5 NY Jets players who shined in the Hall of Fame Game

NY Jets football is back! Sure, it may have only been a mostly meaningless early-August preseason outing with starters and most backups not participating, but the Jets just played their first organized football game in nearly seven months.

The Jets fell to the Cleveland Browns by a final score of 21-16 in this year's edition of the Hall of Fame Game. Of course, the final result isn't what matters. It's about the journey, as they say.

Preseason games aren't for players with well-defined roster roles. They're for the guys trying to earn a spot on the team or secure a starting job. Thursday night's game offered an opportunity for a number of players to do just that.

Let's take a look at five Jets players who made the most of their opportunities in the Hall of Fame Game.

5. Greg Zuerlein, K, NY Jets

It's been a long time since the Jets have had a reliable kicker entering a season. Not since the 2016 campaign have Jets fans been this comfortable with the team's kicking situation.

Greg Zuerlein isn't competing for a starting job. Instead, he just proved why Jets fans are so confident in him with a flawless performance on Thursday. Zuerlein made all three of his field-goal attempts, including a kick from 54 yards out.

The former All-Pro accounted for 10 of the Jets' 16 points and continued his outstanding summer. Zuerlein has missed just two kicks in every practice combined this summer, and one of those misses was from 63 yards (the other was 48).

Most didn't exactly tune in to see the Jets' kicker on Thursday, but Zuerlein was undoubtedly one of the game's top performers.