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.

6. Brandin Echols, CB, NY Jets

Most people took one look at the Jets' cornerback group entering the 2021 season and assumed the worst. And how could they not? The Jets were projected to start a second-year fifth-round pick and rookie fifth and sixth-round picks at the position.

Expectations were about as low as they could get. That's what made the emergence of players like Brandin Echols all the more surprising.

Echols had his fair share of rookie ups and downs, that much was obvious. But the former Kentucky star went on to start all 14 games he played and held his own for the most part.

The highlight of his rookie season was undoubtedly his Week 15 performance that netted him Rookie of the Week honors. Echols recorded a highlight-reel pick-six and finished with a Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 93.3 that was the fifth-highest by a cornerback in any game that season.

He allowed just one catch for nine yards on four targets and had a passer rating of 0.0 when targeted. It was perhaps the best game by any Jets player this past season.

Again, he was far from lights out all year. But Echols proved that he deserves a role on defense next season. Anytime you can find a sixth-round pick who holds his own starting 14 games as a rookie, that has to be considered a welcomed surprise.

5. Mike White, QB, NY Jets

Though his star faded almost as quickly as it rose, Mike White has to earn a spot on this list, if only because he provided Jets fans with one of the moments of the season.

And let's be honest, who saw this coming?

The talk all offseason was about how the Jets failed to adequately address the backup quarterback position with the inexperienced White backing up rookie Zach Wilson. Neither had appeared in an NFL game prior to the 2021 season.

So when Wilson went down with a knee injury, most immediately feared the worst. That was until White managed to take the NFL by storm and unleash Mike White Mania on the football world.

White started three games for the Jets with his high point undoubtedly being the team's stunning 34-31 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18. The former Western Kentucky standout finished the game 37-of-45 throwing for 405 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.

He was even enshrined in Canton after the game with a special exhibit dedicated to his performance. It's easy to forget how White's name dominated headlines for a couple of weeks, only for it to fall apart with a four-interception performance against the Buffalo Bills two weeks later.

Still, we'll always have that one game. The Mike White game. And for that, he deserves a spot on this list.

4. Quincy Williams, LB, NY Jets

Jets general manager Joe Douglas has made a habit out of striking gold on a number of waiver-wire pickups throughout his tenure with the Jets. Look no further than players like John Franklin-Myers and Braxton Berrios for examples of that.

Douglas returned to the waiver-wire well this season claiming former Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker, and brother of Quinnen Williams, Quincy Williams off waivers following final roster cuts.

Williams was almost immediately thrust into a starting role with Jarrad Davis sidelined, making his first start in his first appearance in Week 2. Always a volatile player, Williams developed a knack for the big hit and seemed to make at least one splash play per game.

In an inexperienced linebacker group that was hit hard by injuries to rookies Jamien Sherwood and Hamsah Nasirildeen, Williams stepped in and was a consistent force in the middle of the Jets' defense.

He was far from perfect, but Williams did seem to improve as the year went on and it was telling that he regained his starting job from Davis only a couple of weeks after the former Detroit Lions' first-round pick returned from injury.

Williams was the superior option and the Jets realized this pretty quickly. The 25-year-old finished with 110 total tackles which trailed just C.J. Mosley for the team lead. He also added a team-leading nine tackles for loss, two sacks, and four QB hits.

From waiver claim to bonafide starter, Williams has earned a role on the team next season.

3. Braxton Berrios, WR/KR, NY Jets

The Jets' only All-Pro selection for the 2021 season was Braxton Berrios. Who saw that coming at the beginning of the year?

Yes, Berrios didn't exactly earn the All-Pro nod for his production on offense, but that part of his game can't be ignored either. Not only did Berrios establish himself as the premier kick returner in football, but he carved out an important role in the Jets' offense.

Another former waiver claim, Berrios entered the summer actually competing for one of the final roster spots on the team. And every opportunity he was given from then on, he did everything to make the most of it.

Berrios finished with a career-high 46 catches for 431 yards and two touchdowns solidifying himself as a key player in the Jets' receiver rotation. When injuries struck the wide receiver room late in the year, it was Berrios who emerged as the team's only consistent playmaker.

The Miami product hauled in five or more catches in three of his final four games and actually finished second on the team in catches behind only Jamison Crowder.

Berrios has worked hard to improve as a player throughout his career and he's now established himself as more than just a special-teams player. He's a legitimate offensive playmaker.

And with the former sixth-round pick set to hit free agency in the offseason, it would be in the Jets' best interest to make sure he sticks around.

2. Bryce Hall, CB, NY Jets

Back to the cornerback room for a moment, it's time we talk a little about Bryce Hall. The Jets were asking a lot of Hall going into the 2021 season.

A fifth-round pick just a year ago, Hall missed the entire summer and first half of his rookie season recovering from a devastating ankle injury that cut his college career short and caused him to drop in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Hall showed signs of promise down the stretch as a rookie, and evidently, it was enough to make the Jets believe he was ready to be the team's No. 1 cornerback. As a fifth-round pick who had played just eight career games, it was a tall ask.

Jets fans might remember Blessuan Austin, another former late-round pick who returned from injury as a rookie to impress in the second half of the season. Only Austin never recaptured that same magic.

Hall, on the other hand, took his game to new heights in 2021. He was close to being a legitimate CB1, and that's more than the Jets could have ever asked for.

The Virginia product played all 17 games and finished second behind just Marshon Lattimore in forced incompletions ahead of the likes of Jalen Ramsey, James Bradberry, and Kendall Fuller.

Among cornerbacks to play at least 80 percent of snaps, Hall's 64.5 PFF coverage grade ranked 18th in the NFL. He had a couple of rough games late in the season, but as a whole, it's impossible to argue that Hall didn't exceed expectations in 2021.

The Jets placed their trust in Bryce Hall, and he more than rewarded them for their confidence.

1. George Fant, LT, NY Jets

Without a doubt, the biggest surprise standout for the Jets in 2021 was George Fant. Fant was signed to a three-year, $27.3 million contract prior to the 2020 season, and his first year with the team didn't go so well.

Starting at right tackle, Fant finished the season with a 61.6 PFF grade that ranked 64th out of 79 qualified offensive tackles. Fant was expected to compete with the newly-signed Morgan Moses for the starting right tackle job, and he actually won, starting Week 1 at the position.

But when Mekhi Becton went down to a serious knee injury that same game, Fant stepped in as the starter. What followed was one of the more unlikely seasons from a Jets player in recent history.

Fant was one of the best pass-protecting left tackles in football in 2021. The veteran lineman allowed the second-fewest pressures among all left tackles in the NFL this past season surrendering just 18 in 15 games started.

Only Tristan Wirfs and Andrew Whitworth were tagged with allowing fewer pressures, among qualified offensive tackles. Fant was one of just four left tackles to play at least 500 pass-block snaps and surrender one or fewer sacks.

Fant was a top-10 (if not top-5) left tackle in 2021. His future with the Jets might be a little uncertain, but that's not important right now. What's important is recognizing George Fant for having one of the best seasons by a Jets offensive linemen in recent team history.

That alone must be celebrated, and it's why he earns his rightful place atop this list.