spring.

One player who took advantage of the opportunity was second-year wideout Xavier Gipson. Gipson worked primarily with the first-team offense in OTAs and didn't look out of place.

His highlight of the spring came on a 60-yard bomb from Aaron Rodgers during Tuesday's practice in which Gipson streaked behind the defense for one of the Jets' biggest plays of OTAs.

Gipson was working ahead of rookie wide receiver Malachi Corley this spring, although the rookie did miss time with an undisclosed injury. There's a chance Gipson will be the Jets' starting slot receiver come Week 1 if he impresses this summer.

Winner: Qwan'tez Stiggers, CB, NY Jets

The Jets didn't really know what to expect from rookie cornerback Qwan'tez Stiggers when he stepped on the field this spring. After all, this is someone who never played college ball and spent the last two years playing in the semi-pro Fan Controlled Football League and the CFL.

But Stiggers not only looked the part this spring, but he was one of the most impressive players on either side of the ball. The former CFL standout has quickly emerged as an obvious locker-room favorite, evidenced by his teammates quickly rushing over to celebrate with him whenever he made a play.

That included one of the Jets' best defensive plays of the spring, a pick-six by Stiggers who jumped a Tyrod Taylor pass and took it to the house for a would-be touchdown.

Stiggers likely isn't going to play a significant role in 2024, but he has a chance to compete for a starting job as early as 2025, especially if the Jets decide to let D.J. Reed walk in free agency.

Loser: Israel Abanikanda, RB, NY Jets

No player on the Jets' roster has seen their stock plummet more over the last couple of months than Israel Abanikanda. The second-year running back was seen as the Jets' de facto RB2 behind Breece Hall just two months ago. Now, he might find himself on the outside of the roster bubble looking in.

Not only did the Jets add two running backs in the 2024 NFL Draft, but both of said rookie running backs are already ahead of Abanikanda on the depth chart if spring practice rotations are to be trusted. It's not just Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis, either.

Even Tarik Cohen, a player who was signed roughly a week ago and who hasn't played in the NFL in nearly four years, received more run with the first-team offense than Abanikanda. That's about as strong of an indictment as you're going to get in OTAs.

There's still time for Abanikanda to turn things around, but all indications are that he's fighting an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster. The spring was not kind to the former Pittsburgh standout.

Loser: Allen Lazard, WR, NY Jets

Allen Lazard's first season with the Jets was an unmitigated disaster. The Jets signed Lazard to serve as their WR2 going into the 2023 season, but the former Green Bay Packers wideout struggled mightily and found himself benched on multiple occasions.

The hope has been that Lazard might be able to rebound in his second season in New York, especially with Aaron Rodgers returning. Those hopes took a hit following Lazard's lackluster spring.

Lazard once again struggled with drops, including a pair of miscues on throws from Rodgers in a disaster day a couple of weeks ago. The former UDFA did little to change the narrative during OTAs.

The Jets are stuck with Lazard on their roster for one more season, but he's headed toward another year of weekly inactives unless he manages to show some life this summer.