5 NY Jets players with the most to gain in Monday's preseason game

4. Lawrence Cager, TE, NY Jets

The Jets already have a solidified trio of tight ends atop their depth chart in Tyler Conklin, C.J. Uzomah, and Jeremy Ruckert. Despite how impressive he's been this summer, Lawrence Cager isn't usurping any of them.

Instead, his best hope is for the Jets to carry four tight ends, likely at the expense of an extra wide receiver. It's something that may have seemed like a longshot not too long ago, but Cager is making the team rethink their plans.

Few players have been more impressive this summer than Cager. The converted wide receiver led the team in receiving yards last week and followed that up with an excellent week of practices.

It still seems unlikely that he sneaks onto the active roster, but he might just force the Jets' hand if he continues to impress.

3. Ty Johnson, RB, NY Jets

Ty Johnson finds himself firmly on the roster bubble heading into the Jets' second preseason game, and Monday will be his first opportunity to make his case with live reps.

Johnson has been sidelined for a lot of the summer with a lingering hamstring injury, one that kept him out of last week's game. That changes this Monday, however, when he will finally receive the opportunity that he's been looking for.

The former waiver-wire claim fell down the pecking order a lot last year and is now entrenched as the No. 4 running back on the depth chart. If the Jets carry four running backs, his roster status should be safe, barring a late push from undrafted rookie Zonovan Knight. That's not a guarantee, though.

Johnson could help his case with a standout performance on Monday. If not, and if Knight impresses, the Jets might have a difficult decision to make in a couple of weeks.