7 biggest surprise standouts from the NY Jets' 2021 season

The 2021 season was a bit of a rollercoaster for the NY Jets. For every positive spurred on by a rookie standout or an overachieving veteran, there was a negative brought on by a disappointing dud or an ill-timed injury.

The Jets didn't have many expectations going into the season. As a whole, most just wanted to see the team be competitive and develop some of the young players on the roster. At the end of the day, that's roughly what happened.

There were some disappointments, sure, but overall, the Jets did about what most expected them to in 2021. And to counteract those disappointments, the Jets also had their fair share of surprises.

The following seven players are chief among those surprise standouts. Let's take a look at seven players who exceeded all expectations this season.

7. Tevin Coleman, RB, NY Jets

Expectations were understandably low for Tevin Coleman when he signed a cheap one-year, $2 million contract with the Jets in the offseason.

Coming off of easily the worst year of his career where he rushed for just 53 yards and 1.9 yards per carry in eight games, many didn't believe the veteran running back had much left in the tank. But he did everything to prove that notion wrong in 2021.

Coleman missed a few games, but still rushed for 356 yards on a healthy 4.2 yards per carry which marked his highest average since the 2018 season. It was a bit of a career resurgence for the 28-year-old running back.

It's unclear if the Jets will look to bring him back, but Coleman deserves credit for exceeding expectations and becoming a pretty important part of the offense as the year went on.