NY Jets: Final 53-man roster and 16-player practice squad prediction

NY Jets practice squad

• James Morgan [QB], Mike White [QB], Josh Adams [RB], Lawrence Cager [WR], Jeff Smith [WR], Daniel Brown [TE], Kenny Yeboah [TE], Grant Hermanns [OT], David Moore [OG], Jimmy Murray [C], Corey Levin [C/OG], Isaiah Williams [OG/OT], Aaron Adeoye [DE], Camilo Eifler [LB], Lamar Jackson [CB], Elijah Campbell [CB] (16)

Injuries will dictate which two practice squad players get called up every week to expand the roster from 53 to 55 on game day. Based on the rules carried over from 2020, the Jets can also keep up to six veterans on their practice squad roster. 

Before the final preseason game, and because of the numbers game, it appeared that it would take a Hail Mary for Kenny Yeboah to make the Jets 53-man roster. Yeboah's heroics and two-touchdown effort against the Eagles give him a shot.

However, It won't be easy unless the Jets make a surprise cut in their tight ends room. Yeboah is certainly someone with long-term upside who the Jets should protect on their practice squad at the bare minimum.

Tight end Daniel Brown seems like a safe bet to be a weekly elevation because he is one of Brant Boyer's best players on special teams.

Carrying only two quarterbacks on the active roster creates the possibility that the Jets could have more than one signal-caller in reserve on the practice squad. Mike White could very easily trade places with Josh Johnson in this spot.

White outplayed James Morgan during the summer and seemed like the odds on favorite to be Zach Wilson's backup if Joe Douglas didn't swing a trade for a proven veteran quarterback.

Morgan ended the preseason on a very high note, storing him on the practice squad makes sense because the Jets can protect four players on their reserve roster every week from being poached by opposing teams.

So the Jets love affair with their 2020 fourth-round pick can continue and Joe Douglas won't have to risk losing Morgan if the team chooses to protect him.

Josh Adams would be the Jets' top reserve option at tailback. He will indeed be a first man-up candidate if any injuries occur in the Jets backfield.

Lawrence Cager and Jeff Smith at wide receiver have shown some good things as young players, and the Jets could keep them around. D.J. Montgomery just misses the cut, but he is also a legitimate candidate to show up here. He spent time last year on the Jets' practice squad.

The Jets will need some readily available options on the offensive line, especially if they keep only eight linemen on the active roster. The numbers game dictates having a guard, tackle, and center in reserve for those purposes.

David Moore, Grant Hermanns, Isaiah Williams, Corey Levin, and Jimmy Murray fit that criterion unless the Jets bring in some outside candidates after cuts that they prefer over them. 

Aaron Adeoye is a late signing from Baltimore. Adeoye, a true project, has some upside as a pass rusher on the edge. Despite his advanced age, he also has experience playing as a linebacker.

Adeoye's stay on this squad could be short-lived when Zuniga returns or if the Jets add to their room at the defensive end spot.

Because the Jets are only carrying five linebackers on the active roster, it makes sense for the team to have two linebackers on their practice squad for insurance purposes. The Jets may only keep one for now.

Undrafted rookie Camilo Eifler has had a good summer and seems like the perfect candidate to start the year on the practice squad. He could potentially be the first player called up if the situation arises.

Cornerback Lamar Jackson started last season on the practice squad for the Jets. It might be his destination again because of the numbers game.

Defensive back Elijah Campbell finished last season on the Jets active roster. He has 4.30 speed, can play outside at the corner spot, inside in the slot, or at safety. Versatile players are a very important trait for teams to have on their practice squad in what is now a 17-game season.

More important than the Jets' win-loss total this season will be the development of their young players. The Jets have one of the youngest rosters in all of football and the team has so many first, second, and third-year players slated to play key roles this coming season.

Couple that with a rookie head coach in Robert Saleh and a rookie offensive coordinator in Mike LaFleur, the nickname Gang Green has never been more fitting.