5 NY Jets players whose stock is trending down this summer

The NY Jets are just about a month away from their season opener against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football. We're a few weeks into training camp at this point, and some of the position battles on the roster have begun to take shape.

Some players have managed to improve their stock and look well on their way toward establishing roles with the team, either as starters or reserves. The following five players in this list do not fit that criteria.

For whatever reason, the players we're going to discuss today have fallen short of expectations this summer. They've either underachieved or seen their direct competition overachieve — or perhaps a little bit of both.

Let's take a look at five Jets players who are trending down this summer.

5. Zack Kuntz, TE, NY Jets

The Jets used a seventh-round pick on tight end Zack Kuntz in this year's draft with the expectation that he could be a developmental project for the team. That most certainly seems to be the case for the 6-foot-8 athletic wonder.

Despite his gifted physical traits, Kuntz has done little to stand out in camp to this point. It's not that he's been "bad" so much as his competition has just been better. Jeremy Ruckert has made significant strides this summer. Even Kenny Yeboah has made a few more plays.

The Jets did invest a seventh-round pick into Kuntz, but it should be noted that multiple undrafted players they signed received more guaranteed money. Even fellow rookie tight end E.J. Jenkins received just $10,000 less in guarantees.

The Jets would like to keep Kuntz around as a developmental piece, but it might be hard to find a roster spot for him at this point. Don't be surprised if Kuntz is a part of final roster cuts later this month.

4. Adrian Amos, S, NY Jets

When the Jets signed veteran safety Adrian Amos earlier this year, the assumption was that he was being brought in to replace the injured Chuck Clark. Most assumed that Amos was in line to start opposite Jordan Whitehead.

Right now, that seems unlikely. Former undrafted free agent Tony Adams has been one of the most impressive players in camp for the Jets, and he seems to be the frontrunner for the starting job.

Much like with Kuntz, it's not as if Amos has had a bad summer. It's that his direct competition, Adams, has shown more. The Jets' coaching staff is really high on Adams, and they believe he could be a long-term starting piece.

Amos has the experience, but he's been outplayed while working with the second-team defense this summer. His stock is down.

3. Billy Turner, OT, NY Jets

Billy Turner may still be the favorite to start at right tackle come Week 1, but that doesn't mean his stock is trending in the right direction. The Jets' offensive tackles have struggled mightily this summer, and Turner is a primary reason for that.

The nine-year NFL veteran has been arguably the weakest link of the Jets' offensive line in training camp, regularly getting beat at both left and right tackle.

His history with Nathaniel Hackett gives him the edge over his competition, but the Jets don't seem thrilled with the way Turner has performed. It might not be long before we see the team pull the break-glass-in-case-of-emergency card and shift Alijah Vera-Tucker over to right tackle.

Turner is the de facto starter for the moment, but he's done little to inspire confidence.

2. Michael Carter, RB, NY Jets

Michael Carter entered last season as the incumbent starter on top of the Jets' running back depth chart. It was inevitable that Breece Hall would eventually usurp him, but Carter was still the top guy when the rookie running back went down with an injury.

Unfortunately, Carter's disappointing sophomore NFL season saw him benched in favor of undrafted rookie Zonovan Knight. Less than a year later, Knight is once again outplaying Carter in camp.

Carter finds himself on the outside looking in at the RB2 job in New York, and his roster status could be in jeopardy if the Jets add a veteran running back like Dalvin Cook.

It wasn't long ago that Carter looked like a long-term piece in the Jets' offense. Now, he might not even be on the roster come Week 1.

1. Max Mitchell, OT, NY Jets

The Jets planned to give Max Mitchell every opportunity to win the starting right tackle job this summer. He entered training camp in competition with versatile veteran Billy Turner for the starting job, but Mitchell is clearly the player the Jets wanted to emerge as the winner.

A 2022 fourth-round pick, Mitchell was thrust into action early in his career following a slew of injuries, and he held his own. The hope was that he would be able to take a significant step forward in his second summer with the team.

That hasn't been the case. Mitchell has struggled at both left and right tackle in camp and was bullied by the Cleveland Browns' backups in the Hall of Fame Game. Mitchell finished with the lowest Pro Football Focus run-block grade of any offensive lineman on either team in that game.

The Jets would love to see Mitchell take that next step and earn the starting job, but right now, Billy Turner has the edge despite his poor performances. That says a lot about how poorly the former Louisiana standout has played this summer.

More NY Jets content...